Leicaview Magazine Article
Spring 2003.

Don Whittecar loves causes. Born and bred in Kansas, he acquired two Master’s degrees from Kansas State University. One was in fine arts, the other in Developmental Psychology and Education. He put all of this background to work teaching.

But he became especially involved in children’s issues. In particular, he worked on child abuse, even adopting three abused children while working for a foundation in Washington, D.C. He also attempted to adopt two Native American children; that effort ran afoul of a law requiring that they be raised among their own people.

The involvement with children became too intense. In 1990,Whittecar’s doctors told him that his health was suffering because he was getting too serious about those he calls "little people." Fortunately, he had another string to his bow. With his fine arts background, he became a full-time photographer and hand engraver.

A Leica R loyalist Whittecar was interested in photography as early as high school. He jokes that his first darkroom was a sleeping bag. In 1973, he bought a safari edition of the Leica R3. He was first drawn to the Rs, he says, because of the highend lenses they use and because the R was the first camera to have dual metering (spot and matrix). He maintains that the R lenses are the clearest, sharpest and best for fine details. He has been loyal to Rs ever since. Different R cameras have carried this mid-Western photographer through a whole series of worthy projects.

Documenting Hopi Art

One project is with the Hopis. They are a small Pueblo tribe who live within the Navajo region in northeastern Arizona. Traditionally isolated from the outside world, the Hopis still maintain an extremely closed community. On their land people are not permitted even to sketch, much less shoot pictures.

The Columbia Encyclopedia tells us that Hopi culture was one of the high points of North American Indian civilization. A peaceful, agricultural people, they are noted for embroidering blankets and, in the Hano village, making pottery. Whittecar is working with Emery Sekaquaptewa, a Hopi elder, who holds a college degree in cultural anthropology to document the tribe's art.

Wolves
Whittecar was also part of the project that returned gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park not long ago. He really likes wolves. There is not a single documented case, he claims, of a healthy wolf attacking a human being. On the contrary, wolves have playfully interacted with researchers in the wild.

And Whales
Now, he is working with an animal behavioral Psychologist on whales for Whale Research lab on San Juan Island, Washington State. A non-profit operation, this is the premier research center in the world for work on whales. Whittecar is helping to document killer whale behavior and demographics.

Trying out the R9.
Having worked with R cameras for several decades, Whittecar was pleased recently when he had the opportunity to try out an R9, which Leica introduced last fall. With its uniquely bright viewfinder, dual set of LCD panels and microprocessor-driven metering system, the R9 is lighter than its predecessor. Yet, Whittecar finds it is as rugged in construction as previous Rs, and it can stand up to the harsh conditions under which he normally photographs (-20 to +116 degrees, often with wind, sand and dust, or snow.)

He says that he also normally shoots under unique lighting conditions, and he finds the R9's advanced metering system, optimized flash control, intergrated frame counter, light-up display on the camera back and high eyepoint viewfinder very helpful. Of course, with the R9 he can continue to use the R lenses he likes so much.

Whittecar contends that he has never had a Leica R fail on him. So, whatever cause he is pursuing, he will surely be taking along a Leica R, perhaps even an R9."