Update July 28, 2026: the international giveaway from Blind Magazine and MPB has now closed. This article remains available as a news story about Ralph Gibson’s personal Leica M Monochrom Typ 246, which was offered together with a Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH lens and a signed print from Light Years.
For enthusiasts of photography, Leica, and photographic history, it was an extraordinary object. This was not simply a contest, but a camera that had been part of Gibson’s own photographic practice and that he used to further refine his visual language.
The Leica M Monochrom Typ 246 was designed entirely for black-and-white photography. For Gibson, who has had a strong connection with Leica for many years, this camera was ideally suited to his exploration of form, tone, and reduction. Instead of color, everything revolves around light, shadow, texture, and tension within the image.
The prize also included a signed and numbered print from the 1996 series Light Years. This meant the winner would receive not only an exceptional camera, but also a tangible work from Gibson’s oeuvre.
About Ralph Gibson
Ralph Gibson was born in Los Angeles in 1939 and is considered one of the most original voices in American photography. He received his first photographic training in the U.S. Navy and later worked as an assistant to Dorothea Lange and Robert Frank. Gibson has photographed exclusively with Leica cameras since 1961.
"Whatever you do: try to be original. The real question, for somebody serious about photography, is: does the camera inform how you see, or do you inform the camera how you see?" ~ Ralph Gibson
In 1970, he founded Lustrum Press and published The Somnambulist, the photobook that firmly established his reputation as an innovative photographer. Gibson has since published more than thirty books and received numerous international honors. His work remains recognizable for its strong contrasts, fragmented compositions, and the distinctive tension between light, form, and imagination.
The giveaway ran from June 10 through July 10, 2026, and is now closed. The original giveaway page was hosted by MPB.
