Hasselblad heroines

In

conversation with Ceridwen Hughes

“There are so few women professional photographers, and the Hasselblad Heroine photographers are amazing. I’ve met a few other photographers through this and it’s been so nice because they’ve been really supportive, we can ask each other questions and chat about things which is really, really important.”

When photographer and director of Same but Different Ceridwen Hughes (Ceri) talks about what it has meant to her to be chosen as the final Hasselblad Heroine for 2023 her quiet pride is evident. Whilst the name Hasselblad has undoubtedly widely become synonymous with iconic, high-quality cameras and photographic equipment, they are also renowned within the creative arts community for their support and patronage of photographers and photography. Initiatives such as their Hasselblad Ambassadors or hugely well-regarded competitions, including the Hasselblad Masters, offer exciting opportunities for both ‘professionals, as well as aspiring newcomers, the chance to make their mark in the world of photography.’

The annual Hasselblad Heroines, a celebration of female photographers, was introduced in 2019 with the aim of ‘shining a light on talented female photographers from around the globe as they make their mark in the photographic industry.’ Each year several ‘exceptional female photographers’ are selected through a nomination process that is open to the public, and who the company feel ‘demonstrate unparalleled creativity, innovation, and a distinctive visual narrative.’ Once selected each of the photographers are invited to create a body of work using Hasselblad cameras which they are loaned. These exciting new images are then showcased both through the company’s news updates and across their social media platforms, before being included in the online Hasselblad Heroines gallery. Through highlighting their work Hasselblad hopes to encourage upcoming generations of female photographers, and to encourage the world to join each photographer on ‘a profound journey through their captivating photography and inspiring stories!’

It is perhaps surprising that Ceri’s journey as a photographer only began in 2014. “The first time I properly picked up a camera was at a James concert; my brother-in-law is in the group and I asked if I could have a photo pass. I knew nothing about photography, but I’d just got my first DSLR and I thought it would be exciting. When I got into the pit with all the proper photographers, they were so kind, I was asking them questions like what settings to use, and before the group came on, they explained what they did. I absolutely loved it, I really, really loved it. It’s so challenging because you’ve only got the first three songs, the light changes constantly, you don’t know where anyone is going to be… so in a way it’s a really brilliant training ground!

So, I did that first photo shoot that was purely for pleasure, and I really liked the photos that I created.

And because that meant that I had this tiny body of work I then thought ‘why don’t I ask for Photo Pass for somewhere else’… I got a pass for a David Gray concert, and it just grew from there.”

Initially Ceri did a lot of concert photography, learning a huge amount with each gig, and becoming ever more clear that photography was what she was passionate about, a way of expressing her creativity and imagination. Prior to this her background was in marketing, where for years she had written detailed briefs for the photographers she had employed to create the images she visualized for her campaigns. Becoming a photographer changed everything she explains, as it “gave me that control over what I wanted from a creative element” in a much more meaningful way.

Ceri and her husband Phillip have two sons, Theo and Issac, and as a family love nothing more than to travel, discovering new landscapes and cultures. As the boys get older, she has put down her camera during these trips and focused instead on enjoying their increasingly precious time together before the reality of university, of jobs and of independent adult lives makes these trips a memory. It is because of Isaac that Ceri’s photography took a perhaps unexpected turn, ultimately leading her to found Same but Different. Isaac was diagnosed with Moebius syndrome when he was just 11 months old.

Over the years it became apparent to her that people made judgments about who he was, and what he was capable of based simply on his appearance. As a parent it is hard to watch whilst the world fails to see your child for who they are, seeing instead only a visible difference, or a disability perhaps, and allowing that to tell them your child’s story. For Ceri, “one of the things that upset me was the fact that when he was little any school photographs always looked awful because the photographers just did not understand how to deal with facial paralysis. You might think that somebody who doesn’t have a very animated face would be easy to photograph, but actually it’s really difficult. And because of that I sort of thought that ‘nobody sees Isaac for who he is, they just see this terrible photo.’”

Reflecting on those early days, and why she founded Same but Different Ceri explains that she realised she could be part of the change she wanted to see, that she could actively engage with, and use the arts to give people the opportunity to see the person behind the rare disease. “I had this sort of lightbulb moment when I realised that it would be a perfect opportunity to combine my marketing background and photography. Initially it was just with the premise of doing portraits of children, focusing on the child and not the condition, so that you could see the person behind the condition. The Rare Project was incredibly well received, it was ridiculous how far it went, the press coverage was immense.” Today you only need visit the Same but Different website to see the breadth and scope of work; from a series of visual campaigns using photography exhibitions, videos, and films through to podcasts, articles and Rarity Life magazine. Crucially, Same but Different not only share the stories of the people they portray but support the community through their RAREhub services which include the groundbreaking Rare Navigator role.

The lack of support that her family experienced in Ceri’s mother’s distressing final days before she passed away inspired her to begin work on a new creative project, looking into ‘What matters most?’ to those who are living with reality dying. The aim of the project is to raise awareness and to highlight end of life care, to encourage discussion around death and dying, a subject that is often avoided until it is too late. The arrival of the camera and equipment from Hasselblad as part of the Hasselblad Heroines project has meant that she has been able to use them to photograph people who have been given a terminal diagnosis along with their loved ones and care givers. Over the years it became clear to Ceri that it is “harder to get people to engage with portraits of adults. As a lot of the work we do is about getting people to want to know more, we’ve moved on to more complex scenes, to more scene-based imagery. It’s all about trying to encourage curiosity, so that people want to know more. That’s why, with ‘What matters most’ it was really important to have the portraits of the people who took part. It was even more important to have scene-based images that captured them in a way that encourage people to want to know more about them.”

The world of photography and the photographers who capture the photos that matter are as varied as the world itself: From candid shots captured by an amateur photographer to highly technical, innovative, and groundbreaking photographs taken by a photographer at the height of their game. The photographs which have changed the world are the ones which offer a window into a moment, a moment which captures and distils the powerful narrative within. Many of these iconic images have been captured by Hasselblad cameras, and for Ceri it is both the opportunity to use a Hasselblad camera and the recognition and honour of being chosen as one of the select few Hasselblad Heroines that is hugely meaningful to her. “When I first started doing photography, I’d told someone I knew about my plans and he said to me ‘you know, unless you go to college and learn it properly you’ll never get anywhere, or do anything with it.’ It was just the most negative comment and at the time it was really disheartening. To me, it’s not just about the technical photography, it’s about passion, and also having an understanding of what I want to create. I spend a huge amount of time researching and planning before each project. Going to a college or university to study photography is great, but that wasn’t my route, and this incredible opportunity validates that.”

About Hasselblad

In 1841 in Gothenburg, Sweden, Fritz Wiktor Hasselblad established a trading company, F. W. Hasselblad and Co, which imported supplies such as sewing machines and other household items. Years later his great-grandson Arvid, who was a keen photographer, went on to set up a photographic division within the company. Its huge success was not necessarily an outcome they expected – in fact their website quotes Arvid as stating “I certainly don’t think that we will earn much money on this, but at least it will allow us to take pictures for free.”

Today the name Hasselblad is perhaps the most trusted name within the sector, known for the design and manufacture of high-quality cameras and photographic equipment. For the public the most wellknown, and indeed iconic Hasselblad achievement must surely be the use of their cameras on the NASA Apollo programme missions to the moon. In fact, there are 11 Hasselblad cameras still resting on the lunar surface, as only the film magazines are brought back to Earth after each mission.

About Moebius syndrome

Moebius syndrome is a rare neurological disorder characterised by a weakness or a paralysis (palsy) of multiple cranial nerves, most often the facial nerves, which can mean that individuals with Moebius syndrome are unable to smile, frown, easily form their lips or raise the eyebrows, or even close their eyelids.

The disorder is present at birth which means it is congenital, the exact cause is unknown although whilst it largely appears to occur randomly in most cases there are some cases of it occurring in families which suggests that there may be a genetic component.