Dr. Paul Wolff and the Leica - The Great German Photographer. By Thorsten Overgaard

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Leica Camera Reviews and Leica Lens Reviews by photographer Thorsten Overgaard: leica-reviews.overgaard.dk/
Dr. Paul Wolff article:
www.overgaard.dk/the-story-be...
"My Life with the Leica" book by Walther Benser amzn.to/3WRizYp
Dr. Paul Wolff book from Leitz Museum 2019 amzn.to/3Cr0Miy
"Light and Shadow - Photographs from 1920 to 1950" by Hans-Michael Koetzle
Thorsten von Overgaard is a Danish writer and photographer, specializing in portrait photography and documentary photography, known for writings about photography and as an educator. You are always welcome to send an e-mail to Thorsten for questions, suggestions and ideas.
Thorsten Overgaard is an independent writer and photographer who write, teach workshops and publish user reports about the equipment he uses. There is no affiliation with Leica Camera AG or any camera dealers, no free gifts, no sponsorship, no kickback and no paid content. All you see is real and based on the life of an eccentric and hard-working photographer who makes his own money, buys his own equipment and form his own independent opinions - and shares with you. Enjoy the ride.
Video Credits:
Produced by: Thorsten Overgaard (www.overgaard.dk)
Equipment:
This video was made with the Leica SL bhpho.to/3cIbPEg and Leica 35mm Summilux-L ASPH f/1.4 bhpho.to/2MEr0nn , using Sennheiser wireless microphones bhpho.to/2zafn4v . Leica SL2 as second camera.
Job no 2184-1222
#Leica #photography #Germany

[@constantinestewart7416]

Wonderful lecture, thank you.

[@Bigfarmer8]

People who do their work consistantly are forgotten the most. Thank you for this excellent and inspiring story Thorsten!

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

They build great archives though when we talk photographers 🙂, in daily life, the person who is consistent in work, relationships, etc gets admired by others as they gather experience and look to this person as the one who apparently did it right all the way.

[@peetje28021970]

Happy 2023 Thorsten and followers.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank yiu 🙂

[@erichstocker8358]

His photos are unbelievably sharp. His use of light is also fantastic. Unfortunate that so much of his work is lost.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

I agree fully

[@Blackmind0]

In 1944 his house was destroyed by bombs. Its glass plates were destroyed. the small picture archive was moved out and remained intact. the archive is 500,000! pictures

[@richardsimms251]

Great lecture. Thank you

[@roastbeef1967]

Thorsten, your entusiasm is infectious and your vidoes are always a joy to watch.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you 🙂

[@davidselby8115]

It’s a great message. Keep things simple and work at it

[@janjasiewicz9851]

I read your article about Dr. Paul Wolff with great interest. I am a big fan of his work, having said that one should mention his partner Alfred Tritschler - in fact many of photos attributed to Dr. Wolff were in fact made by Tritschler. However, I wanted to respectfully point that Dr. Paul Wolff improved the quality of the negatives not, as you wrote: "by developing the film longer (and exposing shorter)." It is well known that increasing development time increases contrast AND grain. What Dr. Wolff accidentally discovered is the exact opposite, namely, reduce grain by overexposing and shortening development. The story goes that he erroneously over-exposed a few rolls. Dr. Wolff hoped to rescue what he thought were ruined rolls, by shortening the development time. To his surprise the "rescued" films showed significantly reduced grain but decreased contrast. He exprimented further and confirmed the findings. He increased contrast by using high contrast papers, different developers and filters. His "famous" quote was: Belichte reichlich entwickle Kurz. Finally since you asked - his first Leica was won as a prize at the 1926 Deutsche Photographische Ausstellung in Frankfurt.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you. Very informative, will use it in an update of the article.

[@johnfarley4201]

What a gift you have old chap.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you, John 🙂

[@TheNystedt]

This was very informative, thank you! I had purchased a book of his (Was ich bei den Olympischen Spielen 1936 sah) in a dusty bookstore in Trier, back in 2010 for about 25€. It's the same book that your "fake" print was cut from, and I recognized that leaf before you even said it came from a book! What first drew me to it was the photos of Jesse Owens (iconic American sprinter), but then I really fell in love with the beautiful images all throughout. Not only are there photos of the athletes performing in their events, there's just as many candids of the crowds, maintenance workers, and other photographers taking photos. Of course, there are also many photos of Hitler and other Nazi officers in it, but I view this as Wolff simply documenting the entire event as it was. Thanks for providing all of this information about the man behind the lens.

[@cditfurth]

Very good video. Some years ago I read the book "Dr. Paul Wolff & Tritschler: Licht und Schatten - Fotografien 1920 bis 1950". It's very interesting but in German. The whole history of Dr. Paul Wolff and Leica.

[@cditfurth]

Ah it's mentioned now.

[@carltonphelps8088]

I have collected a few of Dr. Wolff's books. I was amazed of his eye detail.

[@johnfarley4201]

Such wonderful company. Thank you Thorsten. Happy Happy New Year.

[@BH.22.]

There are more books of him and his later work available. For example 'Aus zoologischen Gärten' (1952) or 'Formen des Lebens' (1957) from the so called "blue books" ('Die blauen Bücher') series under title is 'Lichtbildstudien von Dr. Paul Wolff'. Also there a some postcards from around the Frankfurt area and a rare book with pictures he took at his holidays in Franconia around 1932, called 'Stille Winkel in Franken' published by 'Velhagen & Klasing'. Probably there is more to find, if one really is digging deep in archives.

[@RS-Amsterdam]

Great video Thorsten Happy New year and thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

[@ScaleDreamsStudio]

Your videos are both amazing and inspiring

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you 🙂

[@aleksandar2161]

Great information, thx for sharing this.

[@salvatoreventura8667]

Great video. Very informative. I am looking forward to seeing your images made with 2022 M6 film camera!!

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you 🙂 The Leica M6 and film is nice and simple. Beautiful stuff. They will appear on the website as they get taken an developed: www.overgaard.dk/On-The-Road-with-Thorsten-Overgaard-January-2023.html

[@leemartin2978]

Another great informative video and an introduction to another talented photographer. Also reminded that we are fairly close to the 100 year anniversary of Leica , so they’re bound to release some very special products by way of celebration.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, 100 year is coming up, though they did celebrate that a bit prematurely. But it should be done in 2025 again I think, perhaps this time with some real releases and not just some cameras and lenses with inscriptions

[@linfordtoy3334]

Another fantastic video essay. Thank you, Thorsten. Incredibly informative. BTW, love the Delta Dolce Vita on the desktop. One of my favorite writers. Mine has a "F" nib and is almost always loaded with Pelikan Edelstein Mandarin. Safe travels.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you Linford. Montblanc Hemingway on the table. Looked up the Delta Dolce Vita, maybe next one ...

[@webersteve1547]

Paul Wolf is not forgotten at all. He has left invaluable photos of today destroyed pre-war Germany and especially Frankfurt (my home town). Thank you for covering his work

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Good point on photos of pre-war Germany and Frankfurt. One of the important things of photographies, and the responsibility of any owner of a camera, to make sure the images are preserved and can be found.

[@GrenvilleMelonseedSkiff496]

Fascinating … thanks! Simple gear + dedication = timeless perfection … or … always wear a camera and use it often!

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you 🙂

[@martinlee5204]

The Getty Museum has a number of Dr Wolff’s images online - it looks like he was an enthusiastic promoter for the Nazis - plenty of athletic looking youth, steel helmets and close shots of Hitler. The Getty collection includes several shots of Warsaw circa 1940 - it looks very peaceful, but I think the Jewish shop keeper looks a bit nervous for some reason. Full marks to the Getty for ensuring the past is not erased.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, he had some trouble explaining his Hitler photos after the war. Not a big issue, but I don't know many photographers who would NOT photograph a president, PM, celebrity, etc. Never mind, his houe and archive was blown up during the war, and he passed a few years later.

[@donjagoe]

Outstanding video. Love the Leica history. Have you done YOUR history?

[@atf2940]

Thank your for remembering Dr Paul Wolff. You pointed out his qualities quite well: Down to earth photography with impeccable technique. I should like to add that his treatment of available light is superb. In his times he was well-known and commercially very successful. No one knows how many vintage prints there are left. He was a prolific commercial photographer who made prints almost only for reproduction in magazines or books. The publishers' archives are probably gone. But you are definitely wrong about his small format negatives. They were not destroyed during that bomb in 1944 raid but kept safe in the still existing archive of Wolff & Tritschler. Apart from the books you mentioned, there are quite a few more with Wolff's photos, many of them with copper gravure reproductions. Real gems, if you like these early photo books. --- You said "50 mm / f 2.5" and probably meant "f 3.5". That's the Elmar 50, his preferred lense. He also made nice images with the Summar 50/2.0 which is a difficult lense to master.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you for the input. I think the color photo archive got lost, and I haven't heard the b&w archive of negatives is existing anywhere, so I presume it all was lost in 1944.

[@ahsanabbasphotography]

A very informative video Thorsten, thank you

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Welcome 🙂

[@beraviktor98]

I came across his color photography and industrial photography books at a local auction site, they are truly forgotten gems!!! I think another reason people don't talk much about him anymore is his agency's involvement in the propaganda machine of the third reich. The next book I'm saving up to is the Wetzlar Museum's monograph you showed...looking forward to it!

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

His archive burned, that's why he is not talked about much. I bought four prints, Leica bought 1,000 or something, and then Getty Museum and a few others have each a handful. Only prints exists, no negatives since 1940's.

[@johnparr5879]

Very interesting format I would develop my own 35mm film when younger with another revolutionary camera, the Olympus OM1 almost makes me feel I should return to 35mm film. Thank you for the great presentation

[@31jwc_]

Just dug out an OMF and looking forward to giving it a try for the first time in 20+ years

[@glynjones2540]

I first became aware of Dr Paul Wolff from Benser's book "Photographing Colour" which I received as a Christmas present in 1959. Incidentally I spent too much time watching you waving your arms in close proximity to the two cameras!

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Cameras never fell down 🙂

[@speedygonzales1431]

Interesting video, nevertheless, we should not forget that the persona behind the lens was also part of what the dark past of Germany was made of. Even when photography is the primary issue at hand I would hope the Dr. had voiced his discontent of the Germany he lived in if there was any.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

He was German, and I like the lifestyle, enthusiasm and hope his photos in general communicate. If he was for or neutral or against the "dark past" I don't know. Not many of his photos deal with any of that.

[@josephjamessilva]

dope

[@xavierfumat7567]

Please look up Sidney Felsen co founder of Gemini GEL in Los Angeles. The Getty Institute just acquired his photography collection of the greatest artist of the later part of the 20th century captured all with Leica Range Finders!

[@DRGBTL23]

I have 2 prints of his. Didn’t know they went for $3k.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

1,200 to 4,000 as far as I can tell. Goes a bit up and down.

[@throughmyeyes9940]

nice Hemingway btw

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Thank you 🙂

[@hosepdeyrmenjian8556]

Wish LEICA products were more affordable and priced competitively.

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

Yes, they are expensive, and usually keep the value. Look at thew Leica Digilux 2, that is a great camera, and very simple. And affordable mostly: www.overgaard.dk/leica_digilux2.html

[@ben56k]

How the Photographers in the past handled the correct exposure? And why some of the old pictures Looks so razor Sharp?

[@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard]

You could use a light meter on top of the camera (in the hot shoe) or external hand-held light meter. Og "know your exposure" by knowing what to do in snow, in rain, sunshine, overcast, etc. In many ways, the camera, film and lenses offered back then is the same as today's film and cameras and lenses. So it should look the same. Generally I think you took more care then than you do with today's digital where "the camera is automatic" and "you can adjust in post processing". And of course also; when you shoot black and white film you can adjust 3 stops plus or minus in the post process in the darkroom.

[@ben56k]

@@MagicOfLight_ThorstenOvergaard Thanks for the answer! It’s amazes me, how the big names in photography known their gear to produces such images. Truly pioneers of photography. 👏👏👏

[@pwood5733]

I always laugh when people say photography is ‘work’ smh

[@theonlinething1039]

Nope, kein Interesse, aber ich bin ab jetzt Großherzog von Fuji