One of my favorite types of photography is taking images from unique perspectives, revealing worlds unseen — or more accurately, unnoticed; images that reveal something you wouldn’t normally see, or don’t normally choose to look for. It could be shots taken low to the ground, or from the top of a ladder, but often it’s very simply shots taken up close.
Continue reading…Hasselblad
Trip Report: New York Photo Trip and Conversation Starters
One of the things I enjoy about shooting film, especially in busy places, is that cameras like a Hasselblad or pretty much any TLR are always conversation starters — ice breakers that result in anything from strange looks to engaging chats with total strangers. They also invite a lot of smiles, pointing, fascination, questions, and comments like, “Cool camera!” And when you’re shooting film in a city like New York, all of that can be as much fun as the actual picture taking.
Continue reading…Review: Hasselblad 503CW Medium Format Film Camera
There are just a handful of camera brands that have achieved truly legendary, truly iconic status, and for me, at least, there are just three: Rollei, Leica, and Hasselblad. Of those, only Leica doesn’t (yet) grace my camera collection; I’ve not been bitten by that bug enough yet to overcome the price points. But Hasselblad? Hasselblads have been the camera in my mind for decades, and I frankly never thought I’d be able to hold one, let alone actually use one. And now, I not only use one, I own one. So, has it lived-up to its reputation in my own mind? (Spoiler alert: Yes.)
Continue reading…Accidental Cross-Processing: Outstanding (and Unexpected) Results
On a recent trip to New Jersey, I picked-up a Hasselblad 503CW. (Edited: I’ve since reviewed the camera; follow the link.) Because I didn’t have any film with me, the camera shop kindly threw-in a few rolls of 120 so I could immediately start shooting. Since they also let me choose what I wanted from their film fridge, I opted for three Kodak rolls: Portra 160, Portra 400, and Tri-X. It was a beautiful day, lots of sunlight, so the Portra 160 went into the magazine as my first-ever roll of film in the new Hassy. When I got home, I took it for processing as usual to Englewood Camera. But the results were nothing I was expecting.
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