Which cameras did leon levinstein use?

[Iodosan]

Greetings to all. I searched for information on the internet but I did not find anything. Who can tell me which cameras leon levinstein photographed ? Or which focal length?

 

[Nitroplait]

Good question, which I regrettably can't answer, but a large number of his photographs appear to be taken from a relatively low angle, lower than eye-level which would make me guess a TLR of some sort - at least during some period of his career.

 

[Horatio]

I was unaware of Levinstein's work, but I like his quote: "I walk, I look, I see, I stop, I photograph."

 

[logan2z]

Unfortunately I can't answer your question either. But I am a big fan of Levinstein's work and think he is very underrated.

If you like his work, I'd highly recommend picking up the monograph published by Steidl while it's still in print.

https://steidl.de/Books/Leon-Levinstein-0024304044.html

 

[Iodosan]

Unfortunately I can't answer your question either. But I am a big fan of Levinstein's work and think he is very underrated.

If you like his work, I'd highly recommend picking up the monograph published by Steidl while it's still in print.

https://steidl.de/Books/Leon-Levinstein-0024304044.html

I discovered it a short time ago and it was a stroke of lightning. I am trying to study his technique but no one has any news about it. Even of vivian maier we know all used cameras. Of levinstein it is only known that he was a genius.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Good question, which I regrettably can't answer, but a large number of his photographs appear to be taken from a relatively low angle, lower than eye-level which would make me guess a TLR of some sort - at least during some period of his career.

I like this guess. It’s also interesting that his crops are always determined by the content of the image rather than by the film gate. Every one of them is a different aspect ratio. Maybe the neutrality of the square format lends itself to that kind of choice. Here’s a good selection—

https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/leon-levinstein?all/all/all/all/2

 

[Iodosan]

I like this guess. It’s also interesting that his crops are always determined by the content of the image rather than by the film gate. Every one of them is a different aspect ratio. Maybe the neutrality of the square format lends itself to that kind of choice. Here’s a good selection—

https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/leon-levinstein?all/all/all/all/2

I was also at a tlr but in this photo his shadow Curled up seems that is aiming in a 35mm viewfinder
https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/woman-sunbathing-coney-island-brooklyn

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I was also at a tlr but in this photo his shadow Curled up seems that is aiming in a 35mm viewfinder
https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/woman-sunbathing-coney-island-brooklyn

Interesting, but hard to judge from the shadow. The image is a vertical, but there are no obvious 35mm giveaways like the edge of the camera peeking over his forehead (could be a small camera) or his elbow pointing out with one hand on top of the camera (it’s better technique anyway to keep both elbows against the chest, though not everyone does that). He could be using a WLF with a magnifier or a camera with a chimney finder.

 

[macfred]

A few hints ...

From MfA Museum of Fine Arts Boston:

''... he transforms a court into a dynamic rhythmic dance, revealing raw and energetic gestures and textures of urban practices. “I have never seen a photographer, even to this day, who made the kind of pictures that he made where the human being becomes so distorted, so elongated or compressed. And he did this without resorting to any optical tricks. This picture was taken with a Rolleiflex camera and a normal lens.''

From Lindemanns Photo Books:

''... With the Leica and Rolleiflex, he created pakkking street photographs ...''

From ''Leon Levinstein'' by William Meyers (The Wall Street Journal):

'' ... Mr. Levinstein worked as a graphic designer in Times Square and prowled the
increasingly sleazy 42nd Street neighborhood on his lunch breaks with his Rolleiflex,
shooting the human flotsam: hookers, pimps, johns, pushers and users, disoriented
tourists, revivalists, whomever ... *
http://www.stevenkasher.com/attachment/en/5491696ae253608b417b23c6/Press/54e639054fa72cd118a38168

 

[MattKing]

You may wish to reach out to the National Gallery of Canada, who appear to have many of his negatives and transparencies in their collection. All apparently came to then in nicely annotated envelopes.
They even have 4 of his Super 8 films!

 

[jtk]

Brodovich yet again !