Leica Hall of Fame Award

“I don't take pictures of dogs. To me, dogs are people.”

Elliott Erwitt is considered one of the world's best-known photographers. His works, which are mostly in black and white feature not only prominent personalities but also memorable moments in contemporary history, are considered modern masterpieces of photography. As a self-confessed dog fan, the four-legged friends also play a special role in his photographic work. The subtle humor in many of his images is Elliott Erwitt's trademark. He was born in Paris on July 26, 1928, the son of Russian immigrants, and spent his childhood in Milan. In 1939 the family emigrated, via France, to the USA. The passionate cosmopolitan returned again and again to the metropolis on the Seine, the scene of some of his first photographic excursions in the 1940s and the founding headquarters of the Magnum - always with his Leica.

Walter Vogel – his repertoire of subjects is diverse, and his style is unmistakeable. Whether as a chronicler of the social background of the Ruhr Region, a cosmopolitan travel photographer, an avid fan of the circus, a nighthawk of the cabaret and night club scene or a lover of espresso coffee: the experienced eye and perfect precision with which he documents his times in unforgettable images is instantly recognisable. 

Although Walter Vogel is today seen as one of Germany’s greatest reportage photographers, his way to photography, or rather the courage he showed in making a profession out of his passion for photography, began at a relatively late period in his life. Despite having discovered his interest in photography in his youth, he concentrated on his education and later worked for many years as an engineer in the chemicals industry. He diligently saved the money he earned during his apprenticeship as a machine fitter and, by 1954, was already able to afford a Leica IIf.

His profession took a new direction at the age of thirty: Vogel enrolled to study photography under Otto Steinert at the Folkwangschule in Essen. He began work as a freelance photographer after completing his exams and, alongside advertising and fashion photography, magazine photography then became one of the mainstays of his work. With his first self-published book (For Sale, 1980), Vogel discovered a new role, as the author of the text accompanying his pictures. His espresso book, published in 1993, marked his breakthrough in the world of publishing. Although this project was also uncommissioned, Vogel’s instinct for the subject subsequently triggered a whole series of publications about the world of coffee – long before it became a lifestyle trend. A multitude of photo books reflecting the entire spectrum of his work has since been published. With a visual language characterised by authenticity, precision and sometimes by sublime humour, Vogel is one of the great German photographers of the analogue age – the Leica Hall of Fame Award expresses and confirms the appreciation and recognition of the photographer and his work over a period of more than fifty years.

2018年6月，徠卡相機股份公司將在徠卡名人堂中為Bruce Davidson的生平作品致敬 - 這是一位傑出攝影師的榮譽，他的攝影改變了世界，觸動了各地的心靈。

Bruce Davidson，1933年9月5日出生於伊利諾伊州，住在紐約市，並在十歲時開始拍照。在高中的最後一年，他獲得了柯達國立高中攝影獎動物生活類一等獎。他於1951年至1954年在羅切斯特理工學院學習攝影，畢業後開始在Eastman Kodak擔任暗房技師。他繼續在耶魯大學設計學院學習，並於1955年從那裡畢業。自1959年以來，他一直是Magnum的正式成員。他的第一次個人展於1963年在紐約MOMA開幕。 1966年他開始了他的項目'East 100th Street’。他早已經獲得了無數的獎項與嘉獎。

備受讚譽的攝影師Joel Meyerowitz獲得了徠卡名人堂獎以及2017年1月18日徠卡相機股份公司舉辦的“攝影慶典”活動中的重要展覽而獲獎。

Joel Meyerowitz於1938年出生於紐約，在布朗克斯長大。他學習繪畫，最初擔任廣告藝術總監。1962年，梅耶羅維茨開始拍攝35毫米彩色膠卷。第二年，他又用黑白交替拍攝，然後回歸到豐富的彩色故事。紐約一直是他作為攝影師生活的主要焦點 - 從他1960年的早期作品到他在911事件後，在世貿遺址拍攝的令人回味的畫面。Meyerowitz在紐約和托斯卡納生活和工作。

徠卡相機股份公司今年不僅僅是慶祝徠卡的百年傳奇，也是經典產品旁軸相機徠卡 M的60週年紀念。在此同時，我們也向Thomas Hoepker致敬，授予名人堂獎項，為他在20世紀後半的紀實攝影及拍攝人像和現代歷史的貢獻表達敬意。 Hoepker從1962年開始他環遊世界的旅程，在途中拍下的影像記錄，直至今日還令人印象深刻。例如拳王阿里的肖像和舉世矚目的燃燒中的紐約世貿中心：作品中一群看似開心無憂的年輕人和後方哀痛的事件形成了強烈的對比。

在2012年科隆世界影像博覽會，越南攝影師Nick Út以一張著名的戰地照片獲得了徠卡名人堂獎。從1972年6月8日起他的攝影圖像被形容為攝影的永恆象徵。在越南Trag Bang鎮上4個凝固汽油彈被引爆的幾分鐘後，越南受害者十分懼怕，尖叫的孩童和全身赤裸、遭受凝固汽油彈嚴重燒傷的9歲Kim Phuc正在跑向等待的記者。 Nick Út用他的徠卡 M2拍下了他們正朝著記者們跑去這一瞬間，從而振興反戰運動，並最終獲得普立茲獎。

三十多年來，62歲的McCurry持續在世界各個動盪地區以紀實攝影師的身分活動，他的作品也獲得了許多獎項。關於蘇聯入侵阿富汗的紀錄片替他打響了國際聲譽，除此之外，他也拍攝了伊朗伊拉克戰爭、海灣戰爭、南斯拉夫戰爭，並從黎巴嫩、西藏、葉門和柬埔寨發送報導。他最著名的照片應該是「阿富汗少女」（Sharbat Gul）──拍攝於1984年的一座難民營。從1986年起，Steve McCurry就是著名的馬格蘭攝影通訊社成員之一。