WHY LEICA?

As many may know, when you go down the rabbit hole of cameras and meet more and more people, the word — the brand — Leica is bound to appear at some point. For me, that came during my honeymoon in Mexico City.

Having been just a hobby photographer, someone who did it to make their product listings stand out a little more while working as a watch dealer, getting to handle a Leica in person at the CDMX store was a gateway drug I didn't know I was walking into. Trying out a rangefinder for the first time, and having it be a Leica, was daunting and a little confusing. But as I went home that day and started noticing how many great photographers were using the same camera I'd just had in my hands, I realized it wasn't a pursuit of materialism. It sparked something simpler: I could be this one day.

As I looked at endless photos online taken with the system, I slowly realized this system really did stand apart. Having been a Fuji user my whole life — the XT30, the XT4, the XT5 — I was used to vibrant, rich photos. Seeing the soft contrast and almost muted colors of the Leica was a fresh perspective, and I fell in love instantly.

After months of research and deliberating, I picked up a Leica M10, and it's been with me ever since. From weddings, to macro watch photos, to street photography, to studio fashion shoots — the camera never leaves me. I've challenged myself to get used to shooting fully manual, to trust a rangefinder to focus instead of trusting a sensor to do it for me.

All that to say — even by comparison, I know my work is far from what I see on my explore page, from the photographers I look up to. But that's okay. It keeps me humble, and it reminds me it was never really about the camera. It's about the photographer.

If you're looking for a photographer — for a wedding, a fashion shoot, or something in between — who shoots this way, fully manual, fully present, with a camera that forces you to slow down and actually see the shot before you take it, get in touch and let's talk about your shoot.