These three photographs are very significant to me because they show my growth in photography. I bought my first camera about a year ago (Nikon D40) and since February 13th, 2009, have been continually developing my photographic eye and technique. Having never taken a photography class, I’m a “self-taught” photographer, growing by critiquing my work and utilizing online resources such as Flickr for inspiration, tips, and gaining feedback. With the help of such online resources, i’ve been able to learn how to develop black and white film, access photos of established, well known photographers, and have my work critiqued by large amounts of people. Being 19 and growing up in the “digital camera age”, most of my friends don’t even know that film is still around, yet alone used by a large population of photographers.

The “Harmon & Co” picture is especially significant to me because of the means by which i came to take the picture. I was sitting in my car stopped at a red light in Downtown Tacoma and saw this scene. I saw the person approaching the shot and guessed he would be about 15 seconds away. I had to grab and open my bag from behind my seat, get out my camera, guess the exposure (meter was in the bottom of my bag), frame, and then wait for the perfect timing to take the shot. The fact that i was able to accurately guess the exposure within a matter of seconds showed me just how much knowledge I had taken in over the last year and great of a resource the internet truly is. It is possible now for a teenager to teach himself how to develop film, bottom load a Leica without a manual or personal instruction, and progress quickly through forums and networks. The best part about this photograph, is that I was rewarded with a green light after pressing the shutter!

For this shot, I used a Leica M3 with a Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 @ f/4, Fuji Neopan Acros 100 developed in Rodinal 1:50.

Why I use a Leica:
I use a Leica camera because it gives me everything I need in a camera, without all the little bells and whistles. You could hand an M3 to anyone photographer and they would know how to use it instantly. After only 2 and half days of owning my M3, I had already had the controls engrained in my brain enough to be able to just pull out my camera and automatically know how to use it. Can the same be said for any DSLR? I also use a leica because of its sheer engineering genius. My M3 was made in 1960, and today, professional photographers are still using them over the newest digital cameras. My camera is over twice my age and still performs flawlessly. I can’t even imagine how ahead of it’s time the M3 must have been when it first came out (probably because i wasn’t alive until the M3 had 36 years under it’s belt). Simply put, I use a Leica because it has everything I need in a camera, and will perform above and beyond my requirements in any situation.

My best photography tip: Press the shutter release. I’m going to quote a saying that my old hockey coach used to always say, which i believe applies to photography as much as it does to hockey, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. You can’t progress as a photographer unless you are willing to try and fail. Even if you do fail, you know the next step will be better, and you’ll be surprised at how many times a “failed” shot turns into the game winning goal.

Greg currently goes to school as a freshman at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. His hometown is Eugene, OR. Check out his Flickr stream for more of his work. Or you can visit his Leicashots album «My Life Through Leica».

Would you like to be a Featured photographer? You can – here’s how

Have you seen these posts?

• Benjamin Sieberer
• Ryan Peacock
• Patrick Cox
• Eric Robben
• Guido Van Nispen