Journal of Alta California

A Black and White Digital Camera. Why?

 By MATT JACOBSON

When my twin daughters were born in the mid-’90s, I committed to documenting them exclusively in photos shot on a Leica rangefinder camera. I upgraded my vintage Leica M3 to the M6, which added an internal light meter to the iconic Leica body while keeping the “softer” lenses from the 1950s and ’60s that came with the M3. I exclusively shot Ilford HP5, a 400 ASA black-and-white film known for its uniquely beautiful skin tones.

When I

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