Street Photography with Leica Q

"After finishing my book project Don’t Just Tell Them, Show Them (published in early 2014; see LFI 4/2017) I was looking to start a new body of work. During the 9 year period I was shooting my book series, I didn’t change cameras, lenses or film stock: Leica M6, Summicron-M 35mm f/2 Asph, and mostly Fuji Superia 400.
Towards the end of that project I found my shooting approach had become quite rigid and as a result I was shooting less and less. A large part of 2014 was spent working on a commission for a client out on the street and I was looking for a change to try and reboot my shooting approach. Then the Leica Q came along in 2015.
I felt a sense of freedom instantly with the Q and the auto-focus was the major reason. I began challenging myself to get in closer to people on the street like I had with my Wounded series. The Q is such a quiet, discreet and easy camera to use. My switch to a digital Leica system has been smooth and the simplicity of the Q has been a major reason. In the past I’ve always kept my shooting kit really simple and only carried the one camera and lens when out on the street. The crop function on the Q is another feature I’ve enjoyed and has further enabled me to carry a simple kit but have the ability to switch between the ‘focal lengths’."

Leica Akademie USA is offering a street photography workshop with Jesse Marlow from June 16–18, 2017, in Los Angeles. Click here.