Leica Conversations: Modern Monochrome with Alan Schaller

LIVE from London! See our modern metropolis in different shades of grey with Leica Ambassador Alan Schaller as he takes you through his works that captures the different expressions between humans and structures.
An early adopter of black and white photography in the digital age, Alan Schaller was among the first to get his hands on the new Leica M10 Monochrom: sg.leica-camer...
Discover Leica Camera at www.leica-stor....

[@kissshotorion7541]

Great video, alan schaller has to be one of my favorite photographers ever. His style just can speak to you on many different levels. Also he seems genuinely like a cool guy you can hangout with and take photos together. Thank you again 🙏🏻

[@shufenchuang4262]

Patience and a lot of practice are what make of a great photography. Thank you, Alan Schaller.

[@rolf_siggaard]

Many thanks for this. Alan Schaller absolutely brilliant and shares some great honest insights. Awesome range of spectacular images. Very inspirational.

[@marcp.1752]

Alan is for sure an original, like an icon, in todays times. I do really love & admire Alans work, he's truly original, and a master of his craft, unlike many others.

[@TM-nd6zs]

I am 66 years old and have been capturing black and white images with my Leica equipment for many decades because of their brilliant lenses!

[@nickfanzo]

T M I love my m3 and m6

[@laurentmuschel9203]

GREAT CONVERSATION!

[@Smoothblue90]

Love Alan Schaller's work. Wonderful to learn more about his work here.

[@chloescanlon1107]

Brilliant street photographer. Also it's good to see that he has a job and has to fit his street photography around work, I always thought he was loaded and just did street photography full time 😁

[@jamesrushton7778]

I might be wrong, Chloe (it wouldn’t be the first time), but I think when Alan refers to the fact he has to work he’s referring to some of the things he has to do as a full-time, professional photographer. Things like client meetings, responding to DMs and emails, talking to editors and printers, booking travel, doing invoices, doing tax returns, etc, etc. I’m not saying this to be contrary, I just think if you’ve got nearly a million followers on Instagram as a photographer I would just assume that is his only line of work as it takes a lot of time and energy to build that kind of platform 🙂

[@vinylisland6386]

He's bang on about so many things. Travel is fuel for a photographer. Well put.

[@nickfanzo]

Vinyl Island not all great photographers travel, some stay home.

[@Dangerousdaze]

Proof, if any were needed, that I know absolutely *nothing* about black & white photography and have a lifetime of learning ahead of me - I've only just today discovered Alan Schaller. Better late than never!

[@Retina43]

Having had the opportunity of attending one of Alan’s week-end workshops ( Sydney 2019) I found this presentation, in my opinion, the closest encounter to being there. Thanks to Alan and Leica Singapore.

[@jasongold6751]

I shoot BW like forever! I'm 77.. Alan says important things, practice, practice, keep looking and seeking images. Frame quickly! The Monochrom very expensive and results of older digital sensors with CCD are very nice. I did a day job and still photographed..

[@yasha8951]

I really like the concept of modern monochrome, I love the look of B&W film but digital also introduces a very nice set of attributes with another dimension to B&W

[@nickfanzo]

Yasha both are good, it depends on how you work.

[@asgarimv7]

Such a humble guy, him and Sebastiao Salgado are in my top list.

[@anandhua.b4589]

my top two as well 👍

[@qnetx]

Excellent conversation and presentation. It was very insightful and informative to me. Thank you for sharing.

[@mwales2112]

I love Alan's work. Very eye catching images..

[@adventuresofjandk]

Could never afford a Leica but love this interview

[@nickfanzo]

I like film more than digital because of the process. I grew up drawing and painting and I need to feel my medium. It’s a tactile sensation I require. I like developing the film, not knowing what I will get, and the experimentation I can execute with my physical materials. I can cut, scratch, and crimple these physical things. I work on a computer all day in a bank, I don’t want to sit at a computer at home. I think at this point it is strictly about the process now, as digital and film both have their goods and bad, so it is up to the artist.

[@thothheartmaat2833]

the worst thing people think about black and white is that because its usually an introductory class in photography and color is seen as advanced, people see it as basic and juvenile or beneath them... its funny how all the greatest photographers of all time are usually ancient black and white photographers and their pictures are always grainy and dark..

[@yaazkall5337]

I love the first photograph and his work in general. I wonder if there is any resources you can suggest for the post processing part of the image to have that kind of control and learn how to get something like that look.

[@blk2wite]

wonderful!

[@ivanosrin2126]

superb

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

Leica M 10 Monochrom with a Zoom 24-90! Beautiful!!!! 13.000 Euros!!! Just great, just great. Make sharp pictures.

[@MrBillboeing]

Thanks for that interesting interview and insights.

[@ayteguh]

Awesome

[@cheesun124]

Post processing is the performance

[@slickhatter9812]

I believe his vision that needs to be studied here - his processing is to complete the vision. Not the other way around- example a lady in a train with minimum light looking at her phone with maximum brightness you expose for her face and with processing you underexpose everything and highlight her face and remove distractions

[@elyzabethlatief886]

Hi Alan, Awesome! Do you use any colour filter?

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

For a picture you have probably 2-3-4. posibilities of exposure, no more. If you use spot or multi field measuring you have only 2-3-4 options….so, what about if you just use bracketing and then you decide at home which one you use. You dont have 100 options to expose….

[@harveycohen6456]

if you are using the OVF on the Leica M10M the only option for metering is centered weighted as I understand. If this is correct how do you spot meter unless you are using the EVF ?

[@slickhatter9812]

He uses the LCD which offers spot metering

[@harveycohen6456]

@@slickhatter9812 thanks

[@slickhatter9812]

@@harveycohen6456 i mean i know it’s obvious but in other interviews he said when light is not changing much he sets his camera and just shoot, for dynamic scenes he uses live view - i use live view for spot metering and then close it and focus with the OVF but for sure this is not for all subjects- i find the live view a little big laggy when it is activated. Q2M is nick to nick with any monochrome even better if you enjoy 28 you can’t beat it

[@gearreallydoesntmatter]

You can spot meter with the OVF.

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

38:50 backlight? And the shadows…?

[@Boatzerama]

My friends dog knows to turn away as soon as I point a camera at her😂

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

You have to practice to take good pictures. Very good advice.

[@Anonymous-iw4hx]

15:28 wow

[@AdamCzarnowski]

"We live in an increasingly squashed world."

[@henrytubing]

There's nothing wrong with "editing" one's photos to present the photographer's view

[@thureintun1840]

Henry Goh totally agreed.

[@slickhatter9812]

@@thureintun1840 it’s his vision he has ideas and go out to execute them - a perfect example of a successful street photographer in my opinion

[@thothheartmaat2833]

people who dont edit are crazy.. the camera does not capture the scene perfectly true to life.. it doesnt have human dynamic range so you have to add it in.. you will never achieve the zone system with an in camera photo because the technology does not enable it..

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

20 people of all over the world?

[@larrymccormick3226]

There's no F'ng rules people ! Just do you !

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

I wait for the right interaction………come on….who doesnt?

[@prabirchatterjee3198]

Hi

[@alanlin986]

Not a good interviewer.

[@NarcissismSurvivor]

Great guest, not so great host.

[@nickfanzo]

To say you stopped shooting film because a lab messed up two rolls is silly, just develop your own rolls and get an enlarger. Cheers

[@anandhua.b4589]

not everyone focuses solely on the gear and processes and instead focus on getting good photos

[@nickfanzo]

Anandhu A.B you get better photos when you process everything yourself and then enlarge the photograph yourself You can control tone and contrast completely without relying on someone developing your film in a bath with 30 other rolls from other customers in the same solution. That’s what labs do, they take your roll and plop it in a bath with other rolls to save time and money

[@anandhua.b4589]

@@nickfanzo you can control everything yourself with digital much easier than film and still have much much more resolution with a much smaller body for the level of detail you can get with modern digital cameras you'd need to use medium format cameras at least and again the convenience is a big factor being able to look at the exposure can make a world's difference sometimes

[@slickhatter9812]

@@anandhua.b4589 nailed it.

[@adventuresofjandk]

If you don’t edit your photos are boring

[@andrewgonzalez6208]

Not true at all

[@klartext2225]

Do you still shoot film? What an oooold question, how boring. Just learn and go away.

[@daniel_913]

Maybe it's just modern photography, but I dislike Alan's style. His photos look like AI. Street photography for me needs a grittyness to the images and some soul. These are soo clean that they look fake. I find them really boring and this guy is overrated.