On The Road with Thorsten Overgaard · May 2014
By: Thorsten Overgaard
This is the ongoing journal of my travels, photography, experience with people, places and equipment.
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"Since the seminar I really enjoy taking pictures, anytime, anywhere, and always feel happy with the process and the result. Especially after it is printed, framed and hanged. Soon I'll be out of wall."
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- T. P. (Indonesia) |
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Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts & Nevis (The Federation of St Christopher and Nevis), Caribbean, May 1, 2014
I did a theme lecture on "The Soul of Photography" at the 2014 Artist Convention whilst sailing for a few days in the Caribbean. The first afternoon I decided to visit St. Kitts for a couple of hours and photograph. I have been to quite a few islands in the Caribbean, but St. Kitts was my first time.
School boy in Saint Kitts. I had to wait a few minutes by this wall before a desirable subject walked into the frame. Each school has their own school uniforms, so one can tell from the uniform which school the kids are from.Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.© 2014 Thorsten Overgaard.
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"I am the Information officer with the St. Kitts Nevis Information Service. I discovered your website where you posted some truly stunning shots of St. Kitts from your recent trip here. I'm wondering if you'd mind us using a few of those shots to be featured on the government's information service!"
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- K. C. J. (St. Kitts & Nevis) |
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The daughter sat down to eat, so I waited untill she couldn't ignore me anymore. She was shy of course.Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95. © 2014 Thorsten Overgaard.
Antigua
Antigua and Barbuda, Caribbean, May 2, 2014
We sailed to Antigua in the night and woke up next morning to more sunshine and Artist Convention.
Robin hanging out on the ship in Caribbean. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Artists' Convention 2014. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
The captains dog in training to deal with dangers of all kinds. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
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"I think the best thing I got out of this was just Thorsten's view and knowledge. It made me real happy".
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- T. M. (Mexico) |
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On the harbor in Antigua I stumbled into this young fellow who was so used to being stopped and photographed he really couldn't care less to get the photo. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
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Dominica
Dominica , Caribbean, May 3, 2014
Again we sailed in the night and arrived in a new paradise, this time Dominica.
Thorsten von Overgaard speaking at the Artists' Convention 2014. I gave out Leica's to the audience and they loved it ... and also made a few good photos.
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"I loved just being in your space and absorbing all your refreshing viewpoints on photography, light and being an artist".
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- C. D. (USA) |
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Saint Lucia
Antigua and Barbuda, Caribbean, May 5, 2014
Saint Lucia was the last island before we flew to Miami and London and Istanbul. We had time to pack in the morning and then a short drive to a private beach and a dip in the ocean. We conquerod the ocean, had a coffee, watch the bored luxory tourists and stole some free WiFi. Then we flew out of there.
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"I knew it would be grat but I was more engaged than I expected!".
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- C. D. (USA) |
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 Robin Isabella's final good bye to Matt Brown, the Scottish speaker at the Artists' Convention 2014. She really fell in love with Matt!
London
London, UK, May 5, 2014
Quick transfer in London Heathrow airport. We were not really in a hurry, we just needed to move them bodies. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
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"I just wanted to say that I have come across your website quite by accident whilst trying t find some information on servicing my old Minolta meter (really!).
Your site contains some of the most stunningly composed and exposed images I have seen and the Leica reminds me of the sharpness and quality of the old Carl Zeiss lenses I used to repair for the Contax. Keep up the excellent work and I look forward to reading more!"
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- J. A. (UK) |
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Istanbul Workshop
Istanbul, Turkey, May 6-10, 2014
This time we decided to not staying inside the luxory of Four Sesons in Istanbul, but instead rent a real Tyrkish apartment in the "worst" neighbourhood. Just because it is local and reality is never what the media reports.
Our "dangerous" neighbourhood the first evening. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
It's not really a disclaimer, but just a general warning: When in Shanghai last year I had dinner with some local people. We talked a bit about cameras and photography, and as a result the host of the dinner had bought a Leica M 240 a few days after the dinner and now attended my workshop in Istanbul.
Robin in Istanbul. Almost three weeks of travel to Los Angeles, Caribbean and now Istanbul. In few days she will be returning to school in Denmark. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
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"I cannot tell you how much I enjoy your workshops in Paris, your guidance, your mentoring, your encouragement, your friendship and your warm personality. I just come away from you and your program with a remarkably great feeling.
You have great talent, a special touch and a brilliant way of empowering people. Gifts abound within your world. Thank you and thanks to the lovely Princess Joy who makes your world complete. "
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- J. A. (New York) |
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The boy in the restaurant was sent next door to buy milk. You know that when they go in, they eventually have to come out again. That's how you do it. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Out and about in Istanbul. The hour from 6.30 to 7.30 PM is the busy one, photographically speaking. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Robin in Istanbul
Leica meetup in Istanbul, with former and new workshop students. Leica M Type 240 with
 Leica meetup in Istanbul, with former and new workshop students.
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"I'm proud of you continuing around the world, educating and developing the Leica and rangefinder market. Leica should hire you at a very large salary to be their world wide ambassador at large … then leave you alone to continue to do what you’re doing now. It would be money well spent.”
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- L. V. (USA) |
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Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany, May 10, 2014
We flew back to Hamburg from Istanbul. Robin had to go back to school, and we took the car from Hamburg to Berlin. Though we stayed the night in Hamburg at The George Hotel and got some sleep and food before driving the three hours to Berlin in the morning.
Flying Super Kids ... Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
 We stumbled into these 1920's ladies in the restaurant at The George in Hamburg. Had we not been wise to make sure to get sleep after the travel, we would jave gone party with them at their bi-yearly 1920's party. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Berlin
Berlin, Germany, May 11-14, 2014
Berlin is one of my favorite cities to photograph in, and we have a few great spots we know well, as well as a great apartment.
At the Cafe Manzini we met the über-stylish gentleman Efraim Habermann who is a German Jewish photographer who used to shoot with Leica. He thanked me for the Danish help smuggling Jews out of Europe during the World War II and we talked for quite a while. I got two of his books the day after. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
 James, Eleanor and Lars working on editing at the Overgaard Workshop Berlin. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Eleanor at the Overgaard Workshop Berlin. She came straight from Africa where she has been working for five years as a teacher. With her in the bag she had the just acquired Leica M 240. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Berlin is not Berlin without a visit to Paris Bar in Kantstrasse 151. Water and a cigaret outside. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
James and Lars admiring the Leica Noctilux in Berlin. James had to upgrade his f/1.0 to the f/0.95, and Lars had to change his black M240 to a silver chrome. Those boys ... Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Portrait session in Berlin with
Andreas Cornet. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Portrait session in Berlin with Lars Thrane from Denmark. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Paris Workshop
Paris, France, May 15, 2014
Paris is always Paris. Great architecture, great style, bad coffee and lousy service. Well, the service was actually great the first 35 seconds when Joy ordered coffee in French. Then when I added that I wanted milk on the side for my coffee (in English), I was referred to the menu!
Hanging out in Paris ... Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Matthias Frei and Ike Lee geeking out in Paris while we wait for our dinner table. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
We have been told that France have 80+ million tourists visiting a year. That is twice what the US has. One one hand that is annoying if you don't like foreigners, on the other hand it is good business.
Joao Matos from Switzerland was satisfied with the photos he made! Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
In Paris kissing is as popular as being on the iPhone. © 2014 Thorsten Overgaard. Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2.0 II
The school of life: In the gardens of Le Palais Royal opposite Louvre in Paris one can sit and zone out when the rest of Paris is too much people and noise. That's the point we reached after a long day. Here one can sit by what looks like a school table and study people kissing, talking, reading, running and kids playing. © 2014 Thorsten Overgaard.Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2.0 II. (No, it's not Vivan Maier).
But I did manage to find a parking spot just outside our large apartment where the car could stay for the whole duration (in a previous workshop the car was removed twice by the parking control in Paris: In the news we heard they had also taken another car outside a school, with a baby inside. They are tough, but this time I managed to beat the system!).
Melbourne-based portrait photographer and former workshop student Mark Strachan drove from Frankfurt to Paris to crash on our couch. We had late dinner in a cosy place around the corner, and shot out the windows. It was good fun! Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Learning from Henri Cartier-Bresson: We visited the ongoing and very exiting HCB exhibition in Paris where one could see film clips of HCB appearing in movies and working on set, as well as his quite talented paintings and drawings from before and after he took up ohotography. I already had bought the book in Denmark, but the exhibition catalog and the newly made DVD where one can see how HCB works on the street I didn't have. I have now, and the DVD is converted to iPad. Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2.0 II
A Story About Hair
A couple of months ago I did a shoot of hair for a competition. The hairdresser was Maja Provstgaard who was the one to be judged in the Intercoiffure Junior competition. As the result was published, I could do my Story Behind That Picture about the photos and result!
The main pohoto from the day. Leica M Type 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
100 years in 100 minutes
Wetzlar, Germany, May 21, 2014
We did a short stop in Wetzlar at the new Leica Camera AG factory on our drive from Paris to Denmark, met a few people and then continued to Denmark for some downtime. I had a few items that needed service, but the Customer Service was so flooded with things to do that we agreed to finish them later.
Enjoy my article from the visit recently when I visited both the the old factory (as the absolutely last customer ever) and the brand new one:
The Story Behind That Picture: "Inside the New Leica Campus" ... touch the image to read more
I could spend a few hours here every day, drinking coffee while listening to the fountain. Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2.0 II
A new series of articles
Aarhus, Denmark, May 22, 2014
I started a new series of articles about the Leitz family, the Leica Camera and the people surroinding it. Fasten your seat belt and get ready for some history lessons. The first one is about the rather unknown Dr. Paul Wolff. Enjoy!
New article: Dr. Paul Wolff - The Great German Leica Photographer of the 20's and 30's
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"A Little Book on Photography"
by Thorsten von Overgaard |
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Thunderstorm in Denmark
Aarhus, Denmark, May 21-27, 2014
Six days in Denmark feels like a month. We work hard and play hard. And we decided to be on a juicefast as well, and we're trying to figure out how to continue it when flying to Vienna and Rome in a few days (how to have juice with us; and how to drink juice instead of airline meals on the planes). Juicefast is simply living of juice alone for many days. The first day the body detox, so you get some funny reactions. After a day or two the energy stream hits you. Less sleep, waking up early and energetic!
The weather in Paris and Germany was great, and surprisingly it was just as warm and sunny in Denmark. Though today the storm came. Robin decided to secure her playhouse in the garden before she went to school.
07.00 AM: Robin decided to secure her playhouse in the garden before she went to school. The storm and rain hit 10 minutes later.
A friend in New York had this glass Leica camera made for me and gave it to us in Paris.
Back in Vienna
Vienna, Austria, May 29-31, 2014
We arrived in Vienna by car to our nice apartment in the center, a short walk from the Leica Shop Vienna.
Vienna 8 AM in the morning. Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
From the walkabout in Vienna in the light rain. Leica M 240 with Leica 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95.
Tristan Johnston by Thorsten Overgaard.
To be continued ...
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