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04 >> newsCommunity: The new Hasselblad Owners’ Club offers all Hasselblad users an exceptional, free platform · Competition: The Hasselblad Master Award 2010 is open. Submissions accepted in eleven categories.

06 >> H4D-40With the new H4D-40, Hasselblad rounds off its palette of high-range digital medium format cameras with a very attractive model. Three international photographers had a chance to put it to the test.

18 >> roDney HobbsThe Australian photographer takes wedding pictures imbued with natural and timeless elegance. The key to his success is in acknowledg-ing the particular needs and feelings of each bridal couple.

34 >> Tang HuiThe multi-faceted, Chinese photographer captures dynamic move-ment with Asian ease. In addition, Tang Hui, a former Hasselblad Master, has a weakness for bombastic settings.

38 >> rené riisOperation food: With retractors, bone saws and camera applied to fish and choice seafood, Danish photographer, René Riis, takes a completely new approach to food photography.

46 >> preview

Award-winning, American reportage photographer, Steve McCurry, set out to explore Thailand equipped with the new Hasselblad H4D-40 – and shows his most outstanding images.

Drum roll, please: In the middle of February, the new H4D-40 was launched simultaneously in 50 cities around the world!

The event attracted a mass of photographers eager to see what the latest Hasselblad camera is capable of, with their own eyes. The strong attendance of numer-ous 35mm pros was proof that there is an increasing awareness of the problems caused by the inferior sensor size and limited optical options that character-ize 35mm-DSLRs when used in certain professional fields. The new H4D-40 fills the gap perfectly between those systems and top-end DSLRs like the Hasselblad H4D-50 and H4D-60.

During the successful event that saw the launch of the H4D-40, Hasselblad also introduced its new com-munity platform, the Hasselblad owners’ Club. The club offers all registered Hasselblad users the opportu-nity to present themselves and their work to the more than 1.4 million yearly visitors to the Hasselblad homepage – and, completely free of charge. Attention and recognition are the reward each month for the photographer whose picture has been chosen by other site users as Picture of the Month. Hasselblad Owners’ Club members have the chance to interact with other international photographers and, in addition, are linked to social media and forums such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. It is a known fact that being part of a good network is essential for professionals.

It is now recognised that being named a Hasselblad Master gives a major boost to any profes-sional photographer’s career. Despite its relatively short history, the Award – entering its tenth round – has gained a great reputation. The 2010 competition is now open – all interested photographers can apply at the Hasselblad homepage. A new category – wildlife – has been added to the existing ten; and it is hardly surprising that it is included in the Hasselblad Masters Award. “Broadening the categories to include wild-life,” Hasselblad’s Photographer Relations Manager Christian Nørgaard explains very appropriately, “demonstrates the versatility of the Hasselblad medi-um format DSLRs – the cameras are just as fantastic in the field capturing wildlife, as they are shooting portraits in the studio.”

The images produced by renowned international photographers steve McCurry, Kevin Then and Michael grecco, during some of the first shoots with the new Hasselblad camera, are perfect proof of the H4D-40’s flexibility. You will find some pictures, together with a detailed technical analysis of the new H4D offspring, in this issue of VICTOR online starting page 6.

I hope you enjoy this latest edition of VICTOR online.

Yours, Philip Boissevain, Corporate Marketing Manager of Hasselblad

eDITORIAl COnTenT

Here it is: The new shooting star of the

Hasselblad family, the H4D-40, was used

to shoot the cover by Michael grecco

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After just nine years, the Hasselblad Masters Award has earned itself an excellent reputation within the international photo community. Photographers wishing to enter the Hasselblad Masters 2010 competi-tion can now do so at the Hasselblad homepage. This year, ‘wildlife’ has been added to the existing architec-ture, editorial, fashion/beauty, fine art, general, nature/landscape, por-trait, product, up and coming, and wedding/social categories.

All professional photographers using large and medium format

cameras can submit works to the Hasselblad Masters Award 2010, up until December, 31, 2010. “Seeing the excellent concepts, creativity and techniques shown in past years, we’re very curious to see what photogra-phers will come up with this year,” Christian Nørgaard, Hasselblad’s Photographer Relations Manager, says. “Without a doubt, competitors will want to demonstrate the visual mastery professional photographers are able to produce.” Once again, an independent, international jury – supported by a Public Vote – will take on the challenge of choosing eleven Hasselblad Masters out of an internally pre-selected pool.

In addition to the recognition, the winners will be able to use an H4D – made available by Hasselblad – to create a unique series for the commemorative photography book, Hasselblad Masters 2010. ■

victornEWS

The Scandinavian camera manu-facturer has launched a new forum, accessible to all Hasselblad photogra-phers: by becoming a member of the Hasselblad Owners’ Club you will be able to present your work on-line, connect with Hasselblad representa-tives, and interact with professionals all around the world, sharing tips, tricks. Inaugurated in February 2010, this new segment of the Hasselblad homepage offers a direct link to the photo industry, as well as providing a connection to the site’s more than 1.4 million yearly visitors.

Professional photographers will be-nefit significantly from having their

profile included in the Hasselblad Owners’ Club. For registered Hasselblad users, signing up to the site is free; and, once a member, the user can show up to six of his/her origi-nal pictures, insert a short biography with contact information, and link to external portfolios. In addition, users who have added their profile to the Hasselblad Owners’ Club have the chance of being selected as Pho-tographer of the Month by other site users. The Picture of the Month will not only feature in the Hasselblad Owners’ Club and on the Hasselblad site’s front page, but the winning photographer could, among other things, get coverage in Hasselblad’s monthly on-line magazine, VICTOR online. This will ensure that the pho-tographer catches the attention of photo industry readers and profes-sionals around the world.

The Hasselblad Owners’ Club is also linked to the increasingly signif-icant social media, including forums such as Twitter, Facebook and Linked-In. Making use of these channels, Hasselblad photographers can reach out to an even broader public, whilst also becoming known to potential clients. Registered Hasselblad Own-ers’ Club members have access to Hasselblad’s official Facebook page, the Hasselblad Forum.

Hasselblad intends to consistently improve and broaden this new com-munity site, regularly adding novel segments and features; so, it will be worth keeping an eye on the page to avoid missing any up-dates. In ad-dition, it is extremely important to Hasselblad to respond to the needs of its users. Consequently, any sugges-tions that can enhance and expand the Hasselblad Owners’ Club are sin-cerely welcome. ■

communityjoin the hasselblad owners’ club

competitionhasselblad Masters 2010: apply now

welcome to the hasselblad owners’ club. photo pros can use

the site to interact with others, network via social media sites

and, above all, present their work

easy profile set-up: 1. upload vita, 2. add profile picture, 3. choose

photo category, 4. start uploading images, 5. crop the photographs

for the thumbnail view

the hasselblad Masters award 2010 is now open. submissions to any of the eleven categories can be made on the hasselblad homepage, up until decem-ber, 31, 2010

Visitors to the hasselblad owners’ club site choose the photo of the Month. you can

see at a glance which pictures have the most votes

SenSor: With its 33.1 x 44.2 mm size, the H4D-40 sensor’s capture area is almost twice as big as a 35 mm DSLr. It guarantees an ex-tremely high performance, capturing more detail and vivid colors

True FocuS: True Focus further refines close range autofocus for

extremely accurate re-composing at close range. You can now

feel safe when working creatively with shallow depth of field

DISpLaY: The 3“ 24 bit TFT-display with wide viewing angle allows you to effectively check your images on location

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Inner STrengTH The new Hasselblad H4D-40 arrives with a splash, broadening the horizons of 35 mm photographers and beckoning with the promises of medium format quality and power. Upgrading to more size is now more tempting than ever!

FaST anD accuraTe auToFocuS: The H4D-40 uses a new, ultra fast auto-focus processor that allows for True Focus operation

VIeWFInDer: The large lenses capture much more light than 35 mm lenses, resulting in an extremely large and bright viewfinder image. With a small twist the HVD 90x reflex viewfinder can be exchanged with a waist level viewfinder to suit your style of working

DepTH oF FIeLD: The large format of the H4D-40 camera system pro-vides considerably shallower depth of field than 35mm DSLr cameras. This makes it much easier to utilize selective focus for creative effects

cenTraL LenS SHuTTer: The central lens shutter in every Hc/HcD-lens allows you to sync with flash down to a 1/800 of a second. This gives you additional headroom to reliably freeze movements andto creatively control your lighting

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»The ergonomics of the camera is just amazing. I never use it on a tripod, it’s in my hands. I also love this True Focus fea-ture. You never want to compose somebody right in the center of the frame. So you can focus, move the camera around and it’s gonna hold focus.«

mIcHael grecco

Phot

o: M

icha

el G

recc

o

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Phot

o: K

evin

The

n

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»When you look in the viewfinder of the new H4D-40, everything is huge inside. So I can see through it all the de tails, everything. and the lenses produced by Hasselblad are the best lenses I’ve ever used.«

kevIn THen

The brand-new Hasselblad H4D-40 occupies a special place in the new H4D series. A milestone in the evo-lution of the H system, it sports a faster autofocus system enabling True Focus technology, a brand-new electronic interior and a spacious 3-inch camera screen. It also adopts the seasoned technologies imple-mented in its predecessors, including Digital Auto Correction, Hasselblad Natural Color System and the Pho-cus software. These components are firmly embedded in the constantly evolving H system. In short: maxi-mum image quality, increased com-positional options, and easy-to-use but sophisticated camera technol-ogy are all arguments that make the H4D-40 appealing to 35 mm photo-graphers.

But hasn’t 35 mm already achieved medium format status, as some manufacturers claim? No doubt, 35 mm cameras have improved sub-stantially, but so has the medium format sector. The gap between the two has remained the same. Size does still matter. As well as consid-erably more resolution, a larger sen-sor surface ensures greater dynamic range and more accurate color rec-ognition – the difference in quality is easy to see. In addition to quality advantages there are practical ones mostly based on simple physics: the large, bright viewfinder, the camera’s

modular build with numerous sys-tem accessories, the central shutter and the lenses with much narrower depth of field. 35 mm photographers are introduced to a brave new world where creative composition and powerful handling are brought to a whole new level.

35 mm and medium format cam-eras represent two distinct lines of photography: spontaneous, fast and portable on the one hand, maximum quality on the other. There has never been one camera that covers all the ground entirely, and that has not changed. In the digital age the two formats have continued to develop along their respective lines. 35 mm cameras have become extremely powerful; high sensor speed, burst operation and fast autofocus systems empower photographers under the most grueling conditions. Digital medium format, in turn, contin-ues to center on uncompromising image quality, emphasizing in-creased resolution, naturalness and dynamic range.

Different priorities lead to differ-ent technological resolutions, de-fined by the choice of sensor technol-ogy, color filters and post production plan. Many deserve looking at.

As 35 mm and medium format each have strengths and weaknesses, it makes sense to choose the system that best fits your needs. Imagine

you have both an H4D-40 and a fast 35 mm single lens reflex camera at your disposal. Which would you use to shoot athletes in action? Which would you use for fashion photogra-phy where dress colors must be ac-curate? Every task requires the best tool. When speed has priority, 35 mm wins. If quality is of the essence, the H4D-40 is clearly the right choice.

SIze STIll maTTerS

The H4D capitalizes on its larger sensor. At 33.1 x 44.2 mm it nearly doubles the size of the 35 mm for-mat. And the superior resolution can be fully exploited as image noise and other phenomena caused by small pixels are not an issue. And there is never too much resolution. Extra-large print sizes require more than the 35 mm format can currently deliver, and it’s always good to have some reserves in case you have to crop an image before print. A picture shot with more resolution and then re-duced in size will always show more information at detail level. While

large printing formats simply de-mand lots of resolution, smaller ones certainly benefit from it.

To ensure the resolution is fully exploited, the lenses have to be top of the line. Hasselblad’s HC and HCD lenses are developed with highest image quality in mind.

In the 28 to 300 mm focal length spectrum, every single lens has been developed to the highest standard. This sets the H4D-40 apart from al-most all 35 mm systems where lens palettes shrink the moment abso-lute professionalism is required. Hasselblad lenses deliver superior quality not only in the image center and after stopping down at infinity setting, but also across all aperture stops and distances. They continue to perform immaculately when mounted with telephoto converters and extension rings. What is more, Digital Auto Correction (DAC) is designed to extract that last drop of quality from the mounted lens. HC and HCD lenses surpass the legend-ary Carl Zeiss lenses from the V se-ries. Not even the larger H4D cameras

with 50 and 60 megapixels can fully exploit their potential. Join this sys-tem and the future is on your side.

Hasselblad H lenses feature cen-tral shutters. These are not available to the 35 mm segment. The pho-tographer benefits from being able to run his flash at all shutter speeds up to 1/800 second. This gives him a 2 to 3-stop edge over 35 mm cam-eras with focal plane shutters. This is perfect when capturing fast motion and suppressing unwanted ambient light. It is one of the H4D system’s key features.

The size of the sensor also means a smaller depth of field compared to anything found amongst 35 mm cameras. Again, simple physics are at play, giving the photographer more options when singling out the sub-ject from the background. Where 35 mm photographers are forced to re-sort to high speed (and often lower quality) lenses, H4D-40 cameras can work with wide angle lenses and still blur the background with ease, substantially increasing the creative scope. 35 mm cameras are simply not designed to perform this way.

TrUe FocUS

Larger resolution and smaller depth of field give rise to a problem many 35 mm photographers may not even be aware of. Hasselblad tackles it with

H4D-40 TecHnoLogY

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»The feature that distin-guishes the Hasselblad from any other handheld camera is the capability to enlarge the pictures and to get the most in-credible sharpness. It’s just wonderful to make unlimited enlargements from your work.«

STeve mccUrrY

Phot

o: S

teve

McC

urry

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coverSTorY

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on the exposure data stored in the 3FR files, including focal length, aperture and distance, drawing on sophisticated algorithms only the lens designers are capable of develop-ing. Yet DAC is also an optional tool. The photographer can deactivate it at any point or, in the case of vignett-ing, even reverse the effect to increase the peripheral darkness and enhance the graphic appeal. Furthermore, even the Carl Zeiss lenses found in the V system can benefit from DAC. All that’s needed is to mount a CF adapter on the H4D.

DAC inspires a whole new way of thinking. It presents lens designers with more options. Take the HCD 4/28, for instance, where designers tolerated slightly more distortion – easily corrected with DAC! – in favor of reducing chromatic aberrations and achieving more compactness. Even the top dog benefits strongly

information supplied by the sensor, whereas Hasselblad’s 3FR format en-sures the Natural Color System inte-grated in Phocus takes full advantage of the complete data set, extracting more color from the exposure. When it comes to skin and pastel tones, mid tones and special colors, the H4D clearly achieves better color – long before post production. In addition, the photographer requires only one color profile – rather than several, depending on the photo-graphic situation – for consistently accurate color.

THe role oF THe compUTer

Now, at the very latest, the software enters the game. Phocus is just as integral to the H4D as the lens. The camera stores pictures exclusively as raw sensor data – either on a Com-

pactFlash card or directly on the com-puter using Firewire. The image is in-terpreted and processed on a Mac or PC, which is far better equipped for this task than the camera. It gives the photographer more input options and thus more control.

The 3FR format complies with Apple and Adobe software, yet Phocus, being designed specifically for the H4D system, manages to extract visibly more quality from the pictures.

One component on the path to achieving superior image quality is Digital Auto Correction (DAC). It corrects residual aberrations which no lens is spared. Lenses are flawed by nature. For purely technical rea-sons, residual errors, such as distor-tion, vignetting and chromatic ab-errations, cannot be avoided. They can, however, be kept at bay. DAC corrects these maverick blips based

camera electronics are not only rein-forced with yaw rate sensors and APL processor but completely renewed and made much faster. For all practi-cal purposes, the camera electronics relieve the photographer of all theo-retical stickiness. All he has to do is to shoot. Were you previously unaware of the focus shift problem? No mat-ter. As an H4D-40 user, True Focus allows you to forget the problem as quickly as you learned about it. The camera solves it for you.

more accUraTe color

35 mm and medium format employ different color filters. The 35 mm sec-tor aims for high sensitivity, requir-ing color filters that are particularly permeable to light but, as a result, more limited in the color spectrum they allow through – e.g. only a frag-ment rather than all green tones. Hasselblad uses color filters with more bandwidth and overlapping properties to allow for more accurate readings of mixed light, for example. The disadvantage of broadband fil-ters, however, is inferior permeabil-ity to light and thus reduced sensor speeds. And yet that doesn’t stop the H4D-40 from boasting a maximum ISO 1600 and still putting on a daz-zling performance in low light.

Where would the color be without Hasselblad’s Natural Color System? It adds that extra touch and accuracy by drawing on the complete range of color registered by the sensor. Many RAW file formats override important

True Focus technology. When the photographer points the AF sensor at the middle of the image to focus on a subject and then moves the cam-era to rearrange the composition, the image plane tilts a little (see illustra-tion). The focus will wander to the back. Depending on the focal length, distance and f/stop, the main subject may blur to a greater or lesser extent. True Focus uses sophisticated yaw rate sensors to register the precise degrees by which the camera is tilted, instantly compensating the depth of field before exposure to ensure a coherent focus.

35 mm cameras with multipoint AF-sensors do not fully solve this problem since the sensors are still nearer to the center than the edge. Often you will still have to tilt the camera after focusing. Once you do this, the focusing plane shifts back, regardless wether you use medium format or 35 mm. In the latter case, the greater depth of field will nev-ertheless lead to a sharp main sub-ject. Still, the moment the focusing plane shifts back it affects the DOF as a whole, distorting the accuracy of the results. True Focus eliminates this problem elegantly and effortlessly. By holding down the conveniently placed True Focus button after focus-ing, the Absolute Position Lock (APL) will continue to ensure consistently sharp images after tilting and expos-ing. The depth of field will be where you expect it to be.

To enable True Focus, the H4D is equipped with a new, faster and more precise auto focusing system. The

Hasselblad’s H4D series features True Focus with apL. This tech-nology refines close range auto- focus for extremely accurate re-composing at close distance

True Focus with absolute position Lock. This schematic serves to

illustrate the process of focusing and tilting down. To keep the

eyes in best focus at “θ” degrees tilt angle, the camera has to make

the focus correction “δ”

The H4D-40’s perfectly attuned components – supported by phocus 2.0 – result in photographs of a higher order

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from DAC: The unique HTS 1.5 Tilt & Shift adapter transforms fixed fo-cal lengths 28, 35, 50, 80 and 100 millimeters into genuine Tilt & Shift lenses with extended focal length by a factor 1.5. All of the HTS 1.5’s rota-tions and adjustments are registered. DAC helps exploit the outer reaches of the broad adjustment range.

But there’s far more to Phocus than DAC. The H4D and Phocus really are a package deal. It runs all of the camera’s functions when tethered to the computer, including live view and remote focusing. Its

noise suppression tools are perfectly attuned to the properties of the H4D sensor. The same applies to moiré correction. Unlike nearly all 35 mm camera sensors, the H4D has no an-tialiasing filter as it is nothing more than a blur filter. Extremely fine structures may yield subtle moiré patterns, yet moiré only ever occurs in some cases. Applying a generic blur filter across the board and com-pensating the loss with digital sharp-ness is simply not appropriate in the high end sector. Phocus enables the photographer to activate the moiré

filter with a mouse click and, after close scrutiny of the image, targets only those areas affected by moiré. The result of this strategy is visibly sharper images.

THe mYTH oF THe complIcaTeD FormaT

Medium format cameras have the reputation of being more cumber-some and harder to use, whereas 35 mm cameras and their automatic functions are simple and fast. This argument was one of the main in-

centives behind the development of the H system. The H4D was de-signed with comfort in mind, in-cluding autofocus, various exposure meter and control systems, instantly available profiles and even Instant Approval Technology for immedi-ate exposure verification. The H4D offers a new perspective on com-fort and handling. Hasselblad has its own philosophy with regard to the integration of functions: Unless they add to handling, composition or quality, they are left out. Every -thing that makes the camera better

or more dependable – even if tech-nologically complex – is added to the mix. True Focus stands as the per-fect example.

The H4D’s modular design stems from the analogue era and is one of its greatest assets today. The sensor can be removed like a film cassette and cleaned with ease. The back unit, containing most of the camera’s electronic components, can be mounted on a view camera using an optional adapter. The HVD 90x single lens reflex viewfinder, which is extra large, dazzlingly clear and unlike anything found amongst the 35 mm competition, can be easily replaced by a waist level viewfinder.

At 40 megapixels the H4D-40 fea-tures the smallest resolution of the series; the H4D-50 and H4D-60 boast a little more. But there are certain advantages. Only the H4D-40 sen-sor employs micro lenses capable of gathering more light and doubling the sensitivity to ISO 100-1600 (the other two models run on ISO 50-800). And only the H4D-40 is capable of shooting exposures of up to 4 min-utes. The other two shut the blinds after 32 seconds.

conclUSIon

The Hasselblad H4D-40 doesn’t claim that it can surpass a top-of-the-line 35 mm DSLR in absolutely every respect, yet it manages to do so in several important areas. When fast image sequences, maximum agility and ISO amplification are called for, 35 mm remains the system of choice – clearly the more sensible tool. However, under controlled cir-cumstances, things begin to favor the H4D. The narrower and more versatile depth of field enhances the creative outlook. The brighter view-finder gives you a clearer picture, and the central shutter warrants more control over the lighting. When it comes to image quality, the H4D-40 simply picks up where 35 mm leaves off. The H4D-40 brings to the table superior resolution, better color and more naturalness. And it’s clearly vi-sible – not just to fussy professionals but also discerning clients. And it is the latter who usually demand maxi-mum performance!

Camera type: Large sensor medium format DSLR

Sensor size: Kodak 40.0 Mpixels (7304 x 5478 pixels)

Sensor dimensions: 33.1×44.2 mm

Image size: RAW 3FR capture 50 MB on average. TIFF 8 bit: 120 MB

File format: Lossless compressed Hasselblad RAW 3FR

Lenses: Hasselblad HC/HCD lens line with integral central lens shutter.

Shutter speed range: 256 seconds to 1/800 second

ISO speed range: ISO 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600

Color definition: 16 bit

Color management: Hasselblad Natural Color Solution

Focusing: Autofocus metering with passive central cross-type sensor. Ultra focus digital feedback. Instant manual focus override. Metering range EV 1 to 19 at ISO 100.

True Focus: Automatic focus adjust-ment to compensate for camera movement when re-com posing. Based upon Absolute Position Lock (APL) processor technology.

Viewfinder options: HVD 90x: 90° eye-level viewfinder w. diopter adjust-ment (-5 to +3.5D). Image magnification 3.1 times. HV 90x: 90° eye-level viewfinder w. diopter adjust-ment (-4 to +2.5D). Image magnification 2.7 times.

HVM: Waist-level viewfinder. Image magnification 3.2 times.

IR filter: Mounted on CCD sensor

Exposure metering Metering options: Spot, Centre Weighted and CentreSpot. Metering range Spot: EV2 to 21, Centre Weighted: EV1 to 21, CentreSpot: EV1 to 21

Power supply: Rechargeable Li-ion battery (7.2 VDC / 1850 mAh).

Storage options: CF card type U-DMA (e.g. SanDisk extreme IV) or tethered to Mac or PC

Storage capacity: 4 GB CF card holds 75 images on average

Capture rate: 1.1 seconds per capture. 50 captures per minute

Color display: Yes, 3 inch TFT type, 24 bit color, 230 400 pixels

Histogram feedback: Yes

Phocus software: For Mac and Windows

Platform support: Macintosh: OSX. Windows: XP (32 and 64 bit), Vista (32 and 64 bit), Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit).

Host connection type: FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b)

View camera compatibility: Yes, Mechanical shutters controlled via flash sync. Electronic shutters can be controlled from Phocus.

Operating temperature: 0 - 45 ˚C/32 - 113 ˚F

Dimensions complete camera with HC80 mm lens: 153 x 131 x 213 mm (WxHxD)

Weight: 2290 g (Complete camera w. HC80 mm lens, Li-Ion battery and CF card)

22

H4D-40 Technical Specification

UK_H4D40 brochure_v1.indd 22 23/02/10 9:17:36

H4D-40: TecHnIcal SpecIFIcaTIon

The H4D Family

Model Pixel count Sensor size Sensitivity Lens range Exp. time Multi-shot DAC TrueFocus

H4D-40 40Mpix 33.1x44.2mm ISO 100-1600 HC/HCD 1/800-256 sec No Yes Yes

H4D-50 50Mpix 36.8x49.1mm ISO 50-800 HC/HCD 1/800-32 sec No Yes Yes

H4D-50MS 50Mpix 36.8x49.1mm ISO 50-800 HC/HCD 1/800-32 sec Yes Yes Yes

H4D-60 60Mpix 40.2x53.7mm ISO 50-800 HC/HCD 1/800-32 sec No Yes Yes

02.10 - UK v1 - 80500552

UK_H4D40 brochure_v1.indd 24 23/02/10 9:17:57

H4D-40: 40 Mpix, sensor size 33.1 x 44.2 mm, ISo 100–1600, exp. time 1/800–256 sec

H4D-50: 50 Mpix, sensor size 36.8 x 49.1 mm, ISo 50–800, exp. time 1/800–32 sec

H4D-50MS, multi-shot camera: 50 Mpix, sensor size 36.8 x 49.1 mm, ISo 50–800, exp. time 1/800–32 sec

H4D-60: 60 Mpix, sensor size 40.2 x 53.7 mm, ISo 50–800, exp. time 1/800–32 sec

TecHnoLogY H4D-40

More than a website,

it’s a coMplete hasselblad experience!

The next best thing to having your hands on an actual Hasselblad is to visit the Hasselblad website. In addition to learning all about the historic Hasselblad company and our amazing cameras, you will be able to access:

hasselblad Virtual deMoshasselblad tutorials

Masters GalleriesphotoGrapher profiles

Victor onlinehasselblad in Motion

tips and tricksproduct inforMation

coMplete listinG of all accessories and peripheralsand naturally, tons of aMazinG iMaGes and Much, Much More!

www.hasselblad.coM

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rodney hobbs

Using an H3D-31, Australian photographer Rodney Hobbs takes wedding pictures imbued with natural and timeless elegance. The key to his success lies in combining outstanding equipment with a talent for dis-cerning the bridal pair’s particular wishes.

Following their wedding, rodney hobbs photographed Miranda

and hoy on Melbourne’s famous Collins street, using the Victorian

architecture as a background. This shot was taken in front of the

Government Treasury building

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Left page: hobbs took this por-trait of the bride, Julie, between

the church ceremony and the reception. right side: A Victorian entranceway created the perfect frame for the dress Miranda had

chosen for the big day

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“Miranda and hoy were such a wonderful couple,” Australian wedding photographer, hobbs,

remembers. They had flown in from London a week before, to celebrate the great day in Miran-

da’s Australian home town

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Miranda and hoy’s wedding took place over the easter weekend. rodney hobbs took this portrait of the happy couple in the late afternoon, before they joined their guests to celebrate at rippon Lea estate – one of Australia’s finest

PoRTfolio rodney hobbs

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Jessica and Travis were married on the pier at Lorne, a couple of

hours from Melbourne along the world famous Great ocean road.

This picture was taken at 4pm, in strong afternoon light. rodney

hobbs used a studio strobe to create this wonderful mood

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“This is one of my favorite mo-ments. before the reception we

took a short drive to the end of the main beach where I captured this

wonderfully candid moment as Jessica and Travis strolled up the

beach,” Australian wedding photographer, hobbs, explains

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nina and nick married twice: first at Melbourne’s st. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, then with a traditional Greek ceremony. hobbs took the photos of nina at Melbourne University; the photo of nick was taken at his father’s house, before the ceremony

PoRTfolio rodney hobbs

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“nina – having fun and looking stunning in her couture wedding dress on the steps of the Law Court at Melbourne University,” rodney hobbs says, describing this picture. Afterwards he went to the reception, where he took more pictures of the couple

“One of my most precious belong-ings is a box of black & white prints my father made when I was a small child living in London. This sparked my passion to re-discover photog-raphy when I took one of the first pictures of my daughter, Annabelle,” Hobbs explains. Born in London in 1966, and living in Australia since the early 80s, Hobbs pursued a very successful IT career up until 2005. For personal reasons, he then opted for a radical change in his life, becom-ing a professional photographer who – as he puts it – happens to focus on weddings. “When I initially started exploring the world of professional photography, I wanted to shoot editorial portraits,” Hobbs clarifies. “At the time, wedding photography seemed to be at the bottom of the professional ranks. When I investi-gated further, however, I started to discover the amazing work that was being done and how wedding pho-tography offered a great opportunity to develop my style.”

Aiming to capture the best pos-sible images for his clients, Hobbs uses an H3D-31, which he appreci-ates, among other things, for its speed, ISO capabilities and natural color tones. “I seek only the highest quality in all aspects of my business and, when it comes to image capture,

there is only one Hasselblad. I could explain all the technical reasons why digital medium format is just a better way and why I feel Hasselblad is the finest platform, but the key for me is in the look! There’s something very special about the images this system allows me to create,” the photogra-pher explains. Rodney Hobbs uses a broad range of lenses, and enjoys using the 80mm and 100mm in par-ticular. “The 100mm F2.2 is just an amazing lens and I love setting it wide open for portraits,” he says with enthusiasm.

Rodney Hobbs is as uncompro-mising in the preparations for each wedding shoot, as he is in his choice of equipment. He considers it es-sential to get to know the couple be-forehand, coming to understand the uniqueness of their relationship and their love, so that the shoot he sets up on the great day does justice to the people and their feelings. “What makes it special is capturing all the emotion, joy and connections, and then working with each client to create something that will represent their wedding day for the rest of their lives. The memories that we capture are a very special gift,” Hobbs points out. “I combine three main elements to my coverages: firstly, I document the event and seek those special mo-

ments and details that tell the overall story of the day; secondly, I think it is very important to create wonder-ful portraits; and, lastly, where it fits the client, I bring in my fine-art style. The fine-art aspect is reflected in the fact that the images are created from a concept that I develop in collabo-ration with my clients. In the end, wedding photography is about story telling, and that is my overall goal.”

For Rodney Hobbs, a wedding day is a strenuous working day: he takes pictures for up to twelve hours, work-ing throughout with a deep level of concentration. This is the only way to keep on top of the light conditions, locations and situations, so that each moment during the festivities gives rise to the perfect picture. And the question of timing is fundamental: a wedding photographer has to be in the right place at the right time, all day long, so as to immortalize the key moments. “My approach is really based on trying to create scenes that allow my clients to be themselves: it’s more cinematic than getting the couple to pose; the roles they play are themselves!” Hobbs says, explaining the process. “This is what gives my images their natural feeling, even though many are staged, of course. The greatest challenge is enabling your clients just to be themselves.”

PoRTfolio rodney hobbs

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Hasselblad Masters 2007

Tang Hui

Born in Beijing/China in 1960 | 1987–1991 studied commercial photography at the industrial

university in Beijing | working as a freelance photographer since

1997 | advertisements for Motorola, nokia, audi, Lenovo, iBM, nestlé, Canon, Samsung, intel, Toshiba, among others |

awards include: gold in the first and second years of the newly

created Commercial Photography Competition of China

Shot for Ogilvy’s office in Beijing (2005, very top); this Marilyn-

inspired subject was created in collaboration with the agency

Lowe Lintas & Partners/Shanghai for unilever (2006, above)

www.hasselblad.com

camera with which I could take a series of quick, consecutive shots. I had to behave like a high-perfor-mance athlete myself. In the end, it was my nimble photographic tech-niques and my athletic talent that made this photo shoot a success.

The dream. If I really had a lot of time I would do more travelling. So far I’ve only been to ten differ-ent countries and that’s not nearly enough. I would love to photograph the wonders of nature as well as outstanding buildings around the world. In a very condensed way, architecture has a lot to say about human wisdom. I’d also like to spend more time with my family. My work load means that I don’t have enough time for my family.

The philosophy. The most impor-tant thing is to always be friendly and tolerant. With regard to work, one should be decisive and consci-entious.

The Hasselblad. I work with four different Hasselblads: the 503-CW, the H1, the 132 C digital back piece and the H3D-39, as well as a dozen good lenses. My favourite combi-nation is the H3D-39 with a 28mm lens. All in all, I’m very happy with Hasselblad. The cameras are all easy to use, very stable and applicable for very different types of projects and situations.

Tang Hui is a Hasselblad Mas-ter because he combines a desire for variety with absolute precision. The dynamic movement in his work is conveyed with typical Asian light-ness. What’s more he has a weakness for bombastic backdrops.

The beginning. When I was doing my military service – I was 18 at the time – I took a lot of photos; but I had virtually no idea about pho-tography and opened the camera without remembering to rewind the film first. Inevitably, it was exposed to daylight …

The heroes. As far as photo-graphy and also my whole attitude towards life are concerned, I was most influenced by my teacher Xie Feng. I really appreciate him. He’s very open-minded, humble, likeable, a hard-worker and incredibly wise. He knows how to deal with the most difficult situations, and has a real talent for creating the right kind of team feeling; very impressive and worth emulating.

The hobby horse. Basically, I don’t like it when specific things or preferences are repeated continu-ously. Even so, nature is and remains my basic photographic subject. The variety in nature never fails to inspire me and make me happy.

The excitement. My most unusual experience to date was an advertising shoot with Olympic ath-letes. To fulfill the demands of the campaign, I had to deliver tech-nically perfect pictures with a 30 million pixel resolution. However, to protect their athletes, the trainers would only allow me to meet them three times in total – whether it was to photograph a gymnast train-ing on the vaulting horse, or taking underwater photos. The set-up was extremely complicated because, at the time, I didn’t have a high-speed

Famous taiwanese actress, Lin Xinru, photographed for China Mobile (2007, very top), and Olympic spring-board diving medallist, guo Jingjing, for Toshiba (2007, above); for ancient Jewellery (2003, left); for Xi’an-Janssen Medicine (2002, right)

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Tang Hui created a bombastic back-drop for a large advertising

campaign for renowned manu-facturer Chow Sang Sang Jewelry

(2004, left); this subject was photographed for Lining (2005)

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OperatiOn FOOd

photos: renÉ riis

A top-class kitchen is kept surgically clean. A surgical clinic is kept sterile and is no place for food. so who would have the crazy idea of using a surgery as a setting for a food photo shoot? such a man is Danish photographer, rené riis, known for his mouthwatering food-photographs. Commissioned by ViCTOr, he dissected and photographed raw seafood under clinical conditions and in cool lighting.

Nicely cleaned and ready – Loligo vulgaris gets an injection (above) surgical instruments reveal the truth: ostrea edulis contains green caviar pearls (right)

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Wasabi contrast: this splendid specimen

of Zeus faber has been implanted with a green

caviar, originating from a north Atlantic

Mallotus villosus

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transfusion of pha-eophyta flavoring,

blanched phaeophyta (above right), and

shelled ostrea edulis in a coating of mole-

cular phaeophyta mass (below right)

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In the flood-lit room at the “hun-dert39” studio in Hamburg an aston-ished René Riis stands in front of a big wooden table. On the table is a neat row of highly polished stain-less steel surgical instruments: for-ceps, scissors, syringes, clamps and re tractors – in various sizes and in pristine condition. Alongside, stylist Kim Porr has also laid out transfusion sacks and bottles filled with food coloring, together with an IV stand to hang them on. The Danish photo- grapher’s eyes rake the table, trying to absorb everything. With a twinkle in his eye, he picks up the scalpel with his fine fingers; then he removes a magnifying glass from its case.

René Riis has worked as a food photographer for more than fifteen years: On the whole, people in this field tend to be conservative, and 99 percent of the time food pictured looks appetizing. For the VICTOR shoot, he was looking for a comple- te ly different approach. So he decided to combine food with surgical instru-ments. As absurd as this may seem at first, Riis points towards the parallels between the surgery and the kitchen: both must be kept very clean (even sterile), a chef’s knives are like a sur-geon’s instruments, great precision is needed and, in good surgeons and good cooks, creativity is required.

“I want to be extreme, but I want to be aesthetic too,” René explains, looking at the instruments Kim has knowledgeably set out, she spent five years as set de co rator for a hospital TV series.

Food stylist Jürgen Zimmerstädt has just entered with a large John Dory fish for René’s inspection. “What a splendid specimen, I’ve never taken a picture of anything like it,” René says, taking a retractor from the table and waving it over the fish. “We could slice it and pry open the wound with these, as though we were going to remove something,” he suggests. Jürgen picks up on the idea and continues,

“Perhaps we could find something surprising inside.” A golden ring? A pearl? The eventual choice is green colored caviar.

Even though René has an extra food stylist with him for this shoot, he is himself completely at home in the kitchen and – in his early days was often the one to cook the food that appeared in his images. After graduation, he wanted to earn money to go traveling around the world, so he applied for a job as a dishwasher at a popular resort on the island of Rømø, and was employed as a cook. He and his girlfriend were the only ones in the kitchen and they were trained over one week-end. The res-taurant seated 100 customers, and René frequently found himself pre-paring 40 plates at the same time. “That’s where I learned how to deal with stress,” he explains. René had been interested in cameras since he was a child. His father was a amateur photographer who frequently turned the family’s bathroom into a dark room. When René returned from his travels, the four months spent in the kitchen on Rømø inspired him to take his photographic training with a local food photographer.

In the meantime, the studio has been completely darkened and René and Jürgen have hung a transfu-sion bag containing a bright green infusion of algae on the intravenous stand. René sets the camera at the right angle and takes a sample shot with a click of the mouse. The pho-tographer makes a slight correction to the bag’s position, takes another sample shot and this time is satis-fied. The term ‘health food’ takes on a whole new meaning.

The team is up-to-speed now and René wants to have a go with the John Dory. As soon as he is equipped with swab, scalpel and oxygen sup-ply, Jürgen makes a precise cut and pries the fish open with the retrac-tors. He carefully decorates the inside of the fish with some wasabi-colored Capelin caviar. René watches over Jürgen’s shoulder and explains, “I can just hear my old boss saying: What on earth are you doing? You’ve gone completely crazy!” On this occasion, however, the unlikely combination is key to the general concept.

Normally before starting a shoot René makes sketches of the different subjects, but on this occasion he wants to allow the team more free-dom. For a start, he liked the pictures that Kim emailed in advance, show-ing the whole collection of surgi-cal instruments. He was particularly

intrigued by the magnifying glass. In 2006, René had seen pictures at a trade fair where Jürgen had done the styling and he liked them so much that he knew he wanted to work to-gether. At the ‘surgery’ shoot, Jürgen jumped right in and the two soon agreed that they wanted to experi-ment with seafood on the operating table. And a particular ingredient would be a dose of molecular cook-ing, a trend made popular by Ferran Adrià among others, and the most experimental thing in Haute Cuisine today. In this cuisine knowledge of bio-chemistry, physics and chemis-try is taken into consideration while preparing the dishes, so that the ele-ments can, for example, change their texture. Some of these culinary cen-ters are reminiscent of laboratories so it does not take a great leap to enter into the surgical clinic scenario.

Jürgen carefully removes some oysters from their shells and places them in a mass of molecular algae. He then mixes an extract of algae with a fluid and lets it jell in a cal-cium bath around the oysters. René sets and lights the shot so that it appears as if the oysters are pulsing in their gelatinous coating. A com-pletely different approach is taken for a particularly beautiful oyster that Jürgen has chosen for the scene with the magnifying glass that so attracted René at the very beginn-ing. With surgical cloth, clamp and scalpel, Jürgen prepares the opera-tion. The crowning element is the magnifying glass that partly covers it – a particular challenge from the focusing point of view.

René again chooses the 80mm macro lens, bending over the cam-era which he has mounted directly over the oyster subject. The H3D-39’s big focusing screen helps him with sharpness, and he takes various test shots to be completely sure, exam-ining them on the computer con-nected to the camera. Just when he is doing the last test for this subject, a fly lands on the scalpel at the precise moment when he releases the trig-ger. René sees it on the monitor and comments, “now we’re in a hospital in Bombay.” susanne schmitt

OperatiOn FOOd

Production: Fred Baur; food stylist: Jürgen Zimmerstädt/Bigoudi; sty ling: Kim Porr; digital assistant: Janek Grahmann; studio assistent: Iren Dymke

www.reneriis.com, www.office36.com

the homarus gammarus had to have the first of its tasty claws amputated (above) – not even an injection of orange tincture of caviar can help (right)

renÉ rIIsthe Danish photographer, René Riis, was born on the island of Bornholm in 1967. After graduating, he spent the summer of 1986 working for four months as head cook in a restaurant on Rømø, to finance a world trip. Back in Denmark, Riis studied photography from 1988 to 1992, and trained with Kjeld thomsen. After that he worked in a photo studio for two years, and as an assis-tant to poul Ib henriksen from 1994 to 1999. since then he has been based in Copen-hagen as a freelance photo-grapher, specializing in food and stills. his work has been published in ‘Gastro’, ‘Wallpaper’, ‘Ud & se’, ‘Elle Decoration’/Japan, ‘precious Magazine’, ‘Elle’/Korea, and ‘EuroMan’ among others. he has carried out cam-paigns for Bonaqua, sAs Royal hotel, Lego, Arla Food and Ceres Brewery.

For the “Making of” video visit www.victorbyhasselblad.com

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Next victor oNliNe: 1 april 2010

items and topics in the next issue of ViCTOr online may be changed or post-poned due to editorial or other reasons.

Carl lyTTle>> combines stati c grandeur with cinematic dynamics

MOrTen QVale >> brilliant, colorful, impressive – high voltage beauty close-ups

STeVe MCCurry >> the great american reportage photo- g rapher was on the road with an H4D-40

Be surprised by inspiring portfolios, keep up-to-date with the most significant photographic trends and read leading news for the photography community. On April 1st, 2010, check your monitor for the next issue of VICTOR online.

realization: IDC Corporate Publishing GmbH, Hamburg, Germany

All articles and illustrations contained in the online magazine are subject to the laws of copyright. Any form of utilisation beyond the narrow limits imposed by the laws of copyright and without the expressed permis-sion of the publisher is forbidden and will be prosecuted. We accept no respon sibility for unsolicited material and this will only be returned if appropriate postage is included.

Hasselblad is a registered trademark of Victor Hasselblad A/S, Denmark. Place of jurisdiction and execution: Hamburg, Germany

VICTOR online | 3/2010www.victorbyhasselblad.cominfo@victorbyhasselblad.com

Publisher: Stephan Bittner, Center of Service GmbH

Publishing House/Advertising:Center of Service GmbHHammerbrookstr. 9320097 Hamburg, GermanyTel.: +49.40.25 40 48-69 (Fax: -40)E-mail: info@centerofservice.com

Photographer relations Manager Hasselblad: Christian NørgaardChristian.Norgaard@Hasselblad.dk

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