Another way the Leica Akademie workshop influenced me was that the instructor, Harvey Stein, said his first teacher told him to go out and get a 21mm lens and shoot solely with that. Now I have to admit, I'm a sucker for gear. I'm the kind of guy that thinks if I buy an expensive guitar, my playing is going to automatically improve. But trading in my 28mm for a 21mm seemed like a huge risk, a very big commitment. So what was the end result?
It's actually totally remarkable. A couple of nights ago my girlfriend Tracy and I were downtown, walking through China Town and the Grand Central Market and working with the 21mm lens was really exciting. I have a feeling it's going to open my aesthetic up in surprising ways. Harvey was right!