All rights to this photograph is reserved the photographer
Of all the photographs I’ve taken, this is the one that I reflect on the most. It is of my little cousin Madelena. She is the daughter of my first cousin and close friend Michel and his lovely partner Marisa. Here, Madelena was three years old and she is now six. There is nothing more important in my life than my family and friends. Unfortunately, most of my family is in Portugal and I live in Canada. Although I visit as often as possible, I can only do so every two or three years. This photograph was taken at a precious moment. When I look at it, I am reminded of the brief but wonderful time I spent with this loving and joyful child. I know that by the time I see Madelena again, she will be different like everything else. However, the photograph makes me think even more of all the precious moments with my family and friends that I missed in the past and will miss in the future. One never knows what is going to happen tomorrow.
For the photo, I used my early M3 Double-Stroke from 1954 with a coated, 50mm f/2 Summitar from 1946. The film is Ilford XP2 Super.
Why I use a Leica:
I initially found the Leica rangefinder to be an attractive choice for a travel camera. A small Leica system was easy to take abroad. In addition, many places in Portugal ban the use of a tripod and a flash, so the Leica was the perfect solution. The camera is so intuitive and a joy to use. It is quiet when I do not want to be intrusive and even when discretion is unnecessary, the camera is not threatening. The fact there is so many lenses to choose from is a real benefit. My oldest lens is a 50mm f/2 Summar from 1934 and my newest is a 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH from 2008. Over the years, I have become somewhat of a collector of Leica gear but I do make sure that I use and enjoy them everything I have.
Fernando Gomes Semedo lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada, but is originally from the city of Coimbra in Portugal. Please visit his Flickr photostream for more Leica shots.
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Hello from Germany!
The Link to the FLickr stream is not active, could you check, please! Thx for sharing this work! Carsten
Beautiful!
Thanks for the nice comments Carsten and Serge. :-)
Nando
This is a lovely portrait that I’m sure Madalena will always treasure. She has such piercing eyes! The quality of the vintage equipment also adds to the result.
Thanks for commenting Phil. :-)
Looks like only half of the picture is shown, looks great though.
Another beautiful photo, Nando. Once again, perfect tones and a beautiful, vintage look.
Thanks Massimo. :-)
Fernando, a very beautiful portrait of your cousin. Love the light there….
Thanks Jos. :-)