For the second year in a row, staff members in Leica Camera AG’s Financing, Controlling and Legal Departments have produced a calendar of their photographs. Photographs taken by the staff members with their Leica cameras is of course what we mean. They are already making plans for a third calendar project, which will be their big break and benefit an as yet undecided charity. We chatted with Steffen Pausch about the calendar initiative.

Q: How did the idea come up in the Financing, Controlling and Legal Departments of Leica Camera AG to produce a calendar with photographs taken by the staff members?

A: There are, of course, a lot of staff members at Leica that are quite ambitious as photographers and own Leica cameras, not only in our department. We often spend our leisure time talking about our photos and last year we came up with the idea to produce a calendar of our own. Fifteen staff members contributed to our first calendar and this year 19 of our colleagues were on board.

Q: Normally, calendars are produced long before the beginning of the new year, but the calendar of the Financing and Controlling Department comes out now. Why is that so?

A: It is quite simple: We go by the fiscal year and that begins in April. Following the fiscal year is the appropriate decision if one considers the nature of our department.

Q: How did you select the photographs for the calendar?

A: All staff members that participated gave their enthusiastic support. At first, everyone put three photographs in an internal voting portal. The 13 pictures that won the greatest support were then included in the calendar – a photograph for each month, plus the cover.

Q: What happens to the calendars you have produced?

A: Just 30 copies of our first calendar were printed. This year we printed 50 copies. All these copies have been distributed among our friends. With the third calendar, we plan to go beyond these limites and sell it for a charity project. As of now, the details haven’t been worked out, but the planning is going well.

Q: Is there support from other departments for your project?

A: Yes. Not only has the Legal Department contributed exciting photographs for the calendar, but we have also won the support of the Leica Akademie. Oliver Richter, who is a teacher at the Academy, has helped us in editing the photographs. All participants are enthusiastic and have fun. We are looking forward to next year’s calendar!

Mr. Pausch, thank you very much!

-Leica Internet Team