[Leica] Ilse Bing: Early Leica Pioneer

[Jim Gallagher <gallagherjt@earthlink.net>]

The Metro section of today's New York Times included a noteworthy 
obituary for Ilse Bing, described as a "1930's Pioneer of Avant-Garde 
Photography". She died on Thursday in New York City at the age of 98. The 
article includes a 1931 photograph, entitled "Self-Portrait with Leica in 
Mirrors".The obituary is also available on the NY Times Web Page 
(www.nytimes.com).
According to the article, Ms. Bing was "The only professional 
photographer in Paris in the '30s to work exclusively with the Leica. Ms. 
Bing mastered the use of this small camera as well as darkroom techniques 
to show the subtleties of light and movement against the inky blacks of 
Paris at night. She favored the overhead shots and tilted angles of 
German constructivists, but her photographs are often infused with the 
softer, more lyrical and humanistic qualities found in the work of many 
French photographers."
I strongly recommend reading the full obituary about this important Leica 
photographer.
Jim Gallagher