Interview: Steve Huff

We've prepared the first interview with Leica photographer for you - Interview with Steve Huff. Steve is famous for his great photos and great camera reviews on his website and answered our questions about his photos, projects, Leica gear and his personal life.

Please tell us something about you. When did you start to take pictures?

Well, I am 39 years old and have been crazy about photography since I was very young. Back when I was 9 or 10, I picked up a Polaroid camera at a garage sale and was not able to get film for it until three months later. That was torture! When my father bought me the first pack of instant film I shot through it in a matter of hours. Needless to say, he was not happy that he spent $6 on film and I "wasted" it, as he called it. But me, I was amazed that you could take a photo and in minutes have the finished product. No need for the drug store t o develop it.

I saved up my allowance to buy more film and I started to keep all of my pictures in an album. I had a pretty big collection by the time I was 13. Unfortunately, those were lost when our basement flooded in the 90's but that is what started my love affair with photography. Since then I have had a few successful photography based businesses. These days, all I do is work on my site and shoot an odd job here and there. I miss shooting professionally, so I am hoping to increase this in the near future. I have shot weddings, portraits, events, and concerts professionally. I have to say though, the most fun I ever had shooting was when I shot SEAL at his concert in Chicago. That was pretty awesome.

What was your first camera and what was the subject of your first photos?

Ooops, looks like I may have already answered that one! The subjects in those first photos with that Polaroid camera were mainly of family, friends, trees, dogs, and whatever else I felt would make for an interesting photo at that time. I loved trying to sneak up on friends and snap their picture without them realizing it, but it proved to be pretty hard with a big polaroid. If I only had a Leica M back then!

When did you tried the Leica camera for the first time? What was your first feelings?

I always knew about Leica cameras and when I was in my early 20's, I tried to save for an M camera, but there was just no way I could afford it. It was not until years later that I was able to buy my first Leica. In July of 2006, I was finally able to buy my first M, the Leica M7.

I bought the kit with the 50 Summicron lens and when it arrived, I was like a kid at Christmas. My wife did not understand why I just paid $4700 for this camera and lens. As soon as I held it I knew that it would probably end up being my favorite camera EVER. I shot digital for years, but this would be my first "real" film camera. I bought tons and tons of Tri-X and took a class on how to process my film. I turned my laundry room into my darkroom and I had a blast, for a while.

After a while, I grew tired of spending hours and hours processing and scanning film. I would sit for hours just scanning one roll of film on my Nikon Coolscan. Sure I could of had the photo shop do it but I liked the results I was getting with my scans. It was just too much time, expense and frustration for me at the time. When Leica brought out the M8 I was sold and so was my M7. I do miss that camera though. A part of me still has a love for film.

Tell us something about your very interesting project ,,Portraits and Stories Of The Homeless" - when did you started, why and when do you plan to finish this project?

During that photo class I mentioned earlier, I had to complete a body of work for a final exam. I lived in downtown Phoenix, AZ at the time and there was a high population of homeless men and women in the surrounding areas. For the two years prior to starting my project, I would usually stop and chat with many of them. I would help them out with a few dollars, food, or blankets... Whatever they really needed. Many of these men and women started to get used to me so when I started documenting them, they were all really cool with it.

When I started this project, many said I was exploiting the homeless and nothing was farther from the truth. My goal was to try to bring awareness about the homeless situation in America, as it seemed to be getting worse every year. I wanted to document the stories of these men and women who once had a house, car, and even money in the bank. Somewhere in life, they had a run of bad luck and ended up on the street.

I remember walking down the street and thinking, "this could be me one day" and it was scary. I truly felt for these people and contrary to what most believe, not all homeless people are drug addicts and alcoholics. One lady I helped quite a bit, "Mary" was a mother, grandmother and somehow, someway, ended up on the street. She told me her kids had no idea she was on the street and she did not have any way to contact them, as she had no idea where they were. It was sad.

I ended up putting the photos I took on a website and it has become quite popular. There have been many heartfelt comments, and the website has been featured in a few newspaper articles. So in some ways, I achieved my goal of raising awareness. I plan on continuing this project again in the near future. 95% of the images were shot with a Leica MP and Tri-X or Delta 100 film.

And what about "The Rural Landscape"?

This was a project I started with the Leica M8. My family and I did a major move from Phoenix AZ to a small town in Ill. Talk about culture shock! We were used to the big city life and now we were in Small Town, USA. I started seeing photo opportunities everywhere. Old barns, abandoned homes, hospitals, old trucks, and gas stations. I went out one day and shot some images and when I processed them, I liked them so much I decided to start a series on it.

I still have quite a bit to shoot and it is an ongoing project as I see these scenes everywhere. Sometimes I drive for hours looking for old barns, and sometimes it is like an adventure.

I do have one story I have to tell. I found an old barn with an advertisement on the roof for Cave City. The barn was caving in and I assumed it was abandoned. I walked up to the front of it and started to get the perfect angle. I took a few shots and I noticed an old blue pickup truck racing towards my truck. Two guys were in the truck and they looked pretty rough. They blocked my truck in and came rushing up to me asking me what I was doing on their land. These guys were HUGE farmer guys, and there I was. Little ol' me.

As they got on each side of me, I was telling them I was just a photographer and I liked their barn and the advertisement on the roof of it. I showed them the camera and images and after talking with them, they were actually very cool about it. They let me go and spared me the beating. Ha ha... that image is one of my favorites, so it was worth the risk.

What will be your next project? Do you have any plans?

Well, I do! I already have started a new series and some may find it a bit dark or morbid, but I have always been intrigued by cemeteries and gravestones. I enjoy taking photographs of very old and unique headstones and tombs. I think it is fascinating and some of these old cemeteries have some pretty amazing and elaborate headstones and markers. I am going to be taking a week in the near future just to visit old historic cemeteries. I already have some very interesting images, such as a few from the "Violin Annie" grave in Centralia, IL . My wife and I plan on visiting New Orleans for Mardi Gras and we are going to visit a few of the historic cemeteries in the area. In New orleans, they bury the dead ABOVE GROUND in vaults. You can even view the graves of early pirates. Should be very interesting, especially since I plan on taking some of the images via long exposure in the middle of the night!

When did you decided to review some interesting cameras on your very popular website and why?

There are two reasons why I started my website with my real world camera reviews but my love for the Leica M8 is what REALLY motivated me to start it. I wanted to write about my experiences with the camera in a real- world kind of way, without all of the technical stuff that other sites do so well (and I do not).

I was also kind of tired of all of those technical camera reviews with pages and pages of graphs, charts, and numbers. I always skip past that stuff when I read reviews. To me, that stuff has nothing to do with photography. Yea, it may be useful if you are someone who likes to shoot newspaper text or brick walls, but in REAL photography, in a picture that has emotion, one that will move you, does ANY of that really matter? To me, it does not. No to say it is not helpful to many, but for me it starts becoming less and less about photography when it gets overly technical.

I knew there had to be others out there that would like to read reviews on cameras that focused on real-world use and to see the real results from the camera. I know I would rather read about a passionate photographer's experience with a camera and see his samples, over a guy who is paid to "test" the camera on a test bench.

Anyway, after a few days of my site being live, I started getting tons of emails from readers who actually liked my site! I was shocked, as I thought I would get 10-20 hits and that would be it. I decided to keep it going so I could share my passion and love for photography, as well as the gear I use. It has been challenging, but fun. Also, a huge learning experience for me. I have also met quite a few new friends. I would also like to add that I am just a guy who loves photography. I am not a certified "reviewer" but really, who is? I do my site mostly for the fun. I mean, I now get cameras sent to me for review! How cool is that?

I know that you're waiting for your new Leica M9, is it the camera of your dreams? What's your favourite Leica lens?

Actually, I took delivery of my Leica M9 on October 7th! I am very excited about this because I have been without a camera for two months. I had to sell my M8.2 two months ago to fund this M9, so being without my M has been torture! I am now with the M9 and am once again a happy, happy man. As for being the camera of my dreams, right now it most certainly is and I feel lucky and thankful to own it. I know there are quite a few shooters out there waiting for their M9 and all I can say is that it is worth the wait!

As for my favorite lens...That one is tough.

On the M8 and M8.2 it was the 35 Summilux ASPH. On the M9, it is quickly becoming the 50 summilux pre-asph. I still have a soft spot for that 35 Summilux, but on my M9 I am finding the gentle draw of the 50 Summilux very special.

Honestly though, I have yet to use a bad Leica lens. I love them all. One of my other favorites is the 24 Elmarit. Great, great lens that I wish I could afford right now!

What are you doing when you're not taking photographs or writing reviews?:-)

I now spend about 8 hours a day on my site. It may not seem like it, but between going out and shooting (which is sometimes 4-8 hours of driving a day), processing the images, and writing the reviews, it can take up my whole day. When I am not working on the site though, I am usually spending time with my family, setting up occasional photo jobs, listening to music, taking trips, or practicing my guitar skills. Simple stuff.

My true passion is photography and I may not be the best photographer in the world, but I have the passion, and to me, that is one of the ingredients for a happy life. Passion.

Thank you very much for your interview.

Visit Steve Huff's website at stevehuffphotos.com.