Barbara Davidson

Iconic brand Leica celebrates its centenary this year. Niall Hampton speaks to one of the photographers helping lead the celebrations

- Barbara Davidson

Throughout her career, Barbara Davidson has focused her photojournalism lens on people attempting to maintain their dignity in the face of uncertainty in conflict zones and environmental disasters, with a particular focus on women and children trapped in a culture of American gun violence.

She honed her story-telling approach, through multiple assignments over two decades across 58 countries, covering war, humanitarian crisis and the human condition for The Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Washington Times.

Davidson is a Pulitzer Prize and Emmy award-winning photojournalist and twice named International Photographer of the Year by POYi. In 2020 she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. Davidson is based in Los Angeles.

One hundred years ago, the Leica 1 was launched at the Leipzig Trade Fair. A 35mm film camera with a fixed 50mm lens, it was so well received that it set the template for 35mm film cameras for the next six decades. Since then, Leica has cemented its position as a pre-eminent photography brand, and while decidedly high-end, it has a loyal following and is used by many professionals.

Some of these professionals are helping the brand celebrate its centenary, including photojournalist Barbara Davidson and the legendary Joel Meyerowitz. We spoke to them just before their recent joint exhibition at the Leica Gallery Los Angeles...

When did you decide to become a photojournalist and which practitioners of the profession did you look up to?