It’s no secret that Americans are viewed with negativity by some among certain other demographics. Nowhere has it been more evident to me than it is where I am now, Germany. However, when one steps off a Wetzlar sidewalk and onto the Leitz Park campus, it all changes.

The air immediately seems more international and congenial, as with people of all walks of life converging over a shared passion. Languages are suddenly less of an obstacle, and gear choices are viewed with interest rather than with an air of one-upmanship.

It would be enough to walk away after a visit to such a place with a headful of new information and new ideas. But there’s also a feeling one gets, that in spite of technical and other challenges, there’s a history of excellence that motivates those who bear the responsibility of shepherding that excellence into the future.

For me personally, gone is the outrightly snooty air that I’ve been accustomed to encountering in the company’s Asia Pacific outlets, replaced by the feeling that the mothership is populated by people whose only difference from me is that they’re the ones who build and I’m the one who uses, with maybe a little overlap in there somewhere.

As you can see by the foregoing paragraphs, it’s not something that can easily be put into words. But, trust me, it’s a good feeling, one that bodes well for the Leica brand—and for serious still photographers like me.

SL2/50mm Summilux-M v. 2 . . .