What do Eric Clapton, Alex Webb, Anton Corbijn, Bryan Adams and Nan Goldin have in common? They are all fascinated with photography and taking pictures. Some of them are true professionals and their lives revolve around photography; others take photos for pleasure, in their free time. Michael Agel, the author of the exhibition, is both a fan of photography and a professional, who took his camera and portrayed this circle of photography lovers.
36 pictures, presented at the exhibition are the portraits of famous people: photographers, musicians, artists and at the same time users and fans of the Leica cameras. In this consistent, but sometimes surprising, cycle of black-and-white photos, the author focused on the character and personality of those portrayed and on their personal “relation” with the camera.
Cartier Bresson used to say that his Leica was a lengthening of his hand, an integral part of his body, of him being a photographer. This magic feature of Leica may be plainly seen in Agel’s photographs. A sensitive viewer will easily notice an almost intimate bond between the cameras and their owners. These little devices are something personal for them, which is often emphasized by engraving their names on the cameras. The photographers’ Leicas are “worn out”, which proves they have taken thousands of views and that they have accompanied their owners all the time.