THE ESSENTIALS

At the core of Leica’s design principles is the German expression das Wesentliche, which looks at the core of an object, a feeling, a situation. In design language, das Wesentliche “means to eliminate all distractions and to concentrate on the essentials”. 

We discovered these very “essentials” at the factory in Leitz-Park. (There is a  second production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão in Portugal.) While there are guided tours of Leitz-Park available to visitors all year round, the COP offers Leica’s guests intimate access right at the heart of it all, within the factory floor itself, where we had the opportunity to view up close the production, manufacturing and assembly of Leica cameras, lenses and binoculars. 

Each lens is cut and polished by hand, surface by surface, lens by lens, with outstanding engineering and precision craftsmanship combined to produce the highest “Made in Germany” quality. After witnessing first-hand the work that goes into the making of a Leica camera, it made sense when our guide Michel Ellert said, “I hope you understand that we are not that expensive.” The Frenchman would know for he has been with the company since 1980, taking on various roles from sales to management, as well as education at the Leica Akademie.

A look into the Leica archives revealed its rich history of experimentation and innovation, from a prototype of the Ur-Leica, the first small-format camera in the world, to the first zoom lens. Other points of interest include early print advertisements and other related memorabilia. 

At Leica, the image is always the focus—and the Leica Gallery is one of the highlights at Leitz-Park, where the permanent exhibition, 36 Iconic Photos, takes centrestage. From  the day Japan surrendered in the Second World War to the Napalm attacks in Vietnam, the iconic images were captured over 100 years of history by photographers who had an eye for the visual impact of the scene—and with a Leica in their hands.

See also: Singaporean Street Photographer Lee Yik Keat on Finding Beauty in the Everyday

THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER

Beyond the cameras, photography is the visual language and the medium of communication at Leica. A key highlight of the COP 2023 was the presentation of the 43rd Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA), an international photo contest for photographers, which is named after the eponymous inventor of the Leica. 

“The enthusiasm for Leica photography connects people worldwide—beyond continents, religions and political opinions,” says Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, the art director and chief representative of Leica Galleries International, who heads the jury panel of the LOBA. “[The] belief in the true image and the passion of those behind the camera are of central importance to Leica.” 

She elaborates, “The camera is a wonderful tool, but what’s important is what comes out of the camera: the pictures. People want to see pictures, and the photographer wants the pictures to be exhibited—and this is the emotional part. The camera, of course, is also a very emotional tool. And so we give the photographers an opportunity to tell their stories through exhibitions in the Leica Galleries.”

Since its inception in 1979, the theme of the LOBA remains the same—that the photographs should explore the relationship of humanity to the environment, in a documentary or conceptual-artistic format. Curators, gallery owners, art directors and picture editors, as well as photographers from around the world are invited to nominate up to three photographic series of between 15 and 20 images. 

A five-person international jury led by Rehn-Kaufmann will converge at Leitz-Park to select the winners from a shortlist of up to 12 series. “These discussions always widen our own horizon, our own vision, and our own worldview. My goal is that everyone [on the jury] is happy with the decision. We  also look at the diversity of topics, not only war and crisis, but hope and confidence. These are important to us.”

For the 2023 edition of Leica Oskar Barnack Award, New York-based Bangladeshi photographer Ismail Ferdous’s Sea Beach series was named the winner in the main category. The photographer captured in brilliant colours the particular mood and the beachgoers at Cox’s Bazar, which is located at the southernmost point of his home country Bangladesh. The popular destination is a cultural melting pot, where people from all walks of life and places in society come, looking for a few moments of recreation and relaxation.

Meanwhile, Chinese photographer Ziyi Le’s New Comer series is the winner in the Newcomer category (for newcomer photographers up to 30 years old). His project features a series of portraits of the “New Comer,” a generation looking for personal development and in search of its place in society, as a way to reflect on his own self-doubt, feelings of alienation and mental void.

Today, the LOBA is one of the most prestigious and highly endowed awards in the field of photography: the winner receives €40,000 and Leica camera equipment valued at €10,000, while the winner of the Newcomer award receives €10,000 and a Leica Q3. Both the winning and shortlisted series will tour around the world at Leica Galleries and selected photo festivals. 

Read also: Lionel Leo’s friends and family came out to the opening of his first solo photography exhibition

Leica also honoured renowned Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt with the Leica Hall of Fame Award for his life’s work, with one of his well-known motifs being selected as the Leica Picture of the Year. 

Now that the awards is in its 43rd year, Leica shows no signs of slowing down in its advocacy for photography and photographers. Rehn-Kaufmann shares, “For me, I would like the Leica Oskar Barnack Award to be on the same level as the World Press Photo contest, in terms of awareness globally—and that would be my personal vision.”

EVERY SECOND IS A FIRST

At the COP 2023, Leica also took the opportunity to introduce the first major development in its watchmaking ambition—the release of the new Leica ZM 11 to join its watch line-up since the first two models, the ZM 1 and ZM 2 (formerly L1 and L2, respectively), were announced in 2018. From bringing in watchmaking luminaries to lead a new division to bolstering expertise in micro-machining, Leica has dedicated resources to this new product category. 

The ZM 11 adds three unique timepieces to the Leica Watch Collection with the choice of three band options: The ZM 11 Titanium Launch Edition, limited to 250 watches, with a black and red dial; the ZM 11 Titanium Coffee Black with a warm-black dial; and the ZM 11 Steel Midnight Blue with a blue and black dial.

“[With the new model], it’s very clear Leica is in the watchmaking business. In our five- to seven-year plan, there will be other models based on the second movement, and also the first. Will there be a third movement? Sort of, but that’s my personal dream,” shares Kaufmann on the long-term vision for this new division.

A journey to Wetzlar is incomplete without a walking tour of the Old Town, which also provides ample opportunities for photo taking. We stopped by the Eisenmarkt, which is the location where Barnack took the first known photo using the Ur-Leica in 1914. For a panoramic view of the whole town, we head to Haus Friedwart, the family home built by Ernst Leitz II on a hill above the old Leica factory in Wetzlar. An additional trip, if you are interested, is Braunfels Castle, a quaint castle with an enchanting village at its base, just a 15-minute drive from Leitz-Park.

Aside from its long tradition of excellent quality, German design and craftsmanship, and innovative technologies, rarely do we see a camera manufacturer so dedicated to initiatives that go beyond the product and looking at the advancement of photography—and this is what sets Leica apart from its competitors.

NOW READ

Ask a photographer: How to capture the Wes Anderson aesthetic in Singapore

Birdwatching Trips: Bring Your Binoculars To These Hotels and Experiences

Redefining the home entertainment experience with Leica’s new cinema television