All rights to this photograph is reserved the photographer

Best shoe shine of my life and conversation to match. A little oral history: My new friend, we’ll call him Willie, a father of eight, has been working this corner on Jackson Square for the larger part of 38 years. He missed about two years in NOLA in the aftermath of Katrina trying to locate his kids and grand kids who had been widely dispersed by FEMA in following the hurricane. I didn’t get but 25 feet from his stand before I got a compliment from a stranger about my “new” (but, really six-year-old) shoes. A gentleman and engaging conversationalist to be sure. New Orleanians are survivors.

Shot with a Leica M8 and a Cosina Voigtlander Ultra-Wide 15mm f/4.5.

Why I use a Leica:
I’ve really never used anything else. Shooting with a Leica is as natural to me as seeing. The camera doesn’t get in the way of visualizing how you want to capture the world in a frame. I’ve been a Leica user for 27+ years now, having shot with an M4, M6, Digilux 2 and now an M8 and M2. I can’t image using anything else. I think the M2 is just about the paradigm for perfection.

Please visit Rob’s Flickr photostream for more shots from his Leicas.

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