Summer Evening in Mayfair:Leica with Colin O'Brien

A fine Wednesday evening- 29th July 2015- saw 50 fortunate ticket holders, and the staff of Leica filling the lecture theatre at the London Headquarters of Leica in Bruton Place.There was great interest in a lively talk by Colin O'Brien to accompany the launch of his new book published by Spitalfields Life Books. Much more is available at the Spitalfields Life Website, in particular the feature on Colin on July 15th 2015.In black and white, his photography with a 111a Leica is superb and reflects a long gone time in North London (mainly) and the fashions of the 1950's.Centered on Clerkenwell he reflects life in a time of rationing and few luxury goods. As a rather unique afterthought Colin still has the original Leica he acquired as a young man and this was with him at the lecture.Visit Spitalfields Life site to purchase a signed copy.

Many thanks to all at Leica and The Gentle Author for this most interesting evening.

Work in Progress: Union Street,Bath.

Using this time the 111f and an Elmar 50mm with yellow filter the depth of field is a bit more than I would have wanted at 1/200 and f8 on a sunny day with T-Max 400. Yet again developed in D76 1:1- this tag is likely to change shortly as I am moving to XTOL in an attempt to avoid  Metol rash!
I am also experimenting with slower films and of course results will appear here in due course-I hope.

Circle 6 Housekeeping: Mirfield Award 1969

As you will gather from the above photographs,Digital photography is not my thing but that is what this Blog is all about after all! The object above is a Leica lens cap from the Mirfield Awards made in 1969 and engraved to Tom March F.R.P.S. The engraving has obviously been done prior to the addition of a coat of gloss black spray paint so does not really stand out too well. I am wondering if this lens cap, of about 3 inch diameter, came from a projector in which case it would have probably been gray in its original form. However the Leica ruby velvet liner is present.

Tom March was a well known motor cycling and car racing photographer at that time.  His work has been preserved by a commercial agency and used in a number of recent books.Given the Circle 6 connection I had to buy this when it came up in a small ad. in the  Leica Society magazine.And what, do I hear you ask,is a Mirfield Award?  These are still given by what is now The Leica Society for the winner of a points based competition which runs in most of the Circles of print and slide makers. This round of Awards was inherited from the merger of Leica Historical with Postal Portfolios a few years ago.Sadly the one time token of a lens cap is now financially impossible and so todays Mirfield is only a certificate-and some Glory!

I own one original March print of a  racing car but his winning prints, framed,have sold well on Auction Sites.

And who was Mr Mirfield? He was a past Secretary of the Society who set up a contest for Members that ran all year rather than being judged at the Annual Meetings,Most of the Trophys are named for the person who donated them but a 'Mirfield' is still a worthwhile achievement.

Those of you who are fortunate to have a copy of the last Morgan & Morgan Leica Manual of 1973
will find some work by Tom on page 245 from the Leica-Archiv Wetzlar.