Wetzlar is a city in Germany that’s a 40-minute drive from Frankfurt Airport (or as fast as 20 minutes if you race down the autobahn where there’s no speed limit — but please don’t). It’s a beautiful city known for its landmark cathedral, charming baroque buildings, and most notably, for being steeped in the optics industry history.
Above: the marketplace in wetzlar, shot on leica m11; my 2024 reproduction of the very-first photo taken by oskar barnack with the ur leica camera back in 1914.
Here’s a quick bit of history: In the 1890s, Ernst Leitz and Moritz Hensoldt began manufacturing prismatic binoculars in Wetzlar. Hensoldt produced as a company of the Carl Zeiss Group, while Leitz headed an optics company that is now the famed Leica Camera. Today, the world of Leica is showcased and immortalised at Leitz Park in Wetzlar; which houses the Leica Headquarters, and the Ernst Leitz Museum, where visitors can discover the full history of the brand, and experience a factory tour of the facilities. It’s a wonderland for photography enthusiasts, and for Leica Camera users like me, it feels like home.
Above: photo of me and my leica m11, sitting on the rainbow steps in leitz park, wetzlar. shot by my new good friend, TOM, an incredibly talented cinematographer from bangkok, on the leica sl2-s.
This month, I had the privilege of being invited to Leica’s Celebration of Photography; an annual event held in Leitz Park that brings the international Leica community together. The event also honours the winners of the prestigious Leica Oskar Barnack Award; you can read my interviews with the 2024 LOBA winner, Davide Monteleone, and the LOBA newcomer winner, Maria Guțu here:
There are also incredible exhibitions on display within Leitz Park, and this year sees an inspiring showcase by the legendary German photographic artist, Herlinde Koelbl, whose works include a series of portraits of German retired politician, Angela Merkel over the years. I had the good fortune of meeting Herlinde while having lunch at Leitz Park, and as the icon she is, she obliged my request to take her portrait.
Above: Portrait of the legendary German Photographic artist, HERLINDE KOELBL. shot on leica m11.
That evening in Wetzlar, Herlinde was inducted into the Leica Hall of Fame, which sees her join the line-up of photography greats including Thomas Hoepker, Nick Ut, and Steve McCurry. Her photo from her Metamorphoses series was also awarded Leica Picture of the Year.
Above: Herlinde Koelbl (on the right) with Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, being announced as the new inductee of the Leica Hall of Fame. Her Leica picture of the year shows partially in the background above her.
Here’s a photo journey of my week in Wetzlar, embracing photography and encountering other photographers who share the same exceptional passion in photography (and Leica) as me.
Above: at the braunfels castle tour with our super cool guide from leica, ARASH. photo by AIK BENG CHIA, shot on the LEICA Q3 43.
[click on the pictures to enlarge.]
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