'Finding Perspective' with Max Leitner

Finding Perspective - the new film by Valentin Schüle
about compagnon Ambassador Max Leitner.

Sometime around two years ago, I received an email in my inbox from a certain Max Leitner. He wrote to us in English and wanted to test one of our then brand new backpacks made of waxed canvas and leather. As we had already received many emails and requests of this kind, his email slipped to the back of the queue.
Shortly afterwards, we received email no. 2 and no. 3 from him. This guy didn't let up. Max described himself as follows: He's German (a true Stuargardian) and is currently studying photography in Chicago. We looked directly at his Instagram feed and scrolled through it completely with our mouths hanging open in amazement. This young guy has an Instagram portfolio that we have rarely or never seen in this form. Architecture, urban landscapes and lines are his specialty. His Instagram account is therefore a must for everyone.

As life would have it, a few weeks later he was standing in our studio in Birkenfeld - in the meantime he had finished his studies and returned to good old Germany. That's how our story began.

Since then, he has been our guest in Birkenfeld every few months - at the beginning on his Triumph Thruxton, now on his self-built custom BMW Scrambler. What is fascinating about Max Leitner is not only his incredible passion and talent for photography as such, but also the fact that he takes a very detailed look at his equipment and always provides us with valuable tips on our compagnon products.

It must have been in the fall of 2017, we were just setting up the Kickstarter campaign for the compagnon explorer backpackour vision of a highly ergonomic and functional camera backpack that we developed together with Deuter. During this visit, Max talked about his upcoming projects. The idea came up, why don't we make a movie about Max Leitner, how he uses the explorer backpack in his own way - demanding and rough in his own way. Everything about his equipment has to withstand this hard use.

Max Leitner was one of the first people to test the explorer backpack in an early prototype version. In the weeks that followed, we sent location suggestions back and forth, searching for and finally finding a suitable time slot in our busy schedules.

Secret spots in Cyprus or St. Petersburg were in the shortlist.
At some point, we decided why go far away when we hardly know some of our direct neighbors. Our choice fell on Belgium, in the gray and dreary month of February. We wanted to capture the morbid charm of long-gone, successful industries.
That was the simple plan.

The movie explains what I experienced there with Max Leitner better than I can with words. But one thing has stuck with me - pictures of the style and quality that you can admire in Max's work are not created by chance.
They are the essence and result of little sleep, insane stamina, high energy expenditure, taking risks for one's own health, countless rejects and the insatiable hunger for the unique shot, the unique image that no one has ever taken before.

We shot in February and the film is now finished for the summer. That's how it is sometimes. Nevertheless, the timing is perfect for us, as the gigantic delivery of the explorer backpacks arrived just a few days ago. They have become a reality and are now ready to be shipped to you.

How do you like the movie? I hope that the movie inspires you to go out more often and simply take beautiful pictures. It doesn't matter whether the pictures move or not. The main thing is that you move yourself and others with your work!
See you soon, yours