My first Leica Master Shot

and how it changed my life…

“Tête à Tête”

The story behind my first Leica Master Shot.

It was June 2023, and we were preparing to go to Mallorca on our family holiday. I had, for the previous year or so, become very curious about Leica cameras and the mystique surrounding them. Leica had just announced their new Q3, a compact camera with a fixed 28mm lens, definitely not my 'jam' up to that point, as I usually like to carry a selection of lenses in the bag.

I contacted Dieter in Leica Boutique Antwerpen (at that time we didn't have any Leica dealer in Ireland) and I jumped into the world of Leica, purchasing a new Q3. I remember saying to myself after it arriving with a lovely personal note from Dieter, "maybe this is what the whole Leica thing is about..." that outstanding customer experience, coming from a sales background, it resonated with me. It actually arrived just as we were preparing to head to the airport, so I literally unboxed it and jumped in the car, family waiting patiently.

No need to go into the details but it just felt good in hand, like it was honed from a metal billet. I had used it during the holiday for the usual family shots and one afternoon I decided to head into Palma and take a walk, try out this concept of "one camera, one lens". Walking along the prom, outbound from Palma beach, I noticed a concrete structure, seemed still under construction, curious, I walked towards it and these two straw hats peeped into view, still walking towards them, without looking, my left hand dipped almost instinctively, setting the aperture ring to F8, raised the camera to my eye and took the shot, the leaf shutter almost imperceptible to the photographer. I again raised the camera to my eye to check the image momentarily and when I looked again the couple were gone but I knew it was a special shot.

At this stage after registering my Leica for warranty etc, as a new owner, I had been invited to subscribe to the (LFI) Leica Fotografie Magazine and I was already enjoying the experience, articles and images, stories from iconic photographers I had long been admiring. So still in holiday mode, back at the apartment, I decided to submit the image to the LFI Gallery, very unusual for me as I'm not motivated by competitions or the like and generally don't bother.

The following mornings email read;

"Dear Noel McIntyre, we are very pleased to let you know that your photograph has been favourited by the editors of the LFI Gallery. Your image Tête-à-Tête is a Leica Mastershot. Your picture now ranks among the very best photographs in the LFI Gallery, and will be added to the gallery's Leica Master Shots collection. We look forward to receiving future submissions of your work.”

Since then I have dived into the world of Leica, adding an SL3 and recently an M EV1 to my Q3 and enjoying discovering the magic of M lenses and truly appreciating the “Leica look”. The whole Leica thing is much more than the amazing customer service experience that impressed me that day one.

This image has opened the door to a whole new world for me, a community of photographers and lovers of life, new friends from all around the world, the feeling that you are part of something special when a brand like Leica recognises your work. It has steered my career down a path which nearly four years later continues to provide me with some of the most personally satisfying experiences of my life to date. Thank you Leica.

Images that tell stories.

Copyright Noel McIntyre

Exif data:

Date captured: 13-6-2023

Leica Q3 - 28mm Summilux

1/800 sec

F8

ISO 100