All rights to this photograph is reserved the photographer

The photograph I took “Lovers in the Louvre in Paris” is one of the photos that always amazes me about how close I can get to the subject. They allowed me into their private moment.

Why I use a Leica:
The Leica rangefinder camera is the chose camera for me as a street photographer shooting in New York City. It is very important to work as free and open as possible, not to disturb your subjects. I start my walk with no plan, just pure seeing. I leave memory behind me and allow myself to be as open to the act of seeing…. as my late mentor the photographer Ernst Haas called “To dream with open eyes”. It’s an aware kind of sleep. The Leica rangefinder camera helps me become one with what is before me, I am the invisible witness. The Leica is an extension of my personality.

I used many of the Leica rangefinder cameras, mostly the M2 and M3 with a 35mm Summicron Leica lens. My hope is to shoot with the new Leica M9 to see how the digital camera performs in the streets.

Todd Weinstein has been working as a freelance photographer based in New York City since the 1970s. Please visit his personal website at www.toddweinstein.com

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