2006

Leica M8

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The Leica M8 represents the pinnacle of digital photography and marks the arrival of a new era in the computer age. Its 10.3 MP CCD sensor (APS-H), 6-bit detection and 1/8000 s shutter offer enhanced speed, flexibility, precision and responsiveness, while maintaining the consistency that characterises the M series.

Colour to the Power of 8

Constantine Manos is awarded the Leica Medal of Excellence in 2003 for his book American Color. Three years later, he sets aside his Leica MP and switches to the M8 in an attempt to repeat his performance. Equipped with a state-of-the-art camera, which Manos asserts boasts all the latest features, he captures a vivid and compelling visual narrative of the colourful leisure destinations of the American backwaters.

Atmospheric view of an illuminated snack stall in an amusement park during the blue hour, with two employees wearing white and a child with his father standing in front.
At the Marshfield Fair, Marshfield, Massachusetts 2006, Constantine Manos
© Constantine Manos / Magnum Photos







A cropped image of gaudy mural depicting a blonde woman holding a carnival mask with two passers-by in front.

Street

Portrait of the young Black TUGGSTAR wearing streetwear posing casually against a wall at dusk, looking up at the sky.
Portrait of two young Black women wearing streetwear, one of them exhaling smoke, both looking away from the camera with a thoughtful expression.
Scene of a group of young people and couples wearing urban clothing standing on a street corner.
Several colourfully illuminated young Black men stand on a stage with microphones in their hands, the image of a projector in the background.
Young Black men stand crowded in a room and euphorically cheer on the man rapping into the microphone in the foreground.
Three men in a basement room with turntables write something down while one raps standing up.

Sideline: Film Icon

In the 2000s, cinema becomes more sophisticated, artful and loud. During this period, several films are released about photographers who advocate for a human perspective. A number of high-profile actors are provided with Leica cameras for the production, including Brad Pitt, Jennifer Connelly, Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper. Models like the discreet M6, which in the real world are used for in-depth reportage, are now also intended to give fictional characters more depth on the big screen and suddenly become eye-catchers in front of the camera themselves.

Brad Pitt, equipped with a Leica M6 camera, waits behind a wall while filming Spy Game.
Brad Pitt as Tom Bishop in Tony Scott’s action thriller Spy Game. 2001
© Entertrainment Pictures / Alamy
Jennifer Connelly holding a Leica M6 in a film scene for Blood Diamond surrounded by other photographers and cameramen.
Blood Diamond, Jennifer Connelly 2006
© WARNER BROS. PICTURES / Album
Julia Roberts looks into the camera and holds up a Leica R8 for a film scene in Closer.
Closer, Julia Roberts 2004
© United Archives GmbH
Bradley Cooper sits on the floor of a train with a terrified look on his face for a film scene in The Midnight Meat Train, holding his Leica M6 tightly in his hand.
The Midnight Meat Train, Bradley Cooper 2008
© Lions Gate / Courtesy Everett Collection
Hollywood writing

Female Role Models

A young female Maoist soldier stands with her troop under the Nepalese sun, a Kalashnikov in her arms, Britney Spears adorning her chest. Photographer Tomas van Houtryve succeeds in encapsulating an entire era with this image. Western pop dreams collide with a political reality far removed from show business. The idol on the T-shirt becomes a foreign icon here, a symbol of a globalised longing. The connection between rebellion and merchandise is evident, highlighting the close relationship between freedom of expression and commercial interests.

A young Maoist fighter raises her rifle in the midst of other soldiers, wearing a red T-shirt featuring a Britney Spears print on the front.
Maoism goes pop 2004, Tomas van Houtryve
© Tomas van Houtryve











The Quiet Bursting of a Bubble

In 2008, the US property market crashes, resulting in millions of people losing their homes and financial institutions failing. This leads to a decline in public confidence in the American Dream. The financial crisis brings to light the vulnerability of a society that is heavily indebted. For Time magazine, Anthony Suau meticulously documents the direct and indirect connections, offering a concrete perspective on an abstract crisis: disbelieving estate agents, empty shopping malls and family dreams destroyed due to eviction. These are the images of a nation that is breaking its own promise.

Black-and-white image of the hustle and bustle in the centre of the New York Stock Exchange with dozens of disappointed traders looking upwards.
The mortgage crisis played out on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange 2008, Anthony Suau
© Anthony Suau



Black-and-white image in which a US detective walks through a devastated house with his gun drawn.
Detective Robert Kole in an Apartment in Cleveland, Ohio 2008, Anthony Suau
© Anthony Suau




Cleveland, March 2008: Detective Robert Kole enters a vacated but possibly occupied house with his gun drawn. Suau’s work encapsulates the financial crisis into a poignant narrative that, in reality, unfolds far beyond the confines of Wall Street. The intense stare of a man meticulously searching a residence in Ohio that has long been abandoned: this photograph is awarded the prestigious title of World Press Photo of the Year in 2009.










Imposing black-and-white image shows the outer wall of the New York Stock Exchange, which is covered in US flags. In front of this, a man is seen raising his hand in prayer between passers-by.
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