International Leica Society Spring Shoot 2022
Colorado Springs
BY: BLAKE MISTICH
I sat impatiently on a plane in Pueblo, CO. I was en route to Colorado Springs for the LHSA - International Leica Society Spring Shoot and my flight had been diverted due to surrounding wildfires. As a relatively new member, this was my first society meetup and I was looking forward to the meet-and-greet at the Antlers Hotel bar, but it didn't look like I'd make it.
After a while, I overheard an Air Force cadet talking to his wife on the phone. She lived near the COS airport and said she could see planes taking off and landing. Tired of sitting in a hot plane on the tarmac, I decided to walk to the front of the plane and tell the pilot what I had heard. Seeming surprised by this news, he whipped out his cell phone, made a call, and 30 minutes later we made the 15-minute flight to Colorado Springs.
I was exhausted from a long day of travel, but I freshened up in the room and headed down to the bar hoping to catch any remaining Leica freaks that might have come in late or hadn’t given up just yet. To my delight, the meet and greet was still chugging along, pun intended.
Not knowing what was cool, I decided not to take a camera down with me. However, everyone was wearing a camera. Being newer to the Leica world, this was a sweet sight to see. The group was lively and it was very easy to get into the mix and feel right at home. I had found my tribe.
The next day, following a warm welcome and LHSA update from President Brad Husick, we collectively sat at the feet of David Spielman to receive our shooting assignment. David, a lifelong and seasoned philosopher of photography, led us through images and stories spanning his career and imparted to the group that the road less traveled is oftentimes where you find the gold at Golden Hour. Or Blue Hour. Whatever hour feels right to you.
With our assignment and a sense of purpose, we all ventured out in small groups to begin work on our collective shooting assignment - to capture Colorado Springs. Spoiler Alert! At the end of the trip, everyone submitted their photos to be viewed during the closing discussion. It was truly amazing to see the quality of photographers present and the diversity of approaches when all were tasked to shoot the same subject. This was an education all by itself.
After exploring and having lunch, we all gathered together to view the work of Reed Pike's Peak. I mean Reed Pike. Glitch in the matrix? Reed spoke on honing one's craft for the sake of being published somewhere that is meaningful to you. He walked us through his journey to be featured in Lenswork Magazine and shared images from a long-term project where he shot a lotus pond. These images were taken on their first submission - they paused the press just to include them in the next issue.
(top left) Matthew Kutz. Leica M10 Monochrom + 50mm APO-Summicron-M. 1/125 sec, f/2, ISO 10000
(top right) David Spielman. Leica M10 Monochrom + 35mm Summilux-M FLE. 1/4000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1000
(bottom) Red Dot Forum Camera Talk. Leica M10 Monochrom + 50mm APO-Summicron-M. 1/60 sec, f/2, ISO 500
After Reed wrapped his presentation, we loaded up the bus and headed to the Garden of the Gods. I am not a big hiker and wore jeans and a jacket, which soon proved to be far too warm for this Leica fanboy. Despite my first-world problems, I took a walk with my freshly updated M10 Monochrom affixed with the new Visoflex 2 and my 90mm apo lens. One of the fun things about knowing you are going somewhere with a metric ton of talented photographers shooting gear that can’t be improved upon by god or man is that you have to think about how you are going to capture things in a unique light. That is why I chose the Monochrom and the 90 apo. I thought maybe, just maybe, I would get something unexpected. I think I got one banger as the kids say.
"It was truly amazing to see the quality of photographers present and the diversity of approaches when all were tasked to shoot the same subject."
Returning to the hotel the excitement was so thick an open bar had to be brought in just to calm everyone down. The boys from Leica Store Miami took their Red Dot Camera Talk on the road and we got to watch it live and in person! David Farkas, Josh Lehrer, and Jose Rovira spent almost three hours geeking out with members, taking questions, and slinging the comical passive aggression we have come to love and expect from them. It was a fun night, to say the least.
The next morning for some unknown reason I missed the bus to Pike’s Peak. No, it had nothing to do with the open bar the night before. I think I would have remembered if it had. So I sprang out of bed and caught an Uber to the park’s entrance where I waited for my new buddy, Dr. Matt, who had rented a car. Knowing I didn’t want to be too hot at the top of a 14,000- foot mountain, I opted to wear shorts and a t-shirt. As the oxygen was draining from my brain I began to notice snow on the sides of the road. Needless to say, I wasn’t too warm when we exited the car at the peak. Reed Pike’s Peak.
The view was overwhelming as I watched airplanes flying down below us. Burning the last remnants of oxygen in my blood, I fired a few rounds in the M10M with the 50 apo. With such expansive views, finding a captivating composition was challenging for me, so I opted to focus on people as their eyes filled with wonder at the top of the world. With shapes and shadows in abundance, the human element completed nature's scene. Now freezing - due to my playing basketball as a kid instead of Boy Scouts - we grabbed a coffee and headed back down to denser air.
(top) Leica M11 + 50mm APO-Summicron-M. 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 64
(bottom) Leica M10 Monochrom + 35mm Summilux-M FLE. 1/4000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 320
(top) Pike's Peak. Leica M10 Monochrom + 50mm APO-Summicron-M. 1/4000 sec, f/2, ISO 250
(bottom) Garden of the Gods. Leica M10 Monochrom + 50mm APO-Summicron-. 1/4000 sec, f2, ISO 2500
Back at the hotel everyone chose their favorite images from the weekend to fulfill David Spielman’s assignment and edit for sharing. One of the highlights of the trip for me was seeing just how differently everyone was able to witness the same locations. The images displayed before the group were just as unique as the people that took them. I think that is why we, as photographers, can enjoy going out and shooting together just as much as we can enjoy lone-wolfing it. No two images are going to be the same; our individual lives and experiences are going to shape what we see when we look through that viewfinder and choose the moment. Click…
"People from all over the US and the world came together in Colorado Springs just to be with others who share a love for little brass boxes that capture light. The International Leica Society is an inspiration, an education, a history, and a home for Leica-minded people of all ages and backgrounds."
Few other brands CULTivate the intense sense of loyalty and community that Leica Camera AG does. People from all over the US and the world came together in Colorado Springs just to be with others who share a love for little brass boxes that capture light. The International Leica Society is an inspiration, an education, a history, and a home for Leica-minded people of all ages and backgrounds. After attending what was my first event, I am honored to have been asked to write this follow-up to what was truly a transformative experience. I can say that, yes, my photography has improved as a result of attending, but I left the mountains with more than sharpened skills. I left having made new friends. I left feeling inspired. I left knowing that I found a place where I could serve photography and give back to the craft and the camera that has come to shape my very identity. From one Leica freak to the next…thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this spring shoot so special.
- Blake Mistich, Leica Photographer
(bottom) Garden of the Gods. Leica M10 Monochrom + 90mm APO-Summicron-. 1/4000 sec, f5.6, ISO 160