Q&A: Which Leica M Should I Buy?
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
1w ago
by Johnny Martyr Here’s a DM from a reader in France: “Hi Johnny, how are you? My name is Victor and I live in Paris. I was intrigued by your article about camera shops in Paris. I am trying to start in the photography world, more as a hobby than anything else, and I wanted to get a first camera from one of these shops. My idea was to get an analog and a digital camera. Do you have any tips to me on what type of analogic camera I could initiate with? I really wanted a Leica. I appreciate your help. Best, Victor“ Pair of M6 TTL 0.85x cameras with 90mm 2.8 Elmarit and 50mm f2 Summicron My respon ..read more
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Unboxing & Evaluating A Welta Weltur 6×4.5/6×6 Folding Rangefinder
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
2w ago
by Johnny Martyr I got the notification from my Ring doorbell when a non-descript cardboard box was dropped off at my front porch. Who, in the 1930s would have imagined that this little handcrafted camera would be couriered to the United States by robots and its arrival announced by a motion-sensing camera that transmits images to a computer in the recipients pocket? I sliced through a couple layers of brown packing tape and cut the German address label that straddled the box lids. I thought about the years that I’ve spent reading about this mysterious, short-lived but high-end camera company ..read more
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Enjoy The Meta Outage!
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
3w ago
by Johnny Martyr Meta outage – Facebook and Instagram are down! Go outside! Take some photos! Here’s a recent an appropriate shot I took of what is perhaps the last public payphone still standing in Frederick, Maryland. I shot it with my 1930 Leica and Leitz 5cm Elmar. I used a DOOMO Meter S to verify exposure and will soon be publishing a very comprehensive accessory shoe light meter article on Petapixel that you should check out. Spooling the Kodak Tri-X that I took this photo on too was a very cool new accessory for Barnack Leicas – a quick load spool made in Germany that allows you to load ..read more
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Q&A: I’m Afraid to Shoot 3200 ISO Film Because It Doesn’t Cold Store Well So I Push 400 to 3200 Instead
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
1M ago
by Johnny Martyr I recently got a question in response to posting some Kodak TMAX P3200 photos. The gist of it was that a photographer is learning how to achieve higher ISOs by pushing 400 speed films (which he referred to as “traditional films”) instead of using 3200 speed films (as if these are not “traditional”) because they have heard that 3200 speed films do not store well.  I am a big proponent of NOT refrigerating film AND shooting film in the dark. So this concern absolutely BLEW MY MIND! I took it as evidence of influencers’ insane, impressions-driven content contributing more to the ..read more
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Q&A: How Do I Shoot Landscapes With a Barnack Leica and a 135mm Lens?
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
1M ago
by Johnny Martyr Yesterday in the Leica III Users group on Facebook, someone asked: “I just got my camera back and am wanting to put my 135mm Elmar to use. Does anybody know of a good video or guide on how to use the lens? Am I just overthinking it? The Summitar 50mm is pretty intuitive, but I’m (maybe unnecessarily) intimidated by the Elmar). Any other considerations with it? Was just watching a video and the guy was talking about the lens being cali rated to the camera, no clue what that even means. I’m primarily wanting to use this lens for landscape photography.” My response: I wouldn’t s ..read more
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Artist Statement & Biography for Johnny Martyr
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
1M ago
Artist Statement I am an East Coast documentary photographer who shoots exclusively on black and white 35mm film with mechanical cameras using existing light with minimal digital editing.  My work is informed by mid-century photojournalism and is a response to perfectionism fatigue and homogeneity in commercial photography.  I use film imaging techniques to convey timelessness and universality.  And non-automated cameras and lenses so as to make my physical reaction to scenes a part of their rendering, reinforcing the authenticity and complete story of naturally occurring moments. Website and ..read more
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Johnny Martyr’s Top Ten, er, Eleven Blog Posts of 2023!
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
3M ago
by Johnny Martyr An easy blog topic that you’ll see this time of year will be retrospective lists. Retrospectives are a great way to drive more traffic to previous posts without much effort and keeping your post frequency in tact. For some reason, lists are a great way to excite search engines too. Combine these simple ingredients and you can’t fail. Well, shamelessly, I am no better than any other bloggers and I’m currently experiencing a bit of writers block anyway. Self-deprecation and cynicism aside, I really want to thank everyone for reading my site, following my social media and everyth ..read more
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How to Support Film Photography
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
3M ago
by Johnny Martyr I’ll cut to the chase. I don’t need you to buy me a cup of coffee or to support my growing family; those are my responsibilities. What I do ask for is help with supporting my work. And I feel okay asking for this because my work is all about keeping film photography alive. Supporting one another’s film photography is how we do that. There are a number of ways to do this. And please keep in mind, with all said below, I’m not just talking about how you can support me. Whoever you follow, like, click on an affiliate link for, buy a camera from, etc, if they are a film photographe ..read more
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Gilligan’s Return: Leitz 90mm Tele-Elmarit-M Thin Review Part II
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
4M ago
by Johnny Martyr Since Molly Kate kindly featured it on 35mmc, my Leitz 90mm Tele-Elmarit Thin Review has been getting alot of traffic. The review concluded with my decision to throw Gilligan overboard and invite The Skipper to join me on the top deck. Quick recap: I was lead to believe that all Thin Canadian 90 TE’s (Gilligan) are plagued with an unrepairable haze problem and so Fat German 90 TE’s (The Skipper) are the lens to buy. So people have been surprised to see that the influx of wedding and event photos I’ve been sharing on my socials since the end of summer were being taken with a Gi ..read more
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Q&A: Is it Hard to Find Clients for a Documentary B&W Film Photographer?
Johnny Martyr
by Johnny Martyr
4M ago
by Johnny Martyr Comedian Nikki Glaser and musician Anya Marina recently posted photos that I took of them in Baltimore. I got a slew of new follows and DM’s about my work. One of them was a good question that I get from time to time. There were a few from other photographers whose question was along the same lines. The question was “Hey Johnny I love b&w film documentary style photography. Do you have a hard time finding clients?” My response to one and what I figured I’d post here: “Hi Insert Name, thanks for your interest. I started shooting professionally about 20 years ago and was sho ..read more
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