I started by writing this post with the title ‘I think I still have GAS’ which is in photographers circles known as Gear Acquisition Syndrome is a problem, and I seem to be suffering from it lately. Here I was thinking of buying a new to me Film camera and I am also trying to talk myself out of it. A camera store that I didn’t want to mention incase I weakened had a Leica MA available that I really like. I like using a rangefinder cameras and this camera is the refinement of the Leica Film cameras completely manual with no battery and it would outlast me. And yet, as I have not really used a role of film in nearly 20 years, why would I want to begin using it again? That I can’t quite work out. I have been spending time looking at my photobook collection and have found that I like the black and white work of a wide range of photographers probably even more than that of the colour photographers who have come to dominate the British Documentary photography scene over the past 30 years. Maybe it is something to do with having had a break from working as a photographer has let me rethink how I want to make image moving forward. Over the past three years I have become a full time carer for my wife’s parents and we have not had much time to get out and make images, covid lockdowns did not help but also did not hinder as I was already constrained time wise. So now that I want get back out and make images I am starting to think maybe I want to work in Black and White again. I have always loved Black and White but for years have focused on making all my work in colour.

I am not even sure why I want it, and yet there is something about the idea that will not go away for me. I do fortunately still have all my processing tanks so I could if I do weaken process black and white film as that is what I would use with this thing. I have for a long time thought that colour is so much better with digital as you can control the contrast and tonality easier with digital than you could ever do in a colour darkroom. Where as Black and White has a quality all of its own when made using film and printed on real photographic paper. As I mentioned above over lockdown I have spent a lot of time with my photobooks and have realised how much I love the work made in black and white by a whole generation of photographers who predominately only used black and white film. Maybe it is an age thing, maybe it is not?

But if I go back to film I am going to need to get access to a darkroom again. That might be problematic.

Then there is the other thing that I have noticed recently is that, Leica Stores also seem to be selling off there Leica M10 Monochrom Demonstrator cameras and Leica Rumours is talking about the M11 Monochrom that would be a good camera to match with my M11.

So you can imagine my relief when this morning I looked on their website and it was gone, no longer for sale at the price that I was happish to pay. Even though it was still way to expensive for a camera I am not even sure I would use all that often. I kept thinking that it might be a good investment. But who am I kidding I would take it out and use it so investment it would never be! It was also a risk of being a very expensive paper weight. as it sat around accusing me of not taking it out to be used often enough.