Leica Eisenhower's Photographer - 84 years old

[M. Valdemar]

I was out at a NYC flea market today. A guy older than me started looking at a Ricoh film SLR on a table and we both started talking about it. It turned out he knew an awful lot about cameras. Not as much as me, but enough.

We ended up talking for about a half hour and I then found out he was a well known photographer who had been Eisenhower's personal photographer, a Time-Life photographer, as well as many other things. He is 84 years old and still working.

Please do not post his name here because I don't want search results coming here.

I took this shot with my Leica M9 and a 28mm Orion-15 lens that I happened to have had on the camera.

Famous photographer still going strong at 80 (x2) - People - Leica Forum

 

[Brian]

God Bless Him!

I will have to look this up- and not post results!

But- Did Ike take the photographer's picture with his Stereo Realist????

 

[M. Valdemar]

It looks that way, doesn't it? I don't know what camera he used, though.

He was very articulate and healthy. I hope I hold up as well at 84. He said he has never used a digital camera.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

God bless him, indeed

Al Meserlin (center) was Ike's personal photographer during World War 2 (1944-1945). Al passed away in 2009.

 

[Brian]

They look ready for action!

Contax I with a first-generation 5cm F2.8 Tessar?

 

[M. Valdemar]

Packing a Bolex and grenades on the left!

 

[Mr_Flibble]

In danger of thread-hijacking M.Valdemar's topic, but:

They look ready for action!

England, training for Operation Market Garden. Al never got that far, as he was moved to France to be with Ike.

Contax I with a first-generation 5cm F2.8 Tessar?

Actually a 5th or 6th iteration of the Contax I ...I think a Contax I(e), though I'd need to see the VF/RF arrangement to be sure.
Fairly certain it's an f/2.8, yes.

Packing a Bolex and grenades on the left!

Bell & Howell 71-Q designated the "PH-330-G" by the Signal Corps.

The man on the right is carrying a Bell & Howell 71-Z A4 Bomb Spotting camera, which, together with the PH-330-A was slowly being replaced by the PH-330-Q.

....I'll get my coat.....

 

[Brian]

The Tessar 5cm F2.8 was quickly reformulated. I have the black-paint version and chrome version. Also have the 5cm F2.8 on a Certo Dolina, SN and block show that to pre-date the Contax I.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I have a Contax I(d) in pieces on my workbench at the moment, waiting for replacement straps from Aki-Asahi. No lens to go with it, but I have a f/3.5 Tessar on the I(c) I could switch out.

 

[M. Valdemar]

I stand corrected to vastly superior knowledge. Very interesting.

(found it immediately on eBay)

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Having General/President Eisenhower in front of the camera must've been very interesting as well.
In the Photo Gallery Pocket book I have on Al Meserlin's work, he mentions that Ike never stopped him from taking photographs whatever the occasion.