Through the Streets of Tokyo with My Leica M6
Tokyo has a rhythm that pulses beneath its surface—subtle, layered, and alive. On my recent trip, I set out not just to photograph the city, but to feel it. And at the heart of that journey was my Leica M6, loaded with film and paired almost exclusively with the 35mm Summicron.
Leica M6, Lomochrome 92
No autofocus. No screen. No burst mode. Just 36 chances to get it right…..and that was the beauty of it.
Why the Leica M6 Was My Main Travel Camera
I brought my digital Leica M10 along as a backup, but it rarely left the bag. The M6 felt more aligned with the pace I wanted: slower, more thoughtful, more connected. Paired with the 35mm Summicron, I had a setup that was light, discreet, and honest. That focal length gave me enough space to capture the energy of Tokyo’s streets while still keeping things personal.
Zone Focusing & Being in the Moment
Zone focusing became second nature. I set my aperture, adjusted distance by instinct, and trusted the process. Tokyo doesn’t wait for you to dial things in. You have to move with the rhythm of the street, anticipate, and react.
Leica M6, FIlm Unknown
And here's the thing: every shot isn’t going to be perfect. You’ll miss focus. You’ll underexpose. You’ll get motion blur, or catch someone mid-blink. But that’s part of it. Film teaches you to embrace the imperfect to value the feeling of a photo more than its technical execution. Sometimes the most powerful images are the flawed ones. The ones that make you pause because they carry a trace of real life in them.
More Than Just Photography: The People
Leica M6, Tri-X 400
This trip wasn’t just about shooting, it was about connecting. I met up with fellow film shooters, some locals, some travelers like me. We walked the neighborhoods, shared gear tips, traded film rolls, and talked about everything from visual storytelling to burnout recovery. Those conversations filled me up as much as any successful photo.
Photography can be solitary, but in Tokyo, it brought me closer to a community I didn’t expect to find.
The Takeaway
The Leica M6 challenged me, grounded me, and ultimately reminded me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. I didn’t capture everything, and I didn’t need to. What I did capture—on Tri-X, on Portra, in those quiet moments between the chaos—felt real.
Leica M6, Portra 800
I walked the city. I slowed down. I missed shots. I made some good ones. But more than anything, I felt it.
And to me, that’s what shooting film especially with the M6 is all about.
