hasselblad

A Story of Two Digital Backs

A Story of Two Digital Backs

People have been asking me how photographing with my Hasselblad 500C/M & Phase One P30 digital medium format back has been going.

The answer to that is a bit complicated: It turned into a Mamiya 645DF with DM33 digital back.

Wait, wut?

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The PhaseOne P30 Medium Format Digital Back. Or: New Gear - Moving Backwards Instead Of Forwards, And How Good It Makes Me Feel.

The PhaseOne P30 Medium Format Digital Back.  Or: New Gear - Moving Backwards Instead Of Forwards, And How Good It Makes Me Feel.

What you are looking at is my Hasselblad 500C/M.  I’ve shared my awesome story about how I came to own this camera in the past, but if you look on the back of the camera, usually where there is a 120 film holder, it might look a little different.

That is because instead of a film holder, it now has a PhaseOne medium format digital back.  It’s an old back, and it’s clunky, and I’ve been told it’s “horribly out of date” by photographers, but I am so happy with it.  I’m happy that I can now shoot digitally with my Hasselblad.

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instant film: having fun with counting

Back when I was shooting film, my LCD screen was a Polaroid that I'd pop after setting up lights or getting a composition set up.  I'd set things up, take a Polaroid, wait the 20 seconds for it to develop, then check my lighting, then adjust to taste.  When people ask "But how did you do things before having an LCD screen to look at?" well, we did it with Polaroids. Anyway, I've been shooting with the Hasselblad and it's Polaroid back lately, trying to work it into my regular shooting, and I'm having so much fun pulling Polaroids and then scanning them into the computer to add to my sessions.

Cha1r
Instant Film

I love the process of Polaroids - taking a shot, counting out the seconds it takes to develop, then magically pulling the paper back and revealing a black & white image, almost instantly!  Instant film is magical in a way that digital can't recreate, and I'm so happy that I've been restocking the studio fridge with Instant film again.

(above: a recent order of Fujifilm packs arrive at the studio.)

Here are some images I've been taking as I've been working with Musician and Band clients:

Myles Moriarty

(above: Myles Moriarty)

Triple Shot Factory Funk

(above: A still life shot used as an album-cover mockup)

TRIPLE SHOT FACTORY FUNK

(above: Triple Shot Factory Funk)

Matt Jackson [recording studio] Polaroid

(above: Matt Jackson recording vocals at The Space, Lowell MA)

Mike Loce

(above: Mike Loce)

I love shooting loose with Polaroids.  I love the slightly sloppy feel I can get by slightly overexposing.  I love that it looks like film because it IS film.  I love ripping the Polaroid out of the back and hearing the *ziiiiiiiiip* it makes.  I love counting down the seconds until it's ready.  I've missed shooting them.  It was like a cool breeze blowing when I started ripping them again, like an old friend.

I'm sorry that I left my film gear in the cabinets for so long.  It's nice to be able to take them out and have discussions again.