Painting with Glass

Defining a New Soul for My Film Photography

For nearly a decade, I measured my life in RPMs and shutter speeds. I spent those years on the scorching tarmac of racetracks, hidden away in the dark, oily shadows of the pits. In that world, photography was a hunt. You reacted. You tracked. You captured the machine. It was a period of high-octane documentation, but somewhere between the roar of the engines and the chequered flag, I started searching for something more.

I started looking for the soul.

Today, that chapter is evolving into a journey that is purely and unapologetically Leica. My work has found balance by moving away from frantic digital ‘capture’ and anchoring itself in the meditative, deliberate world of film photography.

The Summum at the Table: Engineering the Impossible

To anchor this new chapter in my life, I made a choice that many would deem obsessive. I placed the Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH on my table.

With a price tag of €12,350, it is an astonishing investment. But when you hold it, you understand where that value lies. It is a dense, 700-gram masterpiece of brass and glass. Mounted on my Leica M10 — and especially on my mechanical M-A — its weight creates a physical presence that forces you to slow down.

The engineering is almost impossible. To achieve an aperture of f/0.95, Leica used double aspherical surfaces and five glass elements with a high refractive index. These aren’t just technical specifications; they are the reason why the micro-contrast remains so vivid, even when the aperture is wide open. For years, I observed the ‘magic’ of this lens from afar — the way it seemed to defy the laws of physics, turning a mundane street corner into a cinematic dream. I didn’t want to just ‘take’ photos anymore. I wanted to create them.

The Physics of the Soul: The 0.95 Rendition

When I first mounted the Noctilux on my Leica M10 to take some test shots, the air in the room seemed to change. The M10 is a masterpiece, but the Noctilux is a portal.

At f/0.95, the world doesn’t just blur, it dissolves. The floating element design ensures that, even at a close focus distance of one metre, sharpness is precise where it needs to be. The ‘noise’ of life — the cluttered backgrounds and distracting everyday details — simply melts away into a painterly watercolour wash.

What remains is the essence. There is slight natural vignetting at the corners that draws the eye inwards, creating a spotlight effect on the subject. Whether it’s the quiet strength in a pair of eyes or the soft glow of a single lamp in a dark room, the Noctilux pulls the soul of the subject into a three-dimensional space that feels tactile.

The Anchor: From M10 to M-A

While the M10 immediately confirmed the magic was real, the heart of this evolution lies with my Leica M6 and purely mechanical Leica M-A.

Although the M10 provided immediate, breathtaking confirmation that the magic was real, the heart of this evolution lies with my Leica M6 and my fully mechanical Leica M-A.

Film is my anchor. It keeps my creativity grounded. There is a sacred balance in combining the world’s most advanced optical engineering with a camera that requires no batteries. The extendable, integrated lens hood of the Noctilux is a small yet perfect detail, reminding me of the German ‘form follows function’ philosophy that I have come to rely on.

Using the Noctilux on film requires a leap of faith. Rather than the instant gratification of a screen, you experience the slow, rhythmic pulse of the mechanical shutter. You are etching that ‘f/0.95 magic’ onto a physical strip of silver halide. It is the ultimate bridge between the precision of the future and the soul of the past.

Creating the Light

The “race” is over at Wivtphoto.be. I am no longer chasing the machine; now, I am chasing the atmosphere.

Investing in the Noctilux wasn’t about owning a prestigious item; it was about eliminating the final barrier between me and the finished print. It enables me to work in near darkness, to find beauty in silence and to achieve a level of quality that is simply unparalleled.

Years on the track taught me how to be fast. The Noctilux and my Leica M-A are teaching me how to be present.

Thank you,