Erwin Puts Says Farewell to Leica (?)

Is this real? It appears to be legitimate, although there's little talk about it on the Web so far. Makes me nervous when there isn't corroboration. We need to approach the Internet with a high degree of everyday skepticism...anyway, here goes.

Erwin Puts, who for several decades has been the world's leading independent expert on Leica products present and past, has announced his farewell to what he calls Leica World. Declaring that "the soul of Leica products has been eradicated," he says the company is going down a path he is no longer willing to follow.

It appears from his short announcement, however, that his interest in legacy Leica and Leitz products will continue.

Erwin is the author of the well-respected privately-printed books Leica Compendium, Leica Lens Compendium, Leica Lens Saga, and Leica Chronicle. He has been writing at length and in detail about Leica cameras and lenses, and the company, for well over 30 years.

Great recantations
If this is true, it reminds of when Peter Henry Emerson declared the "Death of Naturalistic Photography":

Emerson soon became convinced that photography was a medium of artistic expression superior to all other black-and-white graphic media because it reproduces the light, tones, and textures of nature with unrivaled fidelity. He was repelled by the contemporary fashion for composite photographs, which imitated sentimental genre paintings. In his handbook Naturalistic Photography (1889), he outlined a system of aesthetics. He decreed that a photograph should be direct and simple and show real people in their own environment, not costumed models posed before fake backdrops or other such predetermined formulas. Emerson’s book was very persuasive, but in 1891 he published a black-bordered pamphlet 'The Death of Naturalistic Photography,' in which he recanted his opinion that the accurate reproduction of nature was synonymous with art. Despite his change of mind, his initial views remained influential and formed the rationale of much 20th-century photography. (Encyclopaedia Britannica online).

I'm amazed that I can't seem to find a JPEG of the "black-bordered pamphlet" online! I can see it in my mind's eye.

Emerson was one of the first and still one of the best—well, most thorough—thinkers and writers to grapple with the nature of the medium, although there is a schoolteacherish cast to his polemics that doesn't wear particularly well. His work looks Pictorialist to us today, but Encyclopaedia Britannica is right that his thinking matched very closely what came to be valued across much of 20th century photography.

Naturalistic Photography is available as a Kindle book for 99¢. I haven't examined the file.

I've sometimes felt that "found photography" almost better illustrates Emerson's principles than his own work...

A circa 1920s documentary photograph from the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Collection, Sydney Living Museums, Historic Houses Trust of NSW. From the archives of the New South Wales Police Dept. Alec Soth wrote about this archive 12 years ago: "Searching on the topic of 'new south wales police dept,' I once again wonder why I bother with photography. It seems unfair that an anonymous police photographer can be as good as Avedon and Arbus...."

Sorry if this segue constitutes too great a step away from the subject, but, under the rubric of remarkable recantations, they seem related to me.

Anyway, if you enjoy Erwin's longtime impassioned thrall to Leica, as a great many do, I encourage you to carry on enjoying his existing writings.

Mike
(Thanks to Jeff S.)

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Andrew Molitor: "I remember seeing a show, um, somewhere (Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia?) of photographs from the relevant era, and some wag on the curatorial staff had hung an Emerson and a Robinson one above the other, and I'll be damned if they didn't look pretty much the same. (For those of you not obsessed with the minutiae of Victorian era photography, Emerson and Robinson spent a few merry years thundering angrily away at one another in the photographic press.)"

Mike replies: ...With the essential difference that the Robinson might have been a pastiche of something that never existed in nature and the Emerson was probably faithful to reality as translated by the lens. (You know this, Andrew, but others might not.) In many ways the present-day tension between photojournalistic ethics and flagrant Photoshoppery is the inheritor of that disputation.

Could the show you saw have been Alison Nordström's TruthBeauty? I can't find a list online of where that show traveled, but a glimmer in the back of my brain-pan says one venue might have been Norfolk. I hope readers listened to me when I recommended (several times) buying that book. Probably the high point of Dr. Nordström's career and fine and valuable summation of Pictorialism and the issues it raises. And a lovely book to look at and enjoy.

Moose: "My online friend, Tina Manley, who will be familiar to many red dot folks, has been using a Leica SL and whatever the latest monochrome model is. [The Type 246. —Ed.]

"Having viewed many of her photos, I am of the opinion that both cameras have a certain something, soul, whatever, that is largely missing in other contemporary cameras.

"With proper exposure, not too high key, and straightforward processing, there is a magical subtlety to the tones and their graduations that one doesn't see elsewhere, outside, perhaps, some LF film work.

"I have never been a Leicaphile, so an unaware of any meta photographic qualities in old Leica gear. But, if soul is in the camera, the SL, and perhaps the 24–90mm lens, have it."

Mike replies: That's nice, but I think it's optimistic.  

The first proof against it I would mention is that I've been hearing versions of such thoughts about Leica throughout the entire time I've been involved in photography—through different substrates, through different company ownership, different heads of the optical department, many different lenses and films and sensors, etc.

A long time ago Leica answered the fact that some of its lenses didn't test as well as some of its competitors' lenses with the contention that its lenses showed a "pleasing roundness" in images. The phrase "pleasing roundness" then showed up regularly in the claims of the brand's fans.

But if people like their SL's and are pleased with the results that's great, of course. I thought it was a beautiful camera, and we should all like the results our cameras give us.

(As an aside, when I first read your comment I thought you meant she had been shooting with a Pentax SL, because of Ned's Instagram posts about that camera. And the thing about that is, Tina could undoubtedly do great work with a Pentax SL!)

Eamon Hickey adds: "On the SL and 24–90mm: I reviewed that camera and shot with it and that lens for two or three months. I liked many things about the camera, and Leica does indeed have a distinct minimalist design sensibility that makes shooting with the SL a somewhat different experience than shooting with other FF mirrorless cameras (of which I've also used and reviewed a few). But I found the 24–90mm anything but magical, and I noticed nothing mysteriously different about the 1,000+ images I shot with the combination. Don't get me wrong: the 24–90mm is a superb zoom lens. But its images look to my eye completely similar to other extremely highly corrected modern aspherical-out-the-wazoo mid-range zooms from a half dozen top-notch manufacturers (think 24–70mm ƒ/2.8's) that I've also used fairly extensively.

"I very strongly suspect that the magic in Tina Manley's pictures comes from Tina, and her sense of how to polish and finish an image in whatever way she does it."

Comments

[Kenneth Tanaka]

I think Mr. Puts has thrown such tantrums several times, especially since Leica introduced the newfangled discovery of electricity into their cameras.

I really do not know Mr. Puts' expertise credentials nor have I ever seen a photograph he's taken. So it's hard to account for his magnum opus, "The Leica Compendium", beyond sheer monomania. But it really was, and still is, a rather enjoyable and educational work that spans beyond the Leica brand. (The hard-cover is long out of print but you can get it in PDF on the LFI site. For a small, free, taste of the big book see his "Leica M Lenses".)

Mr. Puts must be well into his 70's now and his life's work is certainly behind him. Watching technological and sociological waves slowly wash your castle away would make anyone crabby. But I think he should be satisfied with his accomplishments, not shake his cane at the kids running on his grass, and enjoy his sunset years as an elder statesman, albeit a rather mysterious one, for the Leica brand's history.

[rovingbroker]

I once again wonder why I bother with photography. It seems unfair that an anonymous police photographer can be as good as Avedon and Arbus...."

The difference is that the police photographer was that good once while Avedon and Arbus were both that good repeatedly and on demand.

The photograph reminds me of the 1964 painting, "The Son of Man."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Son_of_Man

[Stan B.]

And speaking of Avedon or Arbus, I don't think you'll ever find more powerful or moving portraits than those taken at The Killing Fields of Cambodia...

https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/25/books/faces-from-beyond-the-grave.html

[Jakub]

I second Alex Soth on Sydney police photography -- happened to pick up a book called City of Shadows: Sydney Police Photographs 1921-1948 by Peter Doyle (available at Amazon and others) there a few years ago. Very striking, especially the mugshots/portraits, but be aware there are pictures of dead bodies as well.

[Stephen Scharf]

He's probably now using a Fuji X-Pro or X100F....like William Eggleston.

As for his comment, ""the soul of Leica products has been eradicated.", he's alsolutley right.

What with Hello Kitty pink Leicas, Lenny Kravitz punked-out versions, Andy Summers editions, Safari editions, Moncier editions, Zagato editions, whatever that thing was that cost 15 large and was covered in ping pong paddle rubber....give me a frickin' break.

[Dennis Mook]

Say it isn’t so! Erwin Puts leaving the Leica fold? I never thought I would live to see the day. I thought we would have to pry his M3 from his cold, dead hands.

When I was a Leica shooter, I followed Erwin and read everything he wrote. I couldn’t get enough. I learned an enormous amount about Leica from him. He is a marvel of Leica information and insight. At one time, after moving to digital photography, and finding myself with a brick of 35mm Kodak Ektar 25 color negative film, I offered it to Erwin (and he accepted) to further his lens resolution tests. I was happy to contribute to his efforts in a very tiny way.

Although I still have a 1958 Leica M3 SS with a 50mm DR Summicron attached, I moved to digital years ago and gave up the mystique of the brand. I really don’t miss using my Leica cameras (at one time I owned several, both rangefinder and SLR, and a bevy of lenses) as I have found satisfaction with digital photography.

Thank you Erwin for all you have done for the Leica world!

[c.d.embrey]

Three things pop into my mind.
1. Huawei phones using Leica lens designs.
2. L-mount Alliance—includes Sigma, another lens manufacturer.
3. Leica FOTOS app 1.3 for phones, will soon be joined by an iPad version.

This ain't his fathers Leica anymore.

[V.i. Voltz]

My guess is that what really happened is that Leica, now relying on vapid influencers and instagram personalities who know nothing about photography or optics, decided to stop paying Erwin, and as such he is now done with them.

Voltz

[Martin D]

I have a great deal of respect for Erwin Puts. He is obviously infinitely knowledgeable on all things Leica, but more importantly he has made a very serious effort at conceptualising "classical rangefinder photography", and he has been willing to ask how this approach changes in the transition from film to digital.

Myself, I never was an active M-user, though in my late film days there was a period where I gained a great deal of photographic joy from using a set of IIf and IIIg screw-mount Leicas. But strangely enough, if I had to express the reasons for the creative thrill that I get today from using a Fuji XPro2, it probably would be in terms that are very close to Erwin Puts's thoughtful reflections on his Leica-M experience.

[Dan Khong]

We can be certain and must be prepared for change.

Change can be seen in:
1. Relationships
2. Power and Politics
3. Our physical bodies
4. Climate
5. Photography as a medium and the styles in what is left of it.

[Merle Hall]

Naturalistic Photography is also available on gutenberg.org in MOBI and EPUB formats. Death of doesn't appear to be, however.

[Ed]

Project Gutenberg has a free copy of Naturalistic Photography available online. It’s a great source of old books, including quite a few photography books.

[Ilkka]

I find it a bit strange. In my opinion, Leica has been quite successful in adapting to the new digital reality and has even made some very bold moves that the bigger companies have been clearly afraid to do and even follow.
If only they would make a real digital ‘M’. (=Q with M mount, or at least full frame CM). That is the only thing they have been so far afraid to do, probably not to threaten M sales.

[Gordon R. Brown]

The Leica Forum has been vocal about Mr. Puts. https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/302616-erwin-puts-gives-up-on-leica/

[Chuck Albertson]

He'll be back. Besides, most Leica aficionados are more concerned these days with the new 25% tariffs the G slapped on imported German lenses.

[marcin wuu]

Puts writes "(...) Nowadays its [leica] products are as mainstream as every other camera manufacture.(...)"
Uh. No. They are niche products. They are also status items, at least amongst the photo-savvy people.
In all honesty though, Leica lost its soul pretty much at the time it started to churn countless limited editions for the rich Chinese.

[Caleb Courteau]

The photograph of the man in the top hat is stupidly good. The composition is impecable, the echoing forms of the standing man and the telephone poles is visually arresting, and the deep depth of field captures all of it. This is a fine example of how, sometimes, more is more in photography. The current infatuation with shallow depth of field can’t imagine such an image

[hugh crawford]

That’s a pretty wonderful photo alright. Sort of a combination of Thomas Hart Benton perspective and René Magritte.
What’s the deal anyway with police photographers? Arnold Odermatt comes to mind of course. Amazing stuff where formal conceits run amok in a wonderful way.

[Andrew Lamb]

I can't raise much enthusiasm for this news.

I thought Puts was prone to over-praising Leica. Now, he's damning them for making what he regards as more pedestrian product.

[robert e]

I'm not sure "the soul of Leica products" has been eradicated so much as relocated.

https://fujifilm-x.com/en-us/products/cameras/x-pro3/

[Dennis]

"It seems unfair that an anonymous police photographer can be as good as Avedon and Arbus...."

Why is that unfair? Are only people who call themselves artists allowed to make art? That guy could have been Avedon or Arbus and Avedon and Arbus could have wound up as police photographers given another roll of the dice.

[Rod S.]

Thank you for pointing to the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Collection at Sydney Living Museums, and to Alec Soth's blog comments on those images from 2007.

It's a thrill to see new images of my home city from the 1920s and 1930s. And the comments by Alec Soth on the value of "vernacular photography" leap out to me as even more relevant today.

From that same blog post, Soth wrote: I took my SFAI class to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts to see a show by Joachim Schmid. All of Schmid’s work is made with found photography. One of the questions raised by this work is how professional photographers – plagued by self-consciousness – can ever match the visceral power of vernacular photography.

I consider photography to be an under-appreciated gift to modern mankind, as it, uniquely, is able to transcend distance and time to show us worlds we cannot imagine otherwise. The remarkable collection of photographs you've posted here is yet another fine example. In recent years, exhibited photography has become overwhelmingly dominated by contrived images, often ridiculous; this collection of vernacular photography, refreshingly, contains many gems far more worthy of exhibition.

[Kevin Purcell]

Naturalistic Photography for Students of the Art. by P. H. Emerson (second edition)

is in the public domain and there is a free public domain copy at Gutenburg (that's what the Kindle book is derived from I suspect).

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56833

or you can find a PDF of a scan (of a copy from the University of California) at archive.org

https://archive.org/details/naturalisticphot00emerrich

I note with some amusement this book has lots of ads at the start and does have a lot about equipment and darkroom techniques.

I do like how we are so similar to the Victorians.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

[Mark Sampson]

I bought, read, and enjoyed Mr Puts' "Leica Lens Compendium". Not sure if I ever understood some of his evaluations, although in 32 years of using Leica M cameras I owned a few of the optics he reviewed. Hard to see how his retirement will affect those who photograph with Leicas,
Though. Indeed, a purist might suggest that Leica lost its 'soul' when they introduced the Minolta-made CL in what, 1974?
Mike, if you want my copy of the "Lens Compendium" I'll happily send it along.

[Christian Lund]

Only a Sith deals in absolutes

[Olybacker]

Mike Johnston "His work looks Pictorialist to us today, but Encyclopaedia Britannica is right that his thinking matched very closely what came to be valued across much of 20th century photography."

Yes, it will do. If I recall correctly, the terms pictorialist and recordist have alternated or switched meanings two or three times during the history of photography. A prime example would be the reaction of the founders of The f64 Group to the earlier twentieth century photographic endeavours of American 'pictorialists' with their addiction to antiquity & symbolism, soft focus and multiple printing from more than one negative. Plus ca change.

PH Emerson was not alone. I have just acquired a copy of Beaumont Newhall's book about Frederick Evans. Evans eschewed what he called 'retouching'; cropping when printing or printing from multiple negatives and adding in image components afterward, and wanted to make straight contact Platinotype prints from his plates. He did spot his prints but he set his own 'purity parameters' for the route from before the camera was positioned through to the final print.

He was a contemporary of PH Emerson.

Here in the UK in photographic society and camera club circles forty and more years ago, it was commonplace to have a distinction between 'pictorial photography' and 'record photography' for competition purposes. There were regular difficulties (and disagreements!) over defining the two. That may be what led to the gradual abandonment of the competition categories a decade or so later and it is rarely found in club circles today.

[Max Frisch]

Responding to Mr. Puts’ “announcement”, I must say, despite his contribution to highlighting Leica photography, he sounds dismissive and snotty as well as backwards. No one can deny that today’s image sensors largely replaced films. It doesn’t require a genius to see that this change requires research in order to stay meaningful. This is also the same as any camera manufacturer being interested in the chemical formulas behind a particular type of film. So when Leica announces its interest in the computational photography (similar to the emulsion chemistry), suddenly it has lost its “soul”? The soul Puts speaks of is that of the people who designed and made Leica. The machine is the reflection of that soul. (Whether or not those people sold their soul is yet to be seen...) After all, a sensor is simply the substrate that captures light values, nothing more, just like the film plastic holds the emulsion. It’s the algorithm, or the emulsion chemistry in case of films, that determines the quality of the resulting image. It’s a well known anecdote (even though I can’t prove it) that Leica’s CCD sensor for M9 was modeled after Kodachrome. I see absolutely no problem if the SLs, CLs or what have you become the bread and butter of Leica in order to further perfect and preserve the Ms for the digital age. Mr. Pus has been a great commentator and archivist of Leica. It seems his service has come to an end. So be it.