London Blackfriars
It was mid-September 2025, and I remember a warm day with a blue sky and puffy clouds. I was on my way to Blackfriars to meet a friend after meeting my client for coffee and our project debrief. It was one of those days when you enjoy arriving in the city, things are running smoothly, the weather is pleasant, and people are smiling instead of having their heads down.
I had the idea of photographing the day around the South Bank and Tate Modern for my ongoing Mein Augenblick project, and keeping it close and tight to the location, not moving too much.
So, the weather gods took my wish seriously, opening the sky with torrential rain hitting me horizontally, accompanied by strong wind gusts that closed the sky and turned off the natural light for at least 45 minutes. It was exactly what I had imagined, this apocalyptical feeling of light and shade, darkness and light, rain and wind, with things flying around.
And suddenly it stopped, and the sun, with the blue-sky background and puffed-up clouds, was back in full frame. Unfortunately, I had to go and leave the scene.
Shot on the new Leica Monopan 50 with Leica M-P and Summicron 50mm/f2
Shooting the new Leica Monopan 50 roll that day, I can see the sharpness and depth, a certain clarity that works with Leica glass.
However, to truly fall in love with it, one will need to spend more time shooting and learning about this film. I need to play with it more, perhaps pushing it a little to ISO 100, and see what it reveals. On darker days, it could transport me back to the atmosphere of the 1920s and 1930s, with its slower rhythm and different time, and I can see the film performing well in the light of Berlin, Rome, Prague, or Paris.
