Hasselblad Masters - Berlin

Right. After leaving Paris, i had a few days in Berlin. I was to attend the Hasslelbad Masters 2012 event there, which sported 100 of the chosen photographers, finalists in the Masters Programme. All fine. We got to the event, which took place at the Delight Studios - for anyone looking to rent out studio spaces in Berlin, they are very good. So we get to the event. We get the branded bracelets, and are allowed in. We got the same feeling as being in a gallery. Everything was neat, labeled and presented in a very tidy manner. We got to play with the new Hasselblad models, H4D60 and the 200mpx product camera. The image on the right is Nick Brandt's. He shot it some years back and

The great thing about having played with the 200mpx camera was ruining the myth. The system is really just a 50mpx H4D, which takes 6 separate shots. Two of them are shot on a Red filter, two on a Green and two on a blue. The Phocus system manages pretty much everything, leaving you with an image made of the 6 overlapped frames. This is pretty awesome if you shoot products. The level of detail in the 1.4 gb image is truly impressive. It also goes to show that the optical side of the Hasselblad is just as great as it was 20 or 40 years ago. The thing was, like with other Hasselblad events i've been to in Europe, that they're sales directed. I learned pretty much everything there is to know about the new models, including something geeky but impressive: How ti control your Hasselblad via your iPhone/iPad, wirelessly through Phocus. I have seen this particular idea before, but in action, it was pretty impressive.

I've been to Hasselblad events in other places in Europe as well, as i mentioned. However, i kinda had high hopes from Germany. Let's say they have a history of being well organized. This was clearly not the case. However well oiled the machines are, the presentation and basically the whole day, lacked any sort of coherence. You had to go around, asking for things about each camera, new lenses, new features, sync options and so on. Rather than having everyone sit down, listen quietly and then fiddle with the cameras, the Berlin team opted for something more towards the "Brownian movement" system. Not the ideal choice, by far.

The models we shot were cool, the lighting was quite impressive (they also showed some Broncolors but really nobody figured they were commercial promotions since it didn't say so anywhere), the space was great. In the evening, we had the classic schedule: wine, dine and gallery show. Pretty good prints of some of the finalists, not all of them. And this is where i come to the end of the post but also to an issue i am curious about: One of the finalists,

i've seen it in dozens of places, including Photomagazine and this year's Paris Photo Show. Good. Great. It means it's famous. Now the picture with the baby elephant with the exact same pose is Joachim Schmeisser's image. I agree that both images are good quality photographs. But, is it not awkward at all that they would pick an image which is post processed in the exact same way as a famous one? Same halo, same vignetting, same pose, same crop (if you look at the web pics, not my screen shot comparison).

Paris Photo

Photography has become a daily occurrence. Sadly, most of it is digital. People have gotten used to the idea of seeing images on a screen. I completely and utterly dislike that. There is a reason for printing images. There is a reason for seeing them in properly lit galleries, archival inkjet printed on Hahnemuhle paper or proper Ilford. Thus you learn to appreciate what a photograph is, beyond the pixels of a monitor. The touch of a satin fiber base print, the physical manifestation of a past event. Seeing it on a computer deprives the photograph of it's weight and depth...

I made a habit out of having some constant events. Some have Christmas. I have Paris Photo. Not sure if it's indeed the biggest event in Europe, but it counts among them for sure.

I went to see it during my university years, and I've continued afterwards. It's there that i first saw most of the legendary images I've only read about throughout the years. Irving Penn, Edward Burtynsky, Andreas Gursky (who's recently just broken all previous price records for a sold image at an auction, taking $4.3m for the "Rhein II"). More than that, I saw people I've researched, like the Starn Brothers, Mary Alpern and so on. In my view, this keeps me anchored into the international ways of the art, good quality print, trends and more.




This year, for the first time since i've been going, the venue has changed. Maybe for the better, i can't be sure just yet. I've always gone to the Carrousel. I silently complained every year about the queue for the entrance. Then i went to the 2011 edition, at the Grand Palais. I saw a sign saying "you are now one hour and 30 minutes from entering the gallery". It was also the first time i gave up queuing for a show i liked, because the 1:30 mark was about 1 hour away. I saw the show in the last day possible, going in the early hours in the morning. Neat.




Now, every year, there are things that are shown, that have been on my "want to see this" list. This year, was the NASA Rare Prints edition. I also saw one of the Hasselblad Masters finalists, in a show by one particular galleries. To be noted also was the initiative of private collectors exhibiting in a separate part of the space with the sole purpose of promoting young and upcoming photographers. There's more. So much more.




The show is designed to bring together an incredible amount of information which is photography related. Magazines, shows, collages, historical imagery, fashion documentary, etc. In order to explain all of this, i would need to write a booklet. But i won't. Basically, if anyone doing photography really wants to get a breath of fresh air, image wise, November 2012 should be on your calendar.

Working on a dream

I always felt quite close to films. Somehow, coming to the realization that Anton Corbjin managed to pull both out of the hat, meant i could too. True story.

Now, my first fun assignment had to do with Land Rovers. I couldn't have picked it any better.

We had a 5D Mk2, follow focus rig, dolly and tracks, and a bunch of lenses to go with them. 2 Arri lights, not used that much, and a whole lot of questions i had no answer to. So, armed with all this shit, i proceeded to put on a brave face and go shoot my first presentation film.

These days i'm making real good friends with Final Cut Pro and it's features, trying to get the best of what i shot. Will try to remember all the things i shouldn't do, should do better and so on.

'Till then, here's a couple of film stills.

Alina Manole

Album cover i shot a few weeks ago.

In light of recent religios fuck ups

via thevandallist.blogspot.com

The Commission

We're experimenting heavily. Stay tuned, something really cool is about to be presented.

Stable

What it is and why it's here, later.

Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwVTLq28_y4

Be the storm i'm waiting for

I just came back from the wilderness. 5 days in the mountains with friends, helping out on an interesting project. I missed how it felt to wash in a river and spend the night in the tent. There's a whole lot more but we'll stick to the obvious for now.

No it's not

When i posted this, some time back, i had a range of rather different and misguided convictions. Cleaning out my hard drive, i stumbled onto the image, saved in one of the backup folders. However, between then and now, we learned a valuable lesson. Never go against your better judgement.



If you do go against it, your mistakes and bad decisions will gang up on you. And ...



You won't be one of them.

Defender for sale!

A friend of mine is selling his Rally Raid truck.

Land Rover Defender 90 TD5 2005 - 25.000 kms
Upgrades
- HD KAM transmission Front+Rear
- ARB lockers with independent compressors Front+Rear
- AlliSport Intercooler Kit - 165 bhp.
- AlliSport Modified Radiator
- Performance&Protection interior rollcage
- OMP racing seats
- OMP 5 point seat belts
- OMP steering wheel
- OMP fire extinguishing system
- IPF 930 Super Rally Raid Spot Lights
- TerraTrip 303
- Diff/tank gurards
- HD steering bar
- OME suspension kit + adaptation for two shocks per wheel
- 7 x Performance Wheels rims
- 6 x BFG MT 245/75/16
- dual battery system
- Safari Snorkel
- general power switch
- Valeo HD clutch
- Front+Rear diffs and shafts for spares
- Extra fuel tanks
- co-pilot lights
- many more extras...

Old images from a broken drive IV

Old images from a broken drive III

Linda and Trevor i kept bumping into, in Uni.

Old images from a broken drive II

There were these days i'd just take the camera, a few films, and go walking by, hunting people. I shot hundreds of rolls of 120 film in this manner, with people i'd only meet for a couple of minutes and then never see again. Sadly, most of the scans were lost in the accident, but the negs are still around. Perhaps one day I'd find the time to re-scan them all. One day ...

Megan

I met her in a small jewelry store. I found something interesting in her face so i asked if i could take pictures of her.

Old images from a broken drive

Back when i started photography, my mom would save all the pictures I'd send her. Meanwhile i broke the hard drive, one evening and lost quite a bit. I had already gathered quite a little archive which also contained bits from the first semester of Uni. Years later, she's remembered that she kept them and mailed everything back to me. Seeing them all these years later, turns out i wasn't exactly a genius back then - but some aren't half bad. Those I'm going to start posting every now and again, for a little while.



Back then. working on a Nikon FM2 was really the thing to do. These were actually test shots from my first "paid" shoot. I got twenty quid, basically the film money. I must say, i was shit at negotiating.

Razvan Ion II

I got a few of my shots back from London a little while back. Among all of them, which were pretty alright, i was looking forward to seeing one that i am particularly excited about. For the second time on the blog, Mr. Razvan Ion

Silvia Santa

recent stuff i've done. More to come as things unfold ...

Greenlaning

Sighisoara 2011 Land Rover Meering

It's always surprising when forum members get together. You have somebody pegged down as a certain kind of person from the stuff they write on one forum or another. However, adding a face to the nickname is always a surprising thing to do. 30 LR forum members did just that this weekend ...

Late(st) work

This last week we shot a fashion collection. Basically, all fun. Images to come soon.



For now, the Defender and i are going to the national Land Rover meeting for a few beers and a lot of mud. This is not how it'll look Sunday evening :)

Video

Here's the video from the Easter Danube trip. Sorry, it's in Romanian, but the images still work :)

Another Easter

This year, the Easter period was stranger than usual. Somewhat interesting, but strange none the less.

We took 24 tons of food and gifts to one of the most secluded parts of the country, the tip of the Danube Delta.





People and places were indeed outer-worldly.




We spent Easter with friends at the countryside. Drinks, midnight shootings, morning omelets.





I should probably write more but really i couldn't find the time or state of mind to put down my thoughts. I shall thought. Quite soon. I haven't bragged about anything in a long while. It just don't feel write for this much time to pass ...

Oh yeah. Because a shit idea never goes unsupported :)

Untitled

Digital Pentax 645

Last week we went to check out the new Pentax digital camera. The presentation wasn't quite my cup of tea but the camera has a nice feel to it. Although not a full frame 645, the large sensor sure knows how to make the 40 mega pixels be worth their money. With a serious range of functions, some quite fun - like the built in level finder for when your tripod's level is confused - the 10.000 EUR Pentax with the 55 millimeter lens was presented as the ultimate device in landscape photography. Again, not my cup of tea, but hey, to each his own. Basically what i found quite convenient is that it weighed less than the Hasselblad H40 counterpart - 1400 grams vs 2290 grams - makes it rather obvious which of them you'd shove in a backpack.

Now having had a run in with both of them, i can say that my first impression still lasts. They are great. Both of them. All medium format digitals are brilliant pieces of equipment. But they do something to you - like religion, they indoctrinate the photographer. I deeply dislike that and the only company that has successfully pulled this off is Leica, with their elegant scarfs and red dot cameras and sonce their response to the format i have yet to test out - i shall not discuss the matter. I am however a firm believer that anything over 15 mpx is Enough. The rest is down to the person behind the display and God knows I've seen some except images taken with very expensive cameras. The opposite applies just as well...