Three young people stand on bicycles in the street and laugh together.

Positive Moments

Herbie Yamaguchi with the Leica M10 Monochrom

"In the creative arts, themes and concepts vary widely, but being able to record those tiny, uplifting moments in life is what makes my work valuable and meaningful to me personally, regardless of the method or technique that I use."

The way I typically go about taking pictures of everyday situations when I am out an about in the city and encounter somebody or something that attracts my attention, is to take a quick snapshot first. Then, if at all possible, I try to start a conversation with the person or persons in the frame. If they let me, I will closely observe their expressions in the course of our interaction and release the shutter again when I feel the moment is right. Provided my subjects agree, I may occasionally direct them or adjust the shot composition. As this method combines snapshot and portrait techniques, I like to call these my “snap portraits”.

Scenes that typically grab my attention tend to be bright, beautiful moments of quiet happiness I sometimes come across in the city. Of course I need the light and the background to be perfect also, so such opportunities are rare. It is my goal as a photographer to freeze such brief and fleeting moments in time, moments that are as fragile as soap bubbles and may burst and disappear in the blink of an eye. There is no greater reward and satisfaction for me as photographer than to hear people say that my photographs put them in a positive mood.

I used to think that a 24-megapixel resolution was more than adequate – until I started shooting with the Leica M10 Monochrom and saw the amazing descriptive power of 40 million pixels.

I was immediately blown away by the exceptional sharpness of the image and the stunning amount of detail I had managed to capture, down to the fabric structure of garments. Every single fiber, both horizontally and vertically, was clearly visible, as though the camera had penetrated the fabric to guide the mind’s eye to its inner essence.

Herbie Yamaguchi - Power of Positive Moments

"What sets this camera apart is that it is entirely dedicated to the monochrome task at hand and does not require menu controls to be switched from color to monochrome settings. The understated design of the camera body too is special and adds to the Leica M10 Monochrom’s discreet and “stealthy” character: an all-black finish with no red lettering whatsoever. I feel as though this camera is telling me to “just concentrate on taking amazing pictures.”