Leica Exhibition

By MI6 Staff

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Camera manufacturer Leica has produced a special '007 Edition' product to tie-in with 'No Time To Die' and, whilst the film was being shot, four key people were all armed with one of the cameras to take exclusive behind-the-scenes photographs: Daniel Craig, Greg Williams, Nicola Dove, and producer Michael G. Wilson.

Wilson offered a personal insight into his love of photography and explained the thought process behind his selection of 25 images, all of which were shot on Leica cameras.

“My love of photography stretches all the way back to childhood. My father was a keen photographer and wherever he went he would invariably carry this suitcase that contained a mini-enlarger. He would set up in the bathroom and print his negatives. As a child I was fascinated by the process and took up photography as a teen, which has remained a constant source of pleasure throughout my life. I would set up a darkroom wherever we lived — much to my wife’s horror. She did not like me taking over the bathrooms, which compelled me to build my own space in the basements or lofts of our residences."

"Over the years, I have become a keen collector of photography as well as a practitioner, encouraged by Weston Naef, an old school friend who went on to become a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before being appointed as the head of photography at the J. Paul Getty Museum. I was fortunate enough to persuade his daughter, Ella Naef, an extremely knowledgeable photographer and curator, to come and work with me. Ella has been instrumental in printing and organizing the Leica exhibition, which will be shown in ten locations: London, Tokyo, Osaka, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Salzburg, Singapore, Taipei, Seoul and Vienna.”

“The idea for the exhibition was born from conversations I had with Leica’s London archivist, Lou Proud, during the production of No Time To Die. When we realised we had four accomplished photographers snapping away on set who could capture behind-the-scenes moments with Leica cameras (Greg Williams, Nicola Dove, Daniel Craig and myself) we realized we had the makings of an exhibition.

With Ella’s help, we have assembled a portfolio of 25 images showing work by all four photographers. We created portfolios of which four are artist proofs for the four artists, one is for the EON archive and one is for sale at the Bond auction in autumn 2022.”

“When curating the portfolio, I opted for black and white images in the traditional style. Leica cameras and lenses produce excellent results in this medium.

Each photographer not only brought their unique vision to the project, but also a personal relationship to the subject:

Daniel Craig has a very particular eye, and after pouring his heart and soul into five Bond films, has developed a deep connection to our crew. Hence, he has taken some wonderful behind-the-scenes shots focussed on the people who help us bring Bond to life.

Greg Williams is, of course, a world-renowned photographer who has worked with us on Bond for many years. He knows how to get in there and grab the picture that wins awards!

Nicola Dove is on set full time to document the making of the film. She is forever watching for those special moments which she captures magnificently.

I just snap at anything that moves.

Each photographer has a very different style but with Leica’s cameras I feel that we are all speaking with one voice. I hope you enjoy what we have to say.”

The 'No Time To Die – Behind the Scenes, 25 images curated by Michael G. Wilson' exhibition can be viewed starting Sept. 9 at Leica Galleries/Stores Frankfurt (until Oct. 30, 2021), London (until Oct. 17, 2021), L.A. (until Oct. 11, 2021), Seoul, Singapore (both until Oct. 31, 2021), Taipeh (until Nov. 15, 2021) as well as in Salzburg (Sept. 17 — Oct. 21, 2021), Vienna (Sept. 17 — Oct. 30, 2021), Tokyo (Sept. 24, 2021 — Jan. 25, 2022) and Osaka (Nov. 3, 2021 — Jan. 11, 2022).