Once photographing meant a large box camera on a tripod, shifting film plate after each shot – and working with a dark cloth over your head and the camera. But then something happened…

The Leica was extremely compact and could be fitted with a very high quality lens that enabled photographers to work in ordinary outdoor settings with available light. It was always instantly ready to capture life and action effortlessly from any angle with the photographer often able to remain unnoticed. Without the usual heavy equipment, photographs of people no longer had to be confined to stiff conventionally artistic poses. „Barnack’s camera“ Oskar Barnack was the manager of the Development Dept. at Leitz and designer of the Ur-Leica which he made two (possibly three) samples of in the period 1908-1923 with the purpose to test film stock and/or lenses for movie films. Or perhaps because he couldn’t carry the traditional large plate cameras and wanted a smaller camera for him self. As early as 1905, he had the idea of reducing the format of negatives and then enlarging the photographs after they had been exposed…….

See on www.overgaard.dk