[Leica] My Leica history

[".V0j" <MervinStewart@compuserve.com>]

 =

I have read the histories of Lug members envolvement in photography. I th=
ought
that I would share mine.
I have been taking photographs since I was 10 ( Univex and Agfa Box camer=
a).
Shot for my high school yearbook and then was photography editor  and
photographer ( 3 1/4X41/4 Speed Graphic and Rolleiflex) for my college
newspaper.  In  medical school I thought I was shooting my photography sw=
an
song when I did the senior year book in 1953.  However since then I have =
been =

photographing  whenever I can. I have done brochures for the psychiatric
residency program, take pictures  at meetings for the American Psychoanal=
yst,
in addition to lots of family and travel photos.
 In 55 and 56  When I was in the Army medical corps, I was stationed in
Frankfurt/M and was about 25 miles from Wetzlar...There, I was introduced=
 to
Leica, attended the Leica Schule in Wetzlar (and then brought the school =
to the
97th General Hospital to spread the word) . I sold my Exacta VX, and boug=
ht an =

M3.  At the time my secretary's husband was editor of the Army Times/Euro=
pe =

which had a very pedestrian photography column .  After I complained of t=
he
content for a few weeks she said..."O.K. Dr. Stewart, if you don't like t=
he
column, you write it and we will pay you for it"... So I was a  psychiatr=
ist by
day and a  photography columnist by night.. Not surprisingly all of my =

newspaper earnings went right up to Wetzlar where because of my journalis=
m I
received special  attention. =

Now I am 70  and practice psychiatry and psychoanalysis. I'm married, wit=
h
three children all grown and 6 grandchildren.  We travel,  recently back =
from
three weeks in China and the dining room table  is still covered with sli=
des
and prints waiting to be edited,organized and filed.  We had a wonderful =
trip
to Australia and New Zealand a few years ago..And one of these years we w=
ill go
back there again to more leisurely visit and photograph ( we were on a to=
ur).
Currently I use M6, R6.2 andR5.  I also have M3, M5, CL,SL2, R4.  I have
numerous lenses but like the 100Apo, 35-70 F4, 80-200F4, and the 24 and 6=
0mm
for the R cameras and the 35 and 50 mm summicrons and the 90 tele-elmarit=
 for
the M6.
I have attended the Park Square  Camera Leica Seminars for many years and=
 am
looking forward to this October's seminar which will have both Ted Grant =
and
Walter Heun as  role models,instructors, leaders, critics and Scotch
experts....It will be  a  great weekend.
I  have been lurking on the Lug for quite a while.  I like the informatio=
n,
technical tips and the general good fellowship of the participants. When
occasional sparks fly  on the list, I remind myself that I only work in t=
he
confines of my office!!

(This note was originally sent privately to Alastair Firkin who asked me =
if I
would share it with all the lug members.)

Mervin Stewart
Internet:mervinstewart@compuserve.com