2015

Leica Q

Spontaneous Soul

The Leica Q combines a full-frame sensor and a built-in Summilux 28 f/1.7 ASPH. lens in a compact body. Its fast autofocus and intuitive handling allow for a more spontaneous and intense approach to photography, offering an authentic, direct, and timeless Leica experience.

Change of Perspective

At a time when images are being created and circulated faster than ever before, and anything and everything is becoming a potential motif, two series from 2015 question the control and direction of vision. What happens when those who are used to being in focus or observing others turn the camera around? What if the photographers themselves become subjects – and the moment is reversed?

Black-and-white image: Two photographers stand in the foreground, facing the camera. One is taking pictures with an instant camera and the other with a compact camera. A cluster of blurred journalists can be seen in the background.
From the series Flash 2014, Lenny Kravitz
© Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz: Flash


In his Flash series, the multi-talented rock star turns the tables on his pursuers. The bright flashes that would normally signify the hunt become a stylistic device for the hunted, offering a poetic commentary on fame, privacy, and discretion.


Black-and-white image: Several people and celebrities cross a street in New York while the paparazzi try to take photos from the front. The scene and the celebrities can be seen from behind.
Life Behind the Velvet Rope 2010–2018, Phil Penman
© Phil Penman

Phil Penman: Paparazzi


In Paparazzi, Penman observes life behind the cameras. His photographs reveal his colleagues in the shadows: persistent, searching, and driven by routine and the hunt. A unique human study of the image business.


Leica SL

A Fresh Look at the Bigger Picture

The SL is the first professional mirrorless full-frame camera to rely entirely on digital real-time preview. Its L-mount also marks the beginning of a system that enables a modern visual language, creative freedom, and cross-brand compatibility.

Skateboarding, but Unseen

Fred Mortagne captures skater with his Leica SL in a way that only he and the SL can. His images of “French Fred” skillfully balance speed and calm, street and refined style, elevating urban aspects to an art form.

Graphic black-and-white image: A skater rides in a deep, tubular concrete channel. The struts above cast rhythmic, arcing shadows, creating a captivating structure.
Skateboarding in L.A. 2015, Fred Mortagne
© Fred Mortagne











Elegant black-and-white image: A skater glides on the edge of a curved bowl, seemingly weightless against the backdrop of an empty, glistening sky.
Black-and-white image: Two women stand in front of a black wall. The young woman on the left looks at her mobile phone, while the young woman on the right leans against a railing, staring into space with her smartphone tucked into her skirt at navel height.
Opera Station, Antwerp, Belgium 2014, Cédric Gerbehaye
© Céderic Gerbehaye

Behind Screens

By the mid-2010s, it has become impossible to imagine society without smartphones. It is visibly changing our general perception – always online, always available. The display pushes itself between life and reality: encounters are interrupted; moments, news, and opinions are shared immediately; closeness becomes more digital; and attention is fought for ever more fiercely. So-called “likes” are becoming the new currency.

Black-and-white image: Kim Kardashian is walking down the street, accompanied by a bodyguard and surrounded by onlookers and paparazzi. A man wearing a baseball cap takes a selfie with her; she looks confidently into his camera.
Life Behind the Velvet Rope 2015, Phil Penman
© Phil Penman
Black-and-white image: Two young men sit on a staircase, each looking at their smartphone, while a woman walks up the stairs in between them in the background.
Addiction to Smartphone 2016, Will Yang
© Will Yang
Black-and-white image: Four women wearing headscarves stand close together in front of a building, holding smartphones. One of them is looking directly into the camera while another person in the foreground looks curiously at the setting.
Gazes and Smartphones 2018, Michael Erimo
© Michael Erimo
Black-and-white image: A man sits in a dark room in a cone of light, resting his head in his hand as he looks fixedly at his smartphone. An empty beer bottle stands on the table in front of him.
Man, Beer, and Smartphone 2016, Enno Kunze
© Enno Kunze
A young woman wearing a sun hat and sunglasses holds a red pop can and looks into the camera, making a kissy face for the camera while other people stand close around her.
The Well Skybar 2017, Bil Brown
© Bil Brown

Everything for the Self-Image


With smartphones always at our fingertips, photography has suddenly become a constant means of self-expression. Selfies are replacing classic portraits. Control, reality, and staging merge. Our own image becomes the new self – perfected, filtered, and endlessly reproduced. What used to be an expression of personal memories has become part of our own image.

Split Reality

2016 marks a turning point: Brexit in Europe and the election of Donald Trump in the US are driving a huge wedge between political and social fronts. Previous debates are turning into decisive battles – for or against, in or out. News becomes fake news and images become red flags, evaluated and categorized immediately. From demonstrations against Brexit to cheers at Trump rallies, it is clear that photography is caught between the fault lines of a time when reality is drifting apart.

Black-and-white image: A crowd demonstrating stands around a couple in the foreground holding up a large poster of a broken heart with the inscription: “EU brought us together” on one side and “Don’t break us apart” on the other.
Brexit Diaries 2016, Fabio Lugaro
© Fabio Lugaro
A rubber mask of Donald Trump lies atop other merchandise, seemingly wearing a red T-shirt bearing the slogan Make America Great Again.
Trump Rally, Janesville, Wisconsin 2016, Vic Sorvino
© Vic Sorvino
Black-and-white image: A woman surrounded by protesters types something into her smartphone while a younger woman looks on. A poster bearing the words “73% did not vote” can be seen at the edge of the image.
Brexit Diaries 2016, Fabio Lugaro
© Fabio Lugaro
An empty hall with red, white, and blue banners pinned to the stage and US flags in the background. Scattered paper cups, garbage, and remnants of flags are on the floor in front of it.
Trump Rally, Wilmington, Ohio 2016, Vic Sorvino
© Vic Sorvino
Black-and-white image: A protest message written in felt-tip pen on the glass of a poster display case at a bus stop with the words “Curse of the Brexit Zombie – They want your votes, then your brains”.
Brexit Diaries 2016, Fabio Lugaro
© Fabio Lugaro
A man in a business suit wearing a Donald Trump-style wig and tie stands on the side of the road in front of a green area and blue sky.
Trump Impersonator, Wilmington, Ohio 2016, Vic Sorvino
© Vic Sorvino
Black-and-white image: Two children and an elderly man sit relaxed in the sun at the side of the road. One child holds up a protest sign saying “Europe is best”, and the other holds one saying “Brexit is not for us”. The man smiles next to them.
Brexit Diaries 2016, Fabio Lugaro
© Fabio Lugaro
A crowd of people stand close together at night. The person in focus is holding a large US flag while wearing a glowing yellow ski mask and matching overalls. Next to them is someone wearing the same suit.
Trump Rally, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 2016, Vic Sorvino
© Vic Sorvino
Click

Small, Healing Moments

In charged times, Matt Stuart captures random scenes that provide a break from the chaos: accidental encounters, quiet harmony between strangers, and the humor of chance. These are small escapes into reality as it really is, yet so rarely perceived. Moments that demonstrate the existence of humanity, lightness, and, therefore, street photography amidst all the noise – as a discreet, fleeting, and sometimes salutary means.

A boy wearing red clothes and a red hat pushes a mannequin on a flatbed cart into a structure covered with camouflage netting.
Brussels, Belgium 2016, Matt Stuart
© Matt Stuart
An illuminated orange window display shows a woman cleaning while looking up, like a mannequin.
Shop Window, Brussels, Belgium 2016, Matt Stuart
© Matt Stuart
Several women stand smiling together under a beige umbrella. Behind them, a billboard shows a topless young man lasciviously posing and looking down at the ladies.
From the series All That Life Can Afford 2002–2015, Matt Stuart
© Matt Stuart
A boy wearing a red jumper climbs a large red public mailbox while a red parked car and an old church building can be seen in the background.
From the series All That Life Can Afford 2002–2015, Matt Stuart
© Matt Stuart
A view towards a shop window showing several mannequins. On the left, the silhouette of a man is seen as a shadow in a reflection of the sun. In the center, a woman is bent over, working behind the window. To the right, two people with umbrellas pass by on the sidewalk – one of whom appears to be missing their head.
From the series All That Life Can Afford 2002–2015, Matt Stuart
© Matt Stuart
A man in a blue hooded jacket is photographed from behind on a London street. An albino ferret hangs down his back on a leash while a second ferret sits in his hood.
From the series All That Life Can Afford 2002–2015, Matt Stuart
© Matt Stuart
Three women wearing identical red dresses, wigs, and black tights stand side by side on the pavement, each holding a white shopping bag.
From the series All That Life Can Afford 2002–2015, Matt Stuart
© Matt Stuart
The front tire of a parked silver car is clamped with a green wheel clamp bearing the word “CAMDEN”, while a man talks on his phone and looks at his parking ticket behind it. Further to the side, a figure dressed in a shiny red devil’s outfit with his arms crossed looks sardonically sideways towards the car.
From the series All That Life Can Afford 2002–2015, Matt Stuart
© Matt Stuart
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The wonderful thing about street photography is that you could never imagine the best scenes.
– Matt Stuart
Portrait of Matt Stuart
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