PetaPixel

Leica Recreates 35 of the Most Iconic Photos Through History in Brilliant 100th Anniversary Ad

 

Editor’s Note: There is one very brief instance of nudity in this ad. Proceed with caution.

The award-winning ad agency behind the moving Leica ad “Soul” from last year have created another masterpiece. It’s called “Leica 100,” and it celebrates 100 years of Leica photography by paying tribute to 35 of the most iconic photographs of all time in an incredibly creative way.

Published by the Leica Gallery Sao Paolo and produced by agency F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, the ad traces a path through some of the most memorable and powerful photographs ever captured, all the while making the case that, while not all were captured with a Leica, all owe something to the Leica.

Admittedly, this might not be a particularly popular assertion with somebody — the tagline of the video is that, while Leica didn’t invent photography, they invented photography — it’s hard to argue with the goosebump-inducing nature of this brilliant piece of advertising.

Below we’ve included a few screenshots of some of the most recognizable photos recreated in the video:

La Jeune Fille a la Fleur by Marc Riboud

La Jeune Fille a la Fleur by Marc Riboud

Execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém by Eddie Adams

Execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém by Eddie Adams

Identical Twins by Diane Arbus

Identical Twins by Diane Arbus

Segregated Water Fountains by Elliott Erwitt

Segregated Water Fountains by Elliott Erwitt

Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon by Neil Armstrong/NASA | In the Background: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal

Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon by Neil Armstrong/NASA | In the Background: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal

Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange

Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange

Whether or not you agree with the ad’s assertion, the video pays a wonderful tribute to photography as a whole as it weaves its way through some of the most powerful moments ever captured on film.

(via Leica News & Rumors)

 
«
»
 
  • Daire

    I think it more leaves a bad taste in my mouth, using a shot like, for example, Eddie Adams’ to promote a brand. Also, that’s the second time Arbus and Lange have been appropriated in less than a month for advertising/puff promotional pieces.

  • Ezmo

    “Let’s recreate a greatest hits album of iconic moments in human suffering to really juice up our brand’s image. That’ll move some units”

  • whitehotphoenix

    Nothing about this makes me want to buy a Leica.

  • Jason Dunn

    It is self-aggrandizing to state that the cameras, rather than the individuals using the cameras, were the reason such memorable images were captured. I’d say it’s a 50/50 even split.

  • http://www.ringo-paulusch.info/ Ringo Paulusch

    “There is one very brief instance of nudity in this ad. Proceed with caution.”
    This is so laughable. There are also six guns, three (model) tanks and a burning man, but of course – nudity is the thing to be warned about.

    Well-done video nonetheless.

  • Aezreth

    ‘murica

  • Guest

    Oh noes nudity, the horror!
    A human being burned alive, no problem!

  • http://about.me/rool Rool

    Isn’t that two instances? Nick Uts photo and Helmut Newtons one?

  • Jim Johnson

    Amen. Leica even did this with their M magazine. They took photographs by famous Leica users and put them in a Leica magazine, effectively re-branding them as “Leica Photos”.

    Contrary to the this ad, Leica didn’t invent handheld portable photography. There were lots of iconic images produced well before Leica came around and well after. Although they deserve some credit for later street and documentary photography that was made possible by the size of their cameras, to me they are taking credit for things that have nothing to do with them, and from the photographers that found their tool useful.

    The Kodak Brownie (introduced 1900) brought photography “out of the studio” and made “snapshots possible” (it also had a film roll). Then the Speed Graphic and the Graflex (both 1912) gave photographers more control in a portable camera. Coincidentally, Rosenthal’s Iwo Jima photo and Lange’s Migrant Mother were made with these cameras respectively even though they are “re-created” in the video.

    The prototype Leica was built in 1913, but did not go into to production until 1925. Yes, there were masters who learned to take advantage of the smaller, less intrusive camera and that led to a more stealthy street and documentary style of photography, but it cannot be given credit for every iconic photo, or even every iconic photo taken with a portable camera. In fact, they were a little late to the game on that one.

  • Jim Johnson

    Yeah, it’s a little prudish, but it also has to do with the fact that most adults in a working environment recognize that as a special effect— we are not watching someone die.

  • Mike

    Oh, by “one” you meant female nudity (the best nudity!). But there were two more moments. How am I supposed to unsee that dude’s butt?

  • Sarpent

    Sometimes, and more lately than ever, Leica leaves me quietly shaking my head in distaste.

  • http://www.markhoustonphotography.com/ mthouston

    What no John Malkoivch….

  • edd

    Absolutely garbage marketing white noise. Leica has some balls to keep intoning that shots may not have been shot on a Leica but blah blah blah…they may as well have! My previous comment about the rubbishness of this was moderated off from here….just coz I aint no Leica fanboy?
    Really?

  • mrjakecampbell

    proud to use a leica!

  • worker88

    I thought it was a great piece.

    If you’re wondering about the we didn’t invent photography part…

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Barnack

  • Anton Berlin

    What a stretch. The last acts of a desperate company trying to catch a few last suckers willing to buy a 240 and some overpriced glass with a host of optical errors.

  • lexplex

    There are a couple of photographers I know that have said they’ve taken photos on a Leica just to get the free publicity and prestige you get when Leica promote your photo.

    A couple of years ago, the Leica blog happily promoted some ‘wonderful Leica images’ taken by photographer Edmund Terakopian at the royal wedding in London. Of course, they forgot to wipe the metadata out, and many people (myself included) realised that they were mostly taken on a Canon. Chortle.