online 02.2011

The Hasselblad H4D-31.Starting at €9,995 excl. VAT.

WHy Are Some of THe WorlD’S leADing 35mm pHoTogrApHerS moVing up To THe H4D-31?

(AnD WHy SHoulD you?)

For the really discerning photographer, there comes a time when “good enough” just doesn’t cut it anymore. And that’s why we created the Hasselblad H4D-31.

The Hasselblad H4D-31, featuring a 31 million pixel sensor, provides all the benefits of the Hassel-blad H System, the world’s most advanced camera system, including complete access to all HC and HCD lenses – the best professional lenses on the market today, allowing you to take your photography to heights you never dreamed of - without sacrificing ease-of-use or flexibility that you have become accustomed to.

The H4D-31 represents the combination of decades of photographic expertise, a keen understanding of digital photography, and our never-ending passion for photography.

A passion that means that we will never settle for “good enough”. So you won’t have to either.

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4 >> Newsexhibition: The “National Geographic” touring exhibition “Dolo­mites – The Stone Heart of the World“ with pictures by Georg Tappeiner · Hasselblad Master Award: Images by the 110 finalists are online at the Hasselblad homepage, and open for Public Voting

6 >> HeNrik søreNseNEquipped with an H3DII­50, Danish photographer, Henrik Søren sen, managed to get impressive underwater photos of dancers from the Royal Danish Ballet. With the masterful use of light and shadow, and the precise poses, the images completely captivate the viewer.

24 >> eric lAfforgueUsers of the Hasselblad Owners’ Club have chosen an image by the French reportage photographer as Photo of the Month. At VICTOR online he introduces some of his most beautiful shots and explains why the look of the boy in the winning picture is so intense.

28 >> keviN tHeNMalaysian Hasselblad Master, Kevin Then, loves placing bridal couples in perfect settings. He wants the newly­weds to feel like stars, and spares no effort to achieve this. After all, the images will be with the couples for the rest of their lives.

38 >> previewThe Nairobi National Park is home to the largest orphaned animal shelter in the whole of Africa. Using an H3D­31, German wildlife and repor tage photographer, Joachim Schmeisser, traveled there and took moving black & white pictures of orphaned elephants.

EDITORIAl CONTENT

Please take a look at the Hasselblad Masters finalist gallery on our homepage, and let the impressive photographs inspire and encourage you to take part in selecting your

favorite for the renowned Hasselblad Masters Award! The gallery introducing the 110 finalists has been online since February 1. It includes the creative achievements of ten international photographers in each of the eleven categories, which make up the Hasselblad Masters Award – from Fashion/Beauty to Up-and-Coming, from Wildlife to Product items. The works of the 110 finalists were chosen from among the submissions of over 2500 international photographers, and the selection process was far from easy, considering all the outstanding images.

The general public is now invited to participate in the public voting, choosing their own personal favorite in each category from among the finalists. This vote carries weight: The public will serve as an additional “jury member”, helping the Masters Jury to select the eleven Hasselblad Masters. The jury of experts includes some of the industry’s most respected photographers and established maga-zine editors – such as Steve McCurry, Anton Corbijn, Tim Flach and Danqing Wen. As Hasselblad Pho-tographer Relations Manager, I would be extremely happy if as many of you as possible were to sup-port our jury by taking part in the Public Voting.

The artistic originality, technical perfection and passion conveyed by the 110 finalists’ images have really impressed me; yet, many other pho-tographers who did not make it into the top ten within their category have also submitted many stunning pictures. For this reason, we have decided to set up a separate gallery on our site especially for the 300 semi-finalists. This way we can make sure that you don’t miss those pictures either.

kevin then from Malaysia has already been honored as a Hasselblad Master. The photographer won in the Wedding/Social category of the 2008 Awards. Starting on page 28 of this issue of VICTOR online, he brings us wedding photos that are a mixture of reportage and careful composi- tion. For this particular series, he traveled with a bride and groom from Malaysia to Italy, where they shot pictures in Venice, Florence and Rome. Taken with among others an H4D-40, the images prove once more that Kevin Then is one of the most talented wedding photographers in the world. He has such a passion for photography, the art and his clients. Each of his wedding portraits is a unique piece of art made by the best in the industry.

I hope you enjoy the new issue of VICTOR online.

Yours,Christian Nørgaard,

Photographer Relations Manager Hasselblad

graceful underwater images: Henrik sø-

rensen photographed dancers from the

royal Danish Ballet with his H3Dii-50

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victornEWS

Hasselblad users all over the world exchange news on the Hasselblad Owners’ Club (HOC) site. At the end of January, registered users chose a new Photo of the Month, taken by Alexander Martirosov. With this picture, the Russian photographer prevailed over the strong competition. We will fully introduce him in the March issue of VICTOR online. ■

HocHasselblad

Owners’ Club01/2011

“National Geographic Germany” is introducing a tour-ing exhibition titled “Dolomites – The Stone Heart of the World” by Hasselblad photographer Georg Tap-peiner. The 50 motifs that make up the exhibit show the untouched majesty of the Dolomite landscape, which UNESCO recognized as a world natural heritage site in 2009, due to its “unique, monumental beauty”. The special appeal of this unrivaled mountain range within the Italian Alps was captured by Merano photographer, Georg Tappeiner, with an H3DII-50. His distinctive images of the Dolomites underline an elemental and moving plea to treasure and protect these mountains – totally in line with the National Geographic Society’s mission of “Inspiring people to care about the planet”. The National Geographic exhibition “Dolomites – The Stone Heart of the World” was first presented at photokina 2010 in Cologne. Now it is on tour through-out Germany and Austria. Here are the dates:

March 9 to 13, 2011: ITB, Berlin/GermanyApril 15 to August 14, 2011: Zingst/GermanySeptember 1 to October 30, 2011: Natural History Museum, Vienna/AustriaNovember 21, 2011 to January 7, 2012: Kulturamt St. Ingbert/Germany

More information can be found at www.national geographic.de/aktuelles/ausstellungen/national- geographic-fotoausstellung-dolomiten

exHibitiOnMONuMeNtAl iMAgeS Of the DOlOMiteS

From among 2500 competitors, the jury has selected ten finalists for each of the eleven categories for the Hasselblad Mas-ters Award. The chosen pieces asserted themselves in the midst of a tough inter-national competition, and can be seen at the Finalist Gallery on the Hasselblad homepage since February 1. At the gal-lery, you can not only enjoy the inspiring works of art, but can also take part in the Public Voting process until October 31. Every registered user can vote for a favor-ite in each category, making the public an additional “jury member” in support of our distinguished Masters Jury for the se-lection of the eleven Hasselblad Masters.

“I’m so proud of the number of sub-missions from all around the world, and I’m particularly delighted in the increase from Latin America and the Far East,” Christian Nørgaard, Hasselblad Photo-grapher Relations Manager, says. “But, not only the number of participants has grown, the photographers have further raised the bar, surpassing the already high quality of past years.” This clearly reflects how the competition, supported by Broncolor and SanDisk among others, is increasingly appreciated by the photo community. Hasselblad has created an ad-ditional online gallery to include all 300 semi-finalists, in honor of the outstand-ing quality of work. Starting on February 14, it will be accessible to the public at www.hasselblad.com until the end of Oc-tober. Furthermore, high-quality prints of the 110 finalists’ works will be on exhibit at several Masters Events around the globe throughout this year. ■

masters awardfiNAliStS: vOte fOr yOur fAvOrite

the photographs by the 110 finalists of the

hasselblad Masters Award are being

presented at the final - ists gallery. this is

where registered users can choose their favor- ites for each category

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HenrikSørenSen

Danish photographer, Henrik Sørensen specializes in

underwater pictures. Using Hasselblad cameras with Ultima Digital UW housing, his perfectly lit and

composed images are imbued with elegance and weightlessness. The photos taken of the Royal Danish Ballet

dancers with an H3DII-50 are a great example.

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Bubbles might disturb the pic-tures of synchronized swimmers

(above), but Sørensen added lots to get an even more rocking

image of the guitarist (left)

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“This shot for Getty images/Stone proved harder than expected,

as the papers were drifting due to the circulation in the pool,”

Henrik Sørensen remembers

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For outdoor retailer Friluftland, Sørensen shot outdoor sports under water. it was a challenge for the model to jump into the pool and keep stable on the skis

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Above: “i tried to capture energy and got an almost religious

figure.” right: “i like to imagine there are tones hidden inside

the bubbles. Humor is an important part of my work.”

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For both pictures for Getty images/Stone the underwater

specialist plays with light, a pro fusion of bubbles (left) and well-placed reflections (above)

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The making-of video offers a glimpse at Sørensen’s Hasselblad

shoot with royal Danish Ballet dancers, including this picture of

Byron Mildwater (right)

Please find this movie at www.victorbyhasselblad.com

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Additional cloth added much volume to ballet dancer Josephine Berggren’s dress, allowing Hen rik Sørensen to take this flowing image with his H3Dii-50

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Around four years ago, Danish commercial photographer Henrik Sørensen chanced upon underwa-ter photography. A choreographer colleague asked him if he had ever taken underwater shots, which led to their taking pictures in a swimming pool in Copenhagen. “I immediately found it to be a creative environment I had to explore. From day one I de-cided not to shoot ‘ordinary’ under-water images, but to try and use this liquid space in the most inventive way,” Sørensen remembers. “When I get the model to feel buoyant and re-laxed, it’s possible to take some really graceful and powerful images.” For example, a model screaming under water produces impressive results, because the rising bubbles leave a trail like in a cartoon image.

“Another thing that this clean and graphic space gives me is the dreamy light, the slight diffusion in the water that allows me to create peaceful im-agery with smooth skin tones. Talk-ing of skin, I should mention that the ‘floating’ factor does something to the face; in a way it takes gravity out of action,” Sørensen explains. At the same time, it is not possible to communicate with the model under water – each adjustment has to be

Sørensen proved his capacity to master the particular conditions and challenges of underwater shooting during a campaign for Hasselblad. Together with choreographer Loise Seloy, he directed three dancers from the Royal Danish Ballet at a swim-ming pool in Copenhagen. “The concept was to capture the grace and elegance of these great artists, and use the water to add some ex-tra weightlessness to the imagery,” Sørensen remembers. “The chore-ographer tried to keep the positions as classic as possible, so I could focus on the expression and the composi-tion.” Because none of the dancers had any experience with underwa-ter pictures, the preparations were very important. First of all, Sørensen made sure they felt safe and secure in the water, because, if they had been the slightest bit fearful, it would have been reflected in the pictures.

The dancers, however, adapted to the unusual setting very quickly, so that neither hair extensions, big dresses or stage fright could make them lose their cool. The result of the two day photo shoot is a series of ap-parently weightless, perfectly com-posed and dramatic photographs imbued with timeless elegance.

Sørensen photographed Berggren (left) for Hasselblad; the picture on the right for Oergreen glasses. “Portrait photography underwater is challenging due to communi-cation difficulties; but the heroic pose works rather well.”

made on the surface. This produces another challenge – there is often only one shot where everything comes together. “That leads to the technical aspect, where both cam-era and light need to be really reli-able. I can’t afford to miss the right shot due to technical problems,” the photographer adds. For this rea-son he uses an H3D-39 or H3DII-50 with Ultima Digital UW housing. The salt-water resistant, aluminum Ultima Digital case protects the cam-era in depths of up to 60 meters. As for the right lighting, Sørensen has plenty of experience. “From day one I tried to use the water as a creative medium, and I prefer to work with controllable lighting, always using a studio flash, often narrowing the light and trying to avoid bounding light in the pool. I’ve learned to use some of the walls and the bottom of the pool as a visual tool to reflect the light,” he explains. It is not just their dependability and high resolution that led him to choose Hasselblad cameras, but also the depth of color they can achieve. “Due to the wave length of light traveling through wa-ter, it is of utmost importance to be able to use the narrow color space it leaves you,” Sørensen explains.

PoRTfolIo Henrik SørenSen

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Eric Lafforgue became interested in photography after working in a variety of other media. In 2006, be-fore setting off on a long journey, he decided to buy an H2D. “The idea was to record remote tribes, using the most modern equipment,” Laf-forgue remembers. “After posting my pictures on the web, I had many re-quests from prestigious magazines,” he explains. “When Geo Germany bought 10 pages of my New Guinea pictures, I thought about turning pro full time.” While travelling the world, he photographed the people because he was interested in their lives, tra-ditions and cultures. Lafforgue has been using Hasselblads the whole time: After the H2D it was an H3D-39 and, more recently, an H4D-50. “I think I’m a good tester because, if the Hasselblad has survived Ango la, Ethiopia, Vanuatu, Papua New Gui-nea or North Korea, you can say it works!” The HOC winning picture (next page, top left), was taken with the H3D-39 just after landing on Ambrym, a small island in Oceania. “I was the only tourist on the weekly plane, and its arrival is the kids’ main entertainment! So as soon as I got out of the plane I saw this kid who was so surprised to see the big camera in my hands, that I took a picture,” he re-calls. Photos that Lafforgue took in Asia and Oceania can be seen at the “Portraits of Asia” open air exhibition at Bangkok’s Central World Square, from February 10 to April 10, 2011.

Vita: Born in Pau, France, 1964. Free-

lance photographer since 2007. Publi-

shed, among others, in Geo, National

Geographic and CNN Traveller.

www.ericlafforgue.com

www.hasselblad.com

HOCHasselBlad

OwNers’ CluB1/2011

eriC laFFOrGueMembers of the Hasselblad Owners’ Club have chosen

a picture by Eric Lafforgue as Photo of the Month. Introducing the French reportage photographer and his aesthetic world.

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HOCHasselBlad

OwNers’ CluB1/2011

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“A wedding photo shouldn’t just be traditional, with the bride simply standing around wearing a white gown,” Malaysian wedding photo-grapher Kevin Then explains. “It’s my style to make it more dramatic, more romantic. Like a movie director, I want the pictures a certain way, with everything perfect – the dress, veil, face, makeup, and hairstyle. After all, the pictures will be with the couple their whole lives.” With this in mind, it’s not surprising that Then puts a considerable amount of time and ef-fort into the photo shoots. He once travelled with a couple from Malay-sia to Italy, to take bombastic wed-ding pictures with the monumental backdrops of Venice, Florence and Rome. “The Hasselblad system is re-ally helpful for creating a dramatic mood for the pictures. Of course I also give credit to the atmosphere and the extra lighting,” Then, who took the photos in Italy with an H3D-22 and an H4D-40, recalls. Whether saturat-ed with colour or in powerful black & white, his pictures are perfectly com-posed and set up. The photographer also allows for the unexpected, using passers-by as extras for some motifs – like the couple kissing on Venetian Ponte dell’Accademia bridge, a street musician in an alleyway in Venice, or a boy passing over Ponte dell’Angelo in Rome. Kevin Then, co-owner of SG Bridal House in Malaysia, has been doing pre-nuptial and wed-ding day photography for nine years already. He is known for transform-ing the bridal couples into stars. His passion is to use his creativity to capture the special moments in won-derful and timeless images.

www.kevinthen.com www.hasselblad.com

Hasselblad Master portfolio

social

Kevin Then

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Next victor oNliNe: 1 march 2011

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

mark hOlThusen >> product images rem-

iniscent of the old masters

jOachIm schmeIsser >> his portraits of orphaned elephants in kenya inspire tender feelings

Be surprised by inspiring portfolios, keep up-to-date with the most significant photographic trends and read leading news for the photography community. On March 1st, 2011, 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 | 2/2011www.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

ImprInT

HOCHasselblad

Owners’ Club2/2011

>> Discover the aesthetic world of the photographer who took the

hasselblad Owners’ club photo of the month: alexander martirosov

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