I bought my Leica M10 in Tokyo back in 2022, right before I left. I can still remember that moment, walking out of the shop with it in hand, the weight of it already feeling like a promise. Back then, it was about slowing down in a city that never stopped moving, about learning to see with more patience.

Over time, though, the M10 sat more than it should have. I leaned on faster cameras, autofocus bodies, and film. The M10 became the camera I told myself I would get back to one day.

Now, with my time in Hawaii winding down as I transition out of the military and prepare for Colorado, I finally picked it back up. And this time, it feels intentional. I want to capture Hawaii with it. The everyday moments, the details, the pieces of this chapter that I do not want to lose. Film has been a big part of my shooting, but the M10 gives me something different. It lets me capture with the same deliberate pace but with the flexibility of digital.

There is something poetic about it. The M10 came into my life in Tokyo, and now it is here helping me close out my chapter in Hawaii. The files feel the same as they did back then, timeless, clean, imperfect in the right ways. They remind me to slow down, to be present, to pay attention to the little details before they are gone.

As I prepare for Colorado, the M10 feels like more than a camera. It feels like a way of grounding myself through transition. A reminder that not everything has to move as fast as life sometimes demands. It is about focus, presence, and carrying the moments with me.

Picking it back up is not just about shooting again. It is about documenting the last days of Hawaii in a way that feels honest, and carrying that energy forward into the next chapter.

Picking Back Up the Leica M10

Through the Streets of Tokyo with My Leica M6