The Hungry River

In the age of digital photography, when being able to look immediately at a preview on a display has become the norm, Leica's M-D series offers a purist approach. Without a monitor and with a reduce user concept, it challenges photographers to concentrate fully on their intuition, the motif and the moment. The product line is both a reduction to the essential as well as a logical consequence of the trend towards analogue photography observed over recent years.

For his The Hungry River project, photographer Mika Grunwaldt travelled through rural areas in Bangladesh. His sensitive images document life in a region defined by loss. We spoke with him about his experiences and the particular photographic process enabled by working with the M10-D.

LFI: You spent some time in Bangladesh with a Leica M10-D, and took some impressive photos. How did the project come about, and what is The Hungry River series about?
Mika Grunwaldt: I was able to use a Leica M10-D for the continuation of my The Hungry River project, which I had begun while doing a semester abroad at the Pathshala Media Institute in Dhaka. At the time, the project had only been “photographed”, but there was so much thematic and photographic potential, that I decided to deal with it in my final thesis, towards my degree in Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography. These pictures were then taken during my second stay in Bangladesh.

The series is suddenly about much more: the initial theme was the causes of the erosion of the islands in the Meghna River delta, due to climate change and human influence. After I had spent a longer time in a rural community at the river delta, researching and taking pictures, I was able to transfer the feeling for the changes in the region to an erosion in the social and cultural sense, because, due to the erosion, the local inhabitants of the island region are not only losing increasing amounts of land, but also the foundation of their lives. External influences coming from religion and politics, as well as migration and demographic changes, also contribute significantly to the omnipresent feeling of loss that pervades the region and the reality of people's lives. Using a fragmentary and poetic approach, I have tried to address this erosion in a deeper sense.

Why did you decide to take a Leica M10-D, a digital camera without a display, on this journey?
I love rangefinder cameras and prefer to photograph analogue on film. I appreciate how working analogue decelerates the process: manual focussing; intense reflection; building up the picture before hitting the release; as well as the time that lies between taking the pictures and seeing them for the first time. Unfortunately, my Leica M6 was stolen, and the price of film has risen in recent years. Furthermore, in Bangladesh it's very difficult to get films developed. So, the Leica M10-D was the perfect choice, because it functions like an analogue camera, but delivers digital images.

How does the lack of display change your photographic practice?
Taking pictures without a display relieves the stress during my personal work. I pay a lot more attention to the light, the mood and, above all, the details that could disturb the picture. At the same time, I realise that I can't control every picture. Because of the slower work process, I deal much more intensely with the protagonists and I'm able to develop a portrait together with them.

Do you see a possible counter-trend to normal digital photography with display?
The trend for normal digital photography follows the motto: “faster, higher, more”: faster autofocus including tracking function; higher resolution with less noise at higher ISO settings; more pictures per second. Of course, those are practical functions, which make the work day easier for many photographers, and which have become indispensable depending on the project. I don't need these features for my personal work. On the contrary, digital viewfinders, lots of buttons and a camera that “thinks” with you, stress me out. The type of photography using an M10-D is different, and you either like it or you don't. For me, digital photography with the analogue feeling works very well.

To whom in particular would you recommend such a camera?
The Leica M-D line is particularly suited to those who feel drawn to analogue photography, and who have the necessary technical knowledge to achieve the desired results. The camera offers unique opportunities to dedicate yourself to decelerated photography and to develop a precise feeling for your surroundings.