The Great Leica M9 Give-Away Contest! Win a Leica M9 Camera HERE.

YES, I AM GIVING AWAY A LEICA M9!

EXCITING NEWS! If you are here reading this right now then YOU have a chance to win a black Leica M9 camera (VALUE: $6995). Yes, I said WIN, as in 100% give-away. The contest will be posted VERY soon, just working out the details but it will be 100% free to enter and EVERYONE and ANYONE will have a chance to win the camera.

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF ~6 (Seal)

The Black M9 that I will be giving away is being donated by ~6 (who just received his Titanium M9 last week, see his post HERE). Thanks to his kindness and generosity, one of you will be sporting an M9 of your own very soon.

What most of you already know is that the man who posts here as “~6” ย is the recording artist and photographer Seal. If you did not know that, now you do. This contest/giveaway was his idea and when he approached ย me about it I was VERY excited. I mean, what other website has given away something like a Leica M9? Seal is not only intensely passionate about music, but also photography and I am proud to call him on of my dearest friends. Ho cool is it that he is donating his personal BLACK M9 to give away here? IT’s AMAZINGLY INCREDIBLE!

Since he has been so generous with the M9 donation for the up coming contest I wanted to mention HIS new website.

Just recently Seal has launched a very cool photo website called picortwo.com and I urge you to go check it out and register to follow your favorite photographer. Basically you can follow any photographer on the site..Seal, his wife Heidi, or any of the other photographers on the site. Just by entering your e-mail address you will recieve a pic or two in your mailbox every day that they took during the day.

For example, if you are following Seal, every day you will get a pic or two in your email that he shot THAT DAY. It’s like you are following the daily life of the photographer you follow. So make sure you go check it out at picortwo.com. Browse the photographers and follow whoever you like. It’s REALLY cool and REALLY fun. Also, I want to show him some love back for donating his M9 for me to give away here.

THE CONTEST DETAILS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON

I am still working out the details of how to run this contest. It probably will NOT just be a simple photo submission contest this time, but will most likely go a bit deeper. Whoever ends up winning the M9, we want that person to not only really want it, but we want that person to deserve it. Also, the winner will be picked by YOU, all of the readers. This keeps it on the up and up and 100% fair which is mandatory for me. This will be a worldwide contest so no matter where you are in this world, you can enter and win. I hope to have the contest up and running VERY soon!

HELP SPREAD THE WORD!

I want as many photographers to know about this as possible. I want EVERYONE to be able to have a shot at this so help me spread the word by tweeting this, or by posting it to your facebook, or mentioning it wherever you can – digg, forums, or wherever! Just linking back to this page will help tremendously and make this contest a success.

AS ALWAYS, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! THIS SITE WOULDN’T BE GROWING WITHOUT IT!

Again, this site has been able to stick around and grow over the past ย two years thanks you YOU, the readers. Those who come here every day to see whats new, to see the passion of photography alive and well and to join in the discussions.

Thanks to your guys helping me out with buying your photo gear from my links to B&H Photo and Amazon and supporting my sponsors like Dale Photo and J-Tec. Let’s not forget Ken Hansen who has been a true friend AND a great Leica dealer. So without that support, this site would not be where it is today and this contest would not exist.

So here are those direct links again and if you ever need any photo related gear you can use the B&H Photo Link HERE (not able to bookmark the B&H link, must be clicked on from this site). If you like AMAZON, anything you buy there will help me out with pennies on the dollar (it adds up) and you can use that link HERE (and can bookmark the Amazon link!).

Also, be sure to follow me on twitter, facebook and my RSS feed here. This all helps me out! Also, for more discussion you can visit my forums here on the site ๐Ÿ™‚

ONE MORE THANKS TO ~6

Finally, thanks again to Seal. Be sure to visit SEAL.COM for his music and news, and the new picortwo.com to follow some pretty cool photographers. Without HIS support, this contest would not be happening! You can also follow him on twitter HERE and facebook HERE. Again, show him some love for donating his personal M9 for this contest!

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151 Comments

  1. I knew he had a passion for music but didnt know he was passonate about photography as well. I would love to see his images anyone have a link? Hope whoever wins the camera really needs it.

  2. it’s really amazing this world! first iam in love with leica, then i check every week the last news of steve finally the donation of the Famous m9 make me discover the artist and the singer seal…. i’am waiting for the contest, and tomorow, i will buy some cd’s of seal (thoses things i can buy them…) and i will practice more with my d-lux 5 coz i know the seal’s m9 is waiting for me…
    good light everybody!

  3. Seal, it would be very interesting to hear about your passion for photography. Perhaps you could post a article here on the site, with a selection of your best/favorite photos?

  4. Daniel Gautreau
    12 mins ago
    YES, I AM GIVING AWAY A LEICA M9! Sounds like โ€˜Sealโ€™ is giving the camera away actuallyโ€ฆ.

    Actually Daniel, Steve and I are giving it away unles you suggest I host the competition on a website in a parallel universe.

    ~6

  5. YES, I AM GIVING AWAY A LEICA M9! Sounds like ‘Seal’ is giving the camera away actually….

  6. I can’t wait. Thank you Steve,Seal and Heidi. It would be awesome if I win this contest! I will treasure this camera if ever I win because it’s from Seal…I love him as a person…very kind and generous… his music are great and he got a very beautiful down- to- earth wife, Heidi! Goodluck to all of us! ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. So cool! The M9 is my dream camera but I doubt I’ll ever be able to afford one. This is THE dream contest and an amazing thing you both are doing. Thanks a million, even if I don’t win ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. I’m still laying some hard earned money aside for an x1,
    but THIS would be so awesome.
    But hey – Does it come with a Lens? ๐Ÿ˜€
    Greetings from good ol’ Germany!

  9. ~6, sense you know the CEO of Leica can you let him know he owes Patrick B. McCutchan of patrickmccutchan.com an S2.

    I lost his email.
    P.

  10. Dear Steve, and dear Seal!

    Happy new yoar to you, and all of your family.
    You are really great people.
    I also sign up for this game!

    And naturally happy, peaceful new year to all!

    Lรกszlรณ

  11. Really a BIG SURPRISE…this contest, not that behind ~6 is Seal in person – you just had to add 1+1 (concert tour, getting a specific #SN of the Leica M9 Titan…).

    ๐Ÿ˜‰

  12. Hello Steve, Hello Seal,

    Not pleased with the digital photography results I was getting out of my point-and-shoot compact camera’s of the last few years, I was looking for better results. Internet knows it all, so that’s where I started looking.

    Well, I’ve been reading this site for over a year (started on the old site).

    First the bad news : before, Leica was non existent in my dictionary. It was all Canon, Nikon and later Sony, Panasonic, Olympus. With the new angle offered by this site, I experienced a lot of headaches in that last year. Boy, it’s was so strait forward without knowing about Leica or fundamentals in photography !
    The only thing that mattered then was : megapixels, high iso, burst …. the more of these for the less Euros (I’m from Belgium) was the camera to buy !

    The good news : because I started reading this site (and consequently other linked and found sites) I started to think about other things than the above, and found myself ‘looking’ differently at photography as a whole. I even started experimenting with framing, light, different (limited) settings on my cheap compact camera. It made me LOOK at my pictures before I pressed the button (what a change). So because of that, I haven’t bought my next ‘big’ camera (meaning the one that will last me the next 10 years) because … I’m waiting for the next big thing : a cheap Leica or a ‘sign’ of commitment for the next 5 years or so from Ricoh, or a new EP-3 Olympus (for incredible low price now), …

    Well Steve, Seal, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.
    A contest :
    – if you make it a ‘best-of-photo’-contest : the one who wins it may already have top quality gear, and/or top quality photographic ‘eye’ (which will get him/her a long way without an M9 anyway)
    – if it would be a combination with essay, which is the winner : the photographer or the writer ?…
    – the student above seems one of the most likely of candidates in the light of Seal’s motivation, but then again, this ‘student’ might be a 50 year old bank director (who can tell??)
    – maybe the only ‘real’ way is to go through a personal talk with prospective candidates. Look at their motivations, drives, … (btw I’m going on holiday next week, so can I come after januari 10? (must ask my boss first though)).

    As mentioned, I wouldn’t like to be in those shoe’s of yours : as with all things that come ‘from the heart’, they tend to be a real ‘pain’ (drag) when it comes to the execution.

    I hope this won’t let you down and please, don’t let any review ‘unwritten’ or any great photo ‘not taken’ because of the decision making problems about this contest. When ‘greed’ comes along, sanity goes down the drain… (people keep thanking you (and Seal) for something they might (most probably) won’t get (??). I always learned to say ‘thank you’ when I received something, but before …?? ๐Ÿ˜‰ ).

    And so I made my point : even with an M9 you can’t take a photograph of everything ‘human’.

    Succes to you both and thanks for this site !
    Davedive

  13. When I win I am going to post Photographs of it on FB, Twitter, My Website Etc….. this would be to gloat but to show that Steve Huff and Seal are the Supportive, Nicest and the coolest people.
    PLEASE GOD This would be a great tool to support the Photography I do…!!!

  14. Wow. Looking forward to the competition!

    Just one thing: “Also, the winner will be picked by YOU, all of the readers”. In theory, this is a good idea, but please make sure it doesn’t end up being a “who’s got most friends on Facebook and Twitter” contest. Thanks.

    • Yeah that’s what worries me, I would like to think that it would be at least a regular viewer of Steve’s site that wins the camera and not some chancer who has zero interest in photography and will just stick it on eBay as the M9 that was once owned by Seal to cash in on it for his/herself. Don’t know how Steve can stop that happening really.

      • Isnt the magic about a Leica that once you own it, you’ll never give it away till that one day your Son stares at it with those shiny eyes?

  15. Wow… what a wonderful dream to start the new year with…
    All the best for 2011 and Guten Rutsch to you all!

  16. Seal and Steve, you two are amazing guys and the friendship that speaks through this generosity is heart-warming. I am speechless by even the remote chance to ever own a Leica M9 myself now… I’ll donate my Leica X1 to the site for another round if I win this beauty ๐Ÿ˜€

    Isn’t there a remote chance that the contest could be fixed by someone with over a thousand facebook friends that come and vote here? I’d hate to see that happening…

    Happy New Year Steve! Love you.

    ~Aad

    • Thanks Aad, I am just thrilled at the responses here. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I could start a photo blog less than two years ago and have it be where it is today. Wow…

      We are thrilled to have this contest and even more thrilled to be able to give an M9 to someone here who will really enjoy it and use it. I have a couple more surprises up my sleeve..maybe a 2nd place prize and something special added as well.

      Details soon but do not worry about the voting. I think we are going to a third party judge to pick the winner to avoid any voting hassles or discrepancies.

      Stay tuned!

      • Steve – I think there is something to be said about following your passion! Your site’s success is a direct result of you following your passion.

        I found this refrigerator magnet in San Francisco few years ago which sits on my home office desk. It reads – “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life!”. I am personally not quite there yet, but I am dedicating this new decade to following my passion. Had enough with my corporate job ๐Ÿ™‚

        Congrats Steve!

        Satya

        • I couldn’t agree more on that slogan.
          Here’s hope.
          Hope 2011 will make some sort of change.
          Happy new year everyone
          ๐Ÿ˜€

  17. I have wanted a Lieca sense working as an photography Assistant for a successful photographer in minneapolis. Awesome I hope I have a chance to win this M9……

  18. Leica underestimates the marketing contributions that users like Steve, Ashwin, Seal and others provide via their photos, passionate blogging and brand loyalty. And a cool giveaway like this only serves to magnify that presence. Leica’s a bit out of my financial range, but some of my favorite online photographers shoot with them, and that alone keeps me in the loop and contemplating a future purchase.

    Maybe this competition will inspire Leica to join the fray and sponsor more contests such as this.

    • Going by Leica’s history in such matters I highly doubt they would join the fray which is a shame. They have made huge advances over the past few years in the way they do things but still have a long way to go and really should start listening more to their customer and more importantly “potential” customer base. If they listened a bit more and say took on ideas like Ashwin’s about a new CL for instance they could really become a big “small” player in the photo marketplace.

  19. Wow…it would be my dream to own a Leica! I am a student struggling to get through university, so having photography as an immense passion in my life without the funds for such an amazing camera kind of sucks. If I won this contest, which I am going to guess it far fetched seeing as the camera I own now is so dinky in comparison, that camera would have a VERY loving home with me. I am already picturing the shots I could get…oh my! I just hope I am so fortunate to win…fingers crossed! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Thank you Steve and Seal! Just to have the opportunity to own such an amazing camera is a blessing in itself. And ~6, please keep sharing your musical talent with us…I’ve loved your music since ‘Crazy’ first came out ๐Ÿ™‚

  20. I think the most valuable thing about the fact that a Leica M9 is being given away is that it’s put me/us on an email update string that concentrated how everyone feels about Steve and Seal. I’ve never met these guys but whoa- what praise! I just thought Steve had a cool gear review website and Seal (now that I downloaded and recognize his music) made beautiful music. Apparently it’s common knowledge that they are stand-up guys, and the more people know them the better things they have to say about them. Now I know! If my mediocre photography wins the M9 I’d want both of them signing it! It’s just awesome to interact with good people whose “work is love made visible.” Cheers to both of them.

  21. This is awesome but not surprising knowing the type of person that Seal is, one of the most down to earth person I’ve ever met, always real but more importantly a true friend and family man… No matter what time zone we are when we speak, time of the day or how crazy everything is, his first words are always “How are you, your wife and son, my brother…”, this is what it’s all about and one the many reasons he is so loved by many (I’m sure you all feel it when listening to his music or enjoying his concerts).

    Thanks Steve for creating a forum where everyone can see firsthand what a beautiful person our brother from another mother is.

    Happy New Year to all!!!

  22. Well I’m not that interested in winning an M9 cause I’m a bit of a Pentax nut so I would probably just sell it and donate the funds to charity. Mr.~6 being the previous owner ought to add considerably to the value so benefiting the charity receiving the funds from it’s sale. Now this is all based on the presumptuous idea that I might win the contest. Back to reality means that I like the idea of a Pic or Two so have put a link in to the site from a couple of my blogs. I’m hoping to see the K-5 review soon Mr.Huff. I like my K-5 very much. Mr.~6 that is one beautiful camera. I see it more as a piece of artwork in itself. Must be wonderful to just hold and look at, let alone use it.Hope I can send you some traffic. Happy New Year to all.

  23. OK….cool….after I win …I am changing my Avatar to the M9! LOL!
    Thanks Steve and Seal for putting this together.
    I think someone above said it best. FUN!

  24. Super generous give away from you ~6, I hope you’ve looked after that M9 and it’s boxed too? LOL j/k ๐Ÿ˜€

  25. I’ve said it before but it’s a lovely, lovely give-away & prize I’m a Leicaholic (first step is admittance!) & I have a M9 so I’m not entering, but I wish everyone much luck & I hope the person who wins, uses this camera & doesn’t sell it on, the joy it brings you is fantastic!

    I’ve read through the comments & I asked on twitter about how to become a contributing photographer on picortwo but now see its only to those in the public eye.

    I couldn’t see on the website but would like to know why, & how the heck does one get famous these day lol

    thanks!
    x

  26. Thank you S&S for your generosity of spirit and for jammin’ on this website! The flow of positive energy here continues to pickup and should reach torrential levels. This is great fun and is certainly raising the bar for other sites to become the powerful attraction stevehuffphoto.com has become. God bless you! With best wishes to everyone and their families for a superb 2011!

  27. Lots of luck to the would be winner and great gesture by Seal for donating the M9. It’s good to give back, in all forms and to the best of our abilities.
    Hope everyone had a great holiday and best wishes for a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

    Max

  28. At first I thought “well I already have an M9 so I’ll pass and let someone else have it’. But, wait, it’s SEAL’s M9!!!! I’m SO gonna enter now!

    Lots of love to Steve & Seal/~6 and all you guys. It sure looks like we’re gonna have some real fun and a great New Year!

  29. Seal, this is really a wonderful thing you’re doing, bless you for it! And good for you, Steve, for being the “enabler!” ๐Ÿ™‚ Soon, somebody is going to be a very happy photographer.

  30. I see a future full of developing and scanning ahead of me. (-:

    But the voting thing might not end up to be as well as you might think. Like Bradley said, M9 being on the line, people will start voting for themselves.
    Democracy has never lead us anywhere!

  31. way cool …. Thanks for seal generosity.
    All the readers voting for the winner … why not just Seal? after all it’s his leica … ?

  32. This is extremely generous and should make for a exciting competition, ultimately it’s going to make someone very happy

  33. If I win, I’m going to donate my M9 to a local charity for auction, might as well pay it forward.

      • I think that would defeat the purpose of ~6 giving the camera away.
        I think he wants to person who wins this to make good use of it, to hone their photography skills and actually use it.
        If he wants to donate his money to charity then there’s other better ways, may be a straight off donation?
        And who is to guarantee the auction winner will use it and not just “collecting” for display? From what ~6 was saying, he use his collections, and I’m pretty sure he wants this camera’s legacy to continue.
        Just my thoughts.
        Goodluck to everyone ๐Ÿ˜€

  34. Very nice indeed. Don’t mind the $7k price tag of the M9, if Seal signs it and the mere fact that it’s his camera (it’ll have a cool serial # most likely) will make it much, much more valuable.

    I am just concerned that this will all turn into a subjective popularity contest if you’re talking about readers determining the winner based on voting. In technical terms, I hope you’re ready to get your server melted by the attention and traffic this will generate. Also, if you put up a poll to vote on winners, make sure you don’t get your polls hitbotted – people have cheated polls for much less. Just my 2 cents worth. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Good luck to all!

  35. Seal you are the man.

    I am really look forward to this contest, but if it is a photography contest it should include some form of short essay to give more people an opportunity to win.

  36. What a way to recognize Steves effort, Seal!!
    Wow! The tears are standing up applauding on the back of my neck!!
    And congrats on your new Titanium M9! Have a blast with it! Loocking forward to seeing pics from it on picortwo.com

  37. ~6 and Steve:
    Two Good guys. Should be a lot of fun. It says a lot about both of you to give away such a valuable prize.

    Onto the contest. I would recommend a combination photo and written essay. So we have a body of work to judge, not just one photo. Also, a small written essay conveying the meaning and goals of the work.

    Anyway, I know your contest will be great. As I am the proud owner of an m8, I would love a m9.
    Thanks again guys,

    Should be very fun.
    Jonathan

    • While a written essay would be interesting it is not a requirement of a photographer’s skills to be able to write in such a manner. In fact most of the best photographers I know probably shouldn’t ever speak in public ๐Ÿ˜‰

      • Partially True Kristian – I have found that the easiest way to get my photos published is to include them in some form of a story. However, I agree with you, what I was thinking though is that Steve could use the entries almost like his daily inspiration with the text giving the context and importance of the photos.

        Anyway – you are probably right, just excited to hear what it is.

        • It sounds to me, from the back and forth phone calls to them specifically mentioning it, that both Steve and Seal are taking good care to make it special and fair. I feel like it couldn’t be being run by better guys.

        • Jonathan I do agree that it should definitely be accompanied with a little text and background but be graded upon quality of photography. Either way I’m sure Steve and Seal will have a good fair way to select the most worthy recipient of the great camera,

    • If you do win Jonathan, perhaps you could “pay it forward” with your M8?
      Best of luck to you, and happy shooting.
      Cheers,
      Nick.

  38. Amazing, I have never heard or seen anyone giving away an M9 before! Congratulations to the site for having probably the first ever to hold an M9 giveaway, and was previously owned and used by Seal himself, is probably an added bonus! Maybe Seal can put a signature on the bottom plate to sweeten it? Tee hee…

    Anyway – as much as I would love that M9, but I already have one, and probably entering this competition would just make me greedy. I’ll just be a bystander and cheer for the winner! ๐Ÿ™‚

  39. Very generous of Seal to make the donation to a site very worthy of the eyes of the photographic world. Steve and Seal make a good team and a positive contribution to the enjoyment of photography on the internet. Great to see your hard work is paying off Steve.

  40. Wow. this is an amazing giveaway. I will certainly be entering…however that might happen. Would love to get one of these for my lady as she is dying for a digital M.

    Thanks so much ~6 and Steve for this contest!

  41. Thanks to ~6 and to Steve for this great idea.

    This site is refreshing in it’s honesty and for embracing the joy of photography and how it can move and inspire us.

    I think I get where ~6 is coming from. For me, with the power of the web being used to share images, we create a sense of fellowship. We come together. And that can only be good.

  42. Thanks everyone but I don’t see it as generosity on my part. Steve has been a great friend to me from day one. I wrote to him anonymously and he replied, treating me with courtesy and respect. I was so impressed by him that it was really me who wanted to be his friend. I call him up at least half a dozen times a week and he always takes or at least returns my calls and listens to my latest BS about some new piece of gear.

    He does so much for all of us out of the passion from his heart. This site is refreshing and unpretentious for the most part and it comes from Steve’s commitment and love for the art and for the people that come here.

    Fortunately I’m in a position to have nice things like the Titan M9. I’m from the streets of London, a boy who got lucky and now has a great life, however I never forgot where I came from and what it was like growing up in a house that was so poor, we used to have our electricity cut off through non-payment of bills. I get a lot from this site and from everyone who posts here. I learn a lot and get treated to great insight and wonderful photographs. So for me it’s logic, I have an M9 that I don’t NEED and would be better put to use in the hands of someone with a better skill set who does.

    I think Steve went a little over the top with the ‘generous seal’ thing but that’s the kind of guy he is.
    As I said above, it’s not generosity on my part, it’s payback!

    ~6

    • What a lovely thing to write. Really touching. And even if you don’t think it is generous the rest of us certainly do. By the way, while I note that you were “from the streets of London” I do hope you miss us (if only a bit).

    • Ah, l wouldn’t say lucky, I would say talented and determined to use that talent to it’s best benefit. To outsiders that can be viewed as lucky, but I know the music business a bit……and sheer luck…….no, that does not cut it (not with a carreer spanning 3 decades).

      Greetings, Ed

    • Wow, I am amazed and impressed Seal. You have not forgotten your roots and are so humble despite the success you have had! I truly admire that. And I am honored to have the chance to write to you through this wonderful site that Steve created.

      BTW after knowing it was you behind that “~6”, I have been listening to “Love’s divine” over and over – one of my favorite songs ever! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Thanks again!

      Satya

    • Seal, you make your own luck. Everything you have received, you 100% deserve. Playing slots is luck. Working hard and getting the rewards through being a fine example of humanity is just getting what you exactly deserve!

      I watched you on Oprah (I watch with my wife, haha) and she wants to be more like you. I don’t know how many singing lessons I will have to take though, but I think I do kiss from a rose on singstar not too bad…haha

  43. Really? That’s very generous of both of you.
    Of ~6 to donate a M9, and of Steve to run the contest.
    I tip my hat to both of you.
    Looking forward to it.

    Merry Christmas,
    Cheers,
    Nick.

  44. This is so funny! Check my comment under the previous post! I guessed it right! I knew it would be him!

    Steve & Seal – you once again proved that this is the best site about photography EVER!

    And I truly envy you your friendship as that is something I’m really missing in my life.

    This contest is a great idea and I know it will inspire many people.
    I’ve been dreaming about Leica camera for over a year now and I’m still not even close to owning one. So yes, I would qualify for the first price and even more so being a big fan of Seal and his music. Having the privilege shooting with his own camera would also be very inspiring to me.
    Sadly, I don’t think I’m a better photographer that most of you guys here so it most likely will not be me who gets this beauty.

    Having said that, whoever wins this camera I wish him/her to use it in good health and take a lots of wonderful photographs with it.

    Steve & Seal – big thanks to you both again for what you’re doing for us. I think I can speak for all of us here that you’re making our lives better. Be it with photographs or music.

    Thank you.

    David

    • Honestly Brother, I doubt whether any of us here are going to have our names in the history books next to Avedon and Bresson. We all just love taking pictures. You have as good a chance as any to win. I wish that I could donate more M9’s but that would be a bit pricey even for me plus my wife would have us all committed…Steve included.

      ~6

      • You’re probably right about my chances although my self-confidence has recently been very low…

        As for what you said below – I still think it’s very generous from you to do something like this. And also, as I already said many times before, it is great to have someone like Steve who so generously shares his passion for art and photography with all of us through this website.

        By the way – how cool would it be if your own camera would help or inspire one of us so much that he would really become the GREAT ONE?
        Wouldn’t that be awesome? ๐Ÿ˜‰

  45. WOW is all i can say to ~6’s generosity, now all i have to do is click my heels a few times and i too may travel to Leica land ๐Ÿ™‚

    This contest has now made me no longer a lurker, i just had to say something….”WOW”

  46. Wow, amazingly generous of Seal! And even more amazing that Seal reads and posts to your site Steve!

    And I love Seal’s music ๐Ÿ™‚

  47. Not much more I can say but to add my thanks to Seal for his extreme generosity and to you, Steve, for having such an awesome site! Looking forward to the details of the contest and how I could use the M9 for the next Seabreeze Jazz Festival here in Panama City Beach, Florida!!!

  48. How awesome is that! ~6, you’re dah man! 1 gazillion XP for incredible awesomeness!

    I will post about this in my blog as soon as the details stand!

  49. This must makes me realize that i need to find higher caliber friends ๐Ÿ˜‰

    I’ll share the love to my network on the contest and the picortwo.com site.

    Great stuff Steve! and Seal

    Cris

  50. Steve – gotta be some kind of essay contest. Your twin requirements of “really want it” and “really deserve” seems designed for that. Either that or it is a “nominate a candidate” type – where someone else writes in why a certain person should win it.

  51. cant complain much about this, ill enter. Hope this is a photographic contest of sorts and not a draw or random pool type contest.

  52. Have given a look at the website advertised here. Heidi Klug’s pictures are … say … interesting (trotzdem Heidi, wenn es “lecker” ist, heisst es aber nicht dass es interessant ist, obwohl meine Tรถchter deine Bilder interessanter fanden als die Deines Mannes). Seal’s pictures are really nice. Enjoyed most of them. Thank you for sharing!

    Anyways, this reminds me a bit of the post re: Jeff Garlin, his wife and the X1. Heidi, was giving the M9 away a condition for Seal to get the M9 Titanic?

    Ernesto

  53. If I win, I would have one big problem for a 17 year old, who hasn’t left school jet: Where to take the money from to effort one lens? Not even to think of two…. But I like Leica so much, that I would not sell the M9. NEVER.

  54. Woah! Win or lose, This is a REALLY cool contest!
    A big thanks to the both of you. Now I have butterflies in my stomach.

    ๐Ÿ˜€

    Cheers!

  55. This is 100x better than winning 10x the equivalent in a lottery In that case most people’s wives still wouldn’t let them get the M9! Greatest contest ever! Thank you Steve and Seal!

  56. It sounds like fun. I will definitely participate.
    I would only wish the winner was not to be chosen by the readers if this is to be a photo contest.
    With a prize like that You have to make the rules and winner selection system bulletproof, otherwise, there will be a large number of people attempting to hack the voting system etc. It always happens, and is often difficult to discover.
    I think that it would be much better if You and Seal were to choose the winner.

  57. oh gosh, this contest is soo cool, but chances is sooo slim. steve, do you know anyway to become registered photographer of picortwo website? i would like to share with others.

    • (From the picortwo Terms of Service:

      5. CONTENT SUBMITTED OR MADE AVAILABLE FOR INCLUSION ON THE PICORTWO.COM WEBSITE: You acknowledge and agree that by submitting content to the PicorTwo.com website for inclusion in the PicorTwo.com website photo library, you hereby transfer any and all ownership in and to the content, including, without limitation, the copyrights thereto, throughout the universe in perpetuity.

      Gulp! ..You really want to give away all rights to your own photos, birdkal?)

      As for the competition: wonderful!

      • It’s new… most definitely written by a lawyer and not Seal, perhaps they will change that by utilizing creative common’s copyrights (which is another reason everyone loves flickr)

      • Calm down David, PicOrTwo is a site for photographers only in the public eye to submit their photos too, meaning people like Heidi, Rankin & myself. Don’t worry, you don’t have to forfeit any rights to your photos, it’s for the general public at large to follow should they choose. If not, that’s okay too.

        ~6

        • Okey-doke, thanks ~6 ..I was a bit worried that you – and ‘er indoors – were losing the rights to your own pics!

          Wonderful idea to offer your M9 ..true generosity of spirit. (..Lovely to see the Muenchen Christkindl Markt; we would have been there, except that Heathrow was frozen up!..)

          A lovely ..we-ell, not just gesture, but a lovely DEED! ..Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy & Prosperous New Year!

        • i would like to share, so how do i register as the photographer who willing to submit my photo? thanks. im very happy to share my photo, but just cant find any channel to do so. your answer is much appreciated.

  58. Nifty! I know I have no chance but I’ll give it a try anyway. My new NEX-3 should be here in a few days. ๐Ÿ˜€

  59. WOW!! That’s an amazing gift, and will hopefully boost the some as well Steve, I saw someone above say that we all know what Seal did for you over the summer… I don’t but this is such an amazing gift for someone..

    I’m still on dSLRs and my NEX but have been dreaming of a range finder for a few years, like Seal I know that getting the right Leica will make me HCB.

    Thank you both for the opportunity!

  60. Seal & Steve, this is truly amazing and inspiring!!! You both totally rock!!!!

    Seal, you are truly an amazing person for giving away something like this to a photographer who certainly will cherish this camera for ever, not only as a remarkable tool for photography, but as a symbol of remarkable generosity not often seen in the photographic world. It also speaks volumes to what type of friendship that you and Steve have developed, and speaks even more clearly about your passion for life, friendship, photography, and a willingness to give without return (true altruism here, folks), and share your passion freely.

    Really inspiring stuff, and congrats to whomever wins (I have my share of Leica M cameras, so I won’t be tossing my name in the hat for this contest, but hopefully I can contribute in some other way). I am going to sign up for picortwo to follow your images. Really psyched about that as well, and I am evermore proud to be part of this community that Steve has built.

    Happy holidays to both Seal and Steve!!! The spirit of the holidays is among us!!!

  61. Incredible !!! The contest is it open for people living outside the United States of America like France?
    Sorry for my poor mastery of the English language.

  62. Blimey, what a spectacular thing to do ๐Ÿ™‚ Extremely generous. Someone is going to have a very nice start to 2011!

    That M9 Titanium is bloody gorgeous, congrats ~6!

  63. Lol, this is maybe my once-in-a-lifetime chance…

    Steve and ~6, you guys are GREAT and truly inspirational in so many ways!
    Keep it up!

  64. Wow! This is awesome! Thanks for doing this! Thank you Seal! Super exciting!

    To those thinking of participating- please only participate if having an M9 is really a dream. That way we can all feel great about you getting it. Something irks me about millionaires who get their degrees on scholarship.

    Photo stories might be good- a series of photographs would be great. I may drop out of school to participate fully in this ๐Ÿ˜‰

  65. Awesome, Seal’s incredibly generous and you can tell that photography’s a passion for him and he can’t help but share that passion.

    Steve’s a good guy and his personal relationships with people and “realness” is what sets this site apart. This won’t happen anywhere else.

    I don’t think Leica would even give one of these away! Good luck everyone!

  66. Wow! I did wonder if this might be the source when Seal said he was going to be using the M9 Titan as his daily camera but it just seemed so amazingly generous that I discounted it and thought it was some long over due recognition for the site from Leica.

    Seal we all now what you did for Steve this summer but this shows an incredible generosity of spirit. I hope that a true and deserving artist wins this to help them further their career, sadly unlikely to be me but that’s ok ๐Ÿ˜‰ A huge thank you and much respect to ~6!

    • Yes, IMHO, this site is over due some recognition from Leica. Steve’s reviews and passion for Leica was what help me make my final choice as I’m sure for many others. Even if they didn’t give away a camera, I think they should give Steve some type of recognition or sponsorship. He’s probably done more than Leica over the past year than their best PR campaigns.

  67. wow that is awesome and very generous of you ~6/Seal!
    thanks!
    can’t wait to hear about the details of the contest!

  68. WOW, that IS an amazing prize for a contest! Thanks, Steve, for all the hard work you are putting into running this Website and a huge Thanks to Seal for donating his camera. I can’t wait to read about the details of the contest. Good Light, y’all!

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