Hasselblad and the Masters

The night before last I won a copy of the Hasselblad Masters Volume 2 Emotions. Just another photography book? Not likely.

Back in June this year I keenly clung to Hasselblad’s new H4D-60 camera, the only one bought into the country for ‘showing’, yet I would call it teasing. This week we saw the official launch here in Australia of this state of the art camera.

It bought back memories: the feel of a good quality medium format digital in your hands is something not to be taken lightly and as a fan of the medium format this little box excited me greatly.

The rep, keen I didn’t snap too many frames and wind up the shutter count, I think, breathed a sigh of relief when I finally took the camera away from my eye. This baby boasts a 60 megapixel 40 x 54mm sensor and with it sets new industry standards.

The unprecedented resolution delivers an ultimate level of image detail, making it ideal for commercial shooters who demand ultimate image resolution or for any extremely discerning photographer who demands both creative flexibility and ultimate image quality and this is where I see Hasselbald’s audience growing. 

Back to the book................

“The Hasselblad Masters represent photography at its finest; at its most inspired, most communicative, most beautiful. They are young, old, western, eastern, classical, experimental, traditional, modern, and futuristic. They have perhaps but one thing in common: they are masters at conveying an instant, an emotion, with images. Masters of the art and craft that is photography.”

In commoner terms, it’s a mighty impressive ‘read’ or should we say viewing. 

Nice work Hasselbald on both the book and the camera (the camera is on top of my Santa list), that can really deliver what we want from in-camera so perfectly. Now that has to keep loads of us happy!

My favourite quote from the book:
“Emotion is the electoral current that flows through an image”. Joao Carlos

Image by Hasselbald Master Chinese Bang Peng is the winner of this year’s Hasselblad’s Landscape and Nature award. A series of his from his western region of Sichuan Province in China captures the culture and colour of a maybe barren environment.

Image by Hasselbald Master, Mark Holthusen, USA

A “Genesis” of Photography

The term photojournalist is often used very loosely I feel these days and often more than not some of us, I included, are drawn by the necessity to pay the bill and keep the damper on the table to utilise our image taking and satisfy the hounding editor or at least keep them from the gin bottle for another hour.

I am constantly awed by photographer’s abilities to be able to follow different themes and produce truly stunning images. One of these is Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, considered one of the best photojournalists alive today.

He has dedicated his life to capturing images that tell the truth, no hidden facts. He is indeed a humanist who conveys his feelings with powerful images and tells of life how it really.
In his latest project which is nearing completion, “Genesis” he is documenting the effects of modern development on our fragile environment.

"I hope that the person who visits my exhibitions, and the person who comes out, are not quite the same," says Mr. Salgado. "I believe that the average person can help a lot, not by giving material goods but by participating, by being part of the discussion, by being truly concerned about what is going on in the world."

View a slide show HERE of Sebastião Salgado from the New York Times Media: And if you have the time view THIS amazing video - long but worth it!

Image By Sebastião Salgado
A community above ChimborazoEcuador, 1982
© Sebastiao Salgado