🔴 Guest Post: Dan Kerin
Always wear a camera – The importance of being ready for fleeting
moments.
Who is Dan?
A short introduction about me first. I began taking photography seriously back in 2015. I became fascinated with the photographers of yesteryears, the greats; such as Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Frank and Gary Winogrand to name a few. It was also during this time that I picked up my first Leica M camera. A beat up old M3 paired with a 50mm Summicron ridged. After a few years finding my footing, I now run Analogue Cameras here in the UK, a second-hand film camera store which I consider a dream job!
My journey to Leica
While in college I fell in love with film photography. I was very lucky in a sense that I had unlimited access to the darkroom we had one site. Often, I would be the only person printing, this allowed me to really home my skill and become a pretty competent printer.
Over this period I really developed a skill in making traditional B&W silver gelatine prints. When it came the time to look to upgrade from my Olympus OM-10 and Nikon D3200 I was using, it seemed logical to go down the film route. I was able to pick up a rough Leica M3 and 50mm Summicron Rigid for less than the current mid-range full frame DSLR at the time. Since then I have not really deviated from the Leica path. For me the Leica is a tool which feels comfortable in the hands and after years and years of use does feel like an extension of my eye as cliché as that sounds.
Why Leica?
Having heavily studied the master photographers of the past I found one thing in common with them. Most of them shot Leica’s. I wasn’t interested in landscapes, macro or studio work. This meant that the perks that other camera systems offered didn’t appeal to me. Leica’s are small, unobtrusive and reliable, all factors which matter a lot to me.
What do I photograph?
Many would label it as ‘street photography’ but I really dislike this term as it doesn’t describe anything. For me I prefer documentary photography because I prefer to work on a cohesive body of work. This can sometimes take years to complete but for me it gives photography a meaning and allows me to really focus on a subject matter. An example of this would be my recently completed body of work named ‘The Mechanics of Talat Noi’. In this series I explore the slowly disappearing street mechanics that can be found in the Talat Noi area of Bangkok. Many of the workers here have called this place home for decades but with new development plans being made this area is being redeveloped and some of the workshops are needing to relocate elsewhere.
Even when I am reviewing camera equipment for my personal site, I like to work on projects closer to home whether that be on the London underground or in Northern Wales, both being projects I have yet to complete.
Thoughts
I think as I have grown as a photographer, I have learnt that likes and social
media are not everything. You can easily fall into the trap of questioning your work if it doesn’t generate the engagement you had wished for. We need to keep in mind that not everyone is going to like our style of work but for me as long as I am happy with how a picture or series turned out that’s all that matters. And if others also share the same opinion, then great and if they don’t, I won’t lose any sleep over it.
How do you know MrLeica?
I had followed Matt for a few years and really enjoyed his series on cheaper
Leica alternative lenses as there are so many hidden gems out there.
It was in the spring of 2024 when I was in the process of lunching ‘Analogue
Cameras Type – 517’ 35mm film that I reached out to Matt directly and we
worked together on testing and launching this product.
To date I have sold over 8,000 rolls and only have enough film to make another 4,000 rolls so if you have not tried this film yet, get some before it’s gone for good! (Buy Here). Photo below was shot with ‘517 –
Favourite Leica camera?
I do cherish my black M4 but I am sorry to say it has to be the Leica M3. This
camera has been with me since the beginning and has never skipped a beat. Being fully mechanical you don’t need to worry about batteries and while yes I am a big fan of the 28mm focal length I prefer to use external viewfinders for this anyway.
Favourite lens?
This is a tough one but I would probably have to say the first-generation Leica 50mm Summilux f1.4. This is a lens I have only recently acquired and mine is in poor condition but out of all the 50mm’s I have shot with there is just a magical quality about this one. Tac sharp when stopped down and having painterly qualities wide open.
Favourite film?
Kodak Double X has become my new standard film replacing Kentmere 400
that I had used for years. I spool this myself and have found the results to be
very close to Kodak Tri-X at more than half the price.
Where can you find Dan?
Follow me at:
- Personal Website – www.dankerinphotography.com
- Instagram – @dankerin
- Camera Store – www.analoguecameras.co.uk
- Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/204032170@N05/
MrLeica comments on this article
Thanks Dan! I wish I’d had access to a darkroom in college.. I was very much a late bloomer pushed to film from my dislike of my Nikon D800 files in around 2012. (I met up with Dan in London for his photowalk and hope to collab again in 2026!)
I can confirm that the respooled Ilford FP4 cine film (aka, Typ 517), is excellent. The photos below shows the tonality I achieved from Typ 517 with my Leicas.
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