A Day to remember in NYC celebrating Leica’s 100th Birthday!
I was not even anticipating going to this event.
In fact, I didn’t know it was happening. Ironically, just the weekend before, I was in New York City with a couple of friends, spending time taking photos. We stumbled into the Leica Meatpacking store and were looking around when we heard one of the employees talking about a special event happening the following weekend. So a few days later, I found myself heading back to the city to attend the once-in-a-lifetime 100th anniversary event. I’d love to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the day and share what I experienced throughout the afternoon.
The NYC 100th Anniversary M11
The first thing I did upon arriving was make a quick pit stop at the Leica Meatpacking store and check out the special edition 100th Anniversary Leica M11 with glossy black paint. This one was specifically a New York City 100th anniversary edition and it looked stunning with a silver Summilux lens on it. Just outside the store, the entire street was closed to traffic so attendees could walk around and socialize in the area.
The Gallery & Auction Space
Across the street was a gallery space which featured many stunning color and black & white prints from a variety of Leica photographers. There was also a preview of some of the items for sale in an upcoming Leica auction. It was sweet to see some of these very rare and unique cameras from over the past 100 years. Some of my favorites were the military-issued green M3 and M4 bodies.
The Community
At this point, it was time to head over to the plaza where the main festivities were just getting underway. There were tons of cool things to see here. The first standout was having the privilege to meet some really cool people in person. Many of them I recognized from online interactions — whether through YouTube comments, Instagram DMs, or Threads. It was also neat to run into other photographers who had cool-looking and rare Leica gear and and share in a collective enthusiasm for the brand. It was an event where I didn’t feel judged for being a complete nerd.
Seeing the Leica I
Another cool event happening at the plaza was the Ernst Leitz Museum popup where I was able to see some modern Leica lenses and cameras disassembled. The level of detail and craftsmanship required to produce these products is fascinating. I was also able to see the original Leica I from 1925. It was enjoyable to pay homage to the camera that started it all.
Getting a Portrait & print
I got in line to get my portrait taken by Mark Mann. Though I spent nearly an hour in line, time flew by as I spent this time talking with other photographers about their travels and gear. Once I got to the studio, Mark was awesome. He did a great job communicating with me during my portrait and we came out with an image I am super happy with. The great folks from Digital Silver Imaging were on site doing prints of the portrait. I thought this was a classy touch, and the print turned out beautifully. I’m super happy with it. Big shout out to Mark for spending the entire day working. He is awesome at his craft, that’s for sure.
A dark room experience
Digital Silver Imaging also had a mini sample dark room area set up where they were showing the process of how prints are enlarged. They gave me a mini darkroom printed photo of Oscar Barnack’s “The Radio Amateur”. The image was taken in 1925 with the Leica I. To think that I have a print of an image taken 100 years ago is a wild thought, and really speaks to the importance of our hobby.
Bonus on-brand touches
Even the little things that Leica did were right on brand. Mini red dot chocolates provided a good hit of sugar in the hot sun. I was able to snag a limited edition Leica 100th anniversary pin featuring the “100” moniker and an apple in honor of this New York City celebration. There were boxes and boxes of previous month editions of the LFI Magazine being given away. Naturally, I grabbed a handful to take home and flip through. Thank you to Leica and LFI for giving so many away to us!
photo contest
The last event that happened before the afternoon wrapped up was a photo contest. The previous day, around twenty photographers had taken to Washington Square Park on a photowalk and then curated their best images. These were highlighted during this contest. The audience members were asked to come up and vote for which image they liked better until it was whittled all the way down to just a final photo. It was a highly interactive experience. I enjoyed hearing the different polarizing opinions of both professional photographers and non-photographers just soaking in the images and having a fun conversation around what makes a photograph stand out.
Leica Times Square
After the event, I headed up to Times Square and checked out the giant Leica advertisement “Iconic City. Iconic Camera.”
Recap
I am so thankful I was able to be a part of celebrating the 100th anniversary of Leica! Attending this special day in my favorite city was the icing on the cake! It only deepened my appreciation for Leica — both as a brand and as a community. Here’s to the next 100 years of Leica!
kinda grainy 