Exploring London: A Day with my Leica D-Lux 8

“Dave’s Day Out in London” – well not really Dave’s day out, as I think Dave (the pigeon), probably lives in London!

Yesterday, I had a delightful day out in London and captured this photo.

I had set a teaser hinting at my location. As a proud new owner of a Leica, I was invited to attend a Leica Akademie session to get acquainted with my camera.

Eager to learn and refresh my knowledge, I ventured into a rather wet Mayfair for the workshop. The session was led by two professional photographers and included two other participants.

The workshop covered the basics of photography, which served as a welcome refresher for me, and demonstrated how to maximize our creative vision with the cameras. They focused on my D-Lux 8 and the Q3/2, as the other participants were new Q3 owners, helping me understand the capabilities of my Q2.

After the morning session, we enjoyed lunch before I was paired with one of the photographers. Together, we explored how I could use my D-Lux, setting up user profiles for “everyday photography” and “flash photography” (the D-Lux comes with a flash).

We then wandered the streets of Mayfair to practice what we had learned. Our walk included visits to churches, grand arcades, wide Georgian streets, historical artifacts, and even a quirky dinosaur!

Upon returning to the studio, our work was critiqued by the professional photographers. They, along with myself, were impressed with the output of the D-Lux 8. Most of my shots required minimal edits, if any.

This session introduced me to new editing techniques, some Lightroom tricks, and a fresh perspective on my photography. Although I have been viewing my photos for years without much satisfaction, seeing them on the large display at the Leica offices was a revelation. I felt humbled and proud of the feedback I received.

I will share more photos from the day, but I wanted to start with this whimsical shot of “Dave the pigeon.” Using the full extent of the telephoto lens handheld, I am impressed with the detail and sharpness.

(For context, yesterday’s photograph was a snap of the toilet door at the Leica offices!)