Some bad luck, good fortune, and a Leica M6 on a Sunny (16) day

My story begins with some good fortune and some bad luck. I purchased a Leica MP about a year ago; this was the good fortune! But recently it started to develop an unusual cracked protrusion on the white metering spot, which created a corresponding indent on the other side of the cloth shutter; this was the bad luck. So it had to be sent off on a journey to Germany for a shutter replacement under warranty. The Leica dealer I purchased from has been very accommodating, loaning me a 1988 M6 classic until my MP returns; more good fortune!

I figured the M6 would be a similar experience to the MP, and it mostly is. The biggest difference in my opinion is the light meter display, and behaviour. This is an early production M6, which has a meter that won’t display anything when there is too little light. It also lacks the centre LED that the MP has, which I find helps when purposely under or over exposing. I got used to its eccentricities after some time with it, but it still felt a bit fiddly to use in comparison to the MP. This got me wondering if I should use the sunny 16 rule rather than this familiar though somewhat alien meter.

This idea of shooting without the meter had a certain romanticism to it, a way to make my already analogue hobby even more analogue. I work with computers in my day to day profession, so the analogue nature of film photography has become an important outlet to me. Still, I was apprehensive, most of my initial experience with film was using a metered Pentax K1000 in high school. I’m sure I learnt and applied the sunny 16 rule back then, but those memories have become quite foggy. And my recent return to film had been with a metered Pentax MX, followed by the MP. But, the more I thought about the benefits of learning a new (or forgotten?) skill, the more compelling the idea became. Time for a challenge. I took the the battery out of the M6. The question on my mind was whether shooting without a light meter something I could enjoy?

I was bored after work, stuck inside on another super hot, and sunny day in Western Australia. Since I picked up the M6 I had used it only once, and was eager to finish off the roll. Having a new-to-me M camera was a novelty after all. I waited for the UV index to drop so I wouldn’t be burned to a crisp and set out on a little walk around my neighbourhood. This was my first foray without the battery. The first thing I noticed was that I was setting the camera before even bringing it to my eye. It was a routine I began to enjoy, scratching an itch I seemed to have all along. It went like this:

1. Look at the scene
2. Judge the light
3. Adjust aperture as needed
4. Frame the shot
5. Focus and shoot

It felt great, not only was I in full control, I was also ready for the next shot very quickly. It was exciting, each shot being my own judgement. Wondering if I nailed the exposure became something to look forward to, a feeling akin to when I first started shooting film. I finished the roll taking pictures of birds, plants, and houses, trying to find backlit and shaded scenes to test my ability. Towards the tail end of my walk, I got caught in the act taking a photo of the spiral staircase pictured at the top of this post, sparking a conversation with the owner about how interesting their house was. One of the many reasons I enjoy wandering the neighbourhood taking photos.

After dropping off the finished roll at my favourite development lab, I was filled with a sense of anticipation. Did I do a good job? Will they all be terrible? Turned out they were, to my eye, all pretty good. The photos themselves weren’t anything special, but the experience taking them was what made me feel great, a new dimension to a skill I had thought already honed.

So, was shooting without a meter enjoyable? Yes! My small success made me feel like I had a special power, just that tiny little bit apart from the crowd. It also felt quite relaxing somehow. Perhaps it’s the sense of control I had, or perhaps it’s simply that the process is more loose, and less exacting. I am aware that this is well trod ground for old hands, but I thought I would share my experience anyway. I wanted to write a positive story for all the sunny 16 novices out there like myself 🙂

Shot on Kodak ColorPlus 200 with Leica M6 classic + Leica Summilux-M 1:1.4/50 ASPH.

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