online
5.2009
SIZE.
Excellent prints up to 64 inch width – from commercial to art prints, for in- and outdoors. www.epson.de
Epson Stylus Pro 11880
Epson Stylus Pro GS6000
editorial
Only dead fish swim with the current. Likewise, those paralysed in the face of crisis invariably get washed away. Apparently, this is how a growing number of Hasselblad photographers see it. Why else would the H3DII-50 – Hasselblad’s top-shelf camera – find itself in such great demand today despite worldwide economic crisis? Extreme circumstances, it seems, call for extreme equipment if you are to make it upstream. It’s survival of the fittest all over again. And choosing any one of Hasselblad’s solutions – not just the latest – will ensure that you make headway on your journey. Hasselblad is fully dedicated to keeping all of its family members in the game – even or especially the older ones. To this end, the latest, cost-free Phocus update features a new firmware upgrade for Hasselblad digital cameras and backs with 31 and 39 megapixels resolution, increasing the maximum sensor sensitivities to ISO 800 (39 megapixels) and IS0 1600 (31 megapixels) respectively. This is great news for outdoor shoots on location. The sustainability concept based on total compatibility within the H family is bearing its fruit. We’re currently witnessing a number of new and practical solutions enter the H system, such as the DC Power Grip and the HTS 1.5 Tilt & Shift adapter. Phocus is now also available to Windows users. So no matter which H camera you use you will be able to benefit from these latest additions. Finally, there are certain price benefits to all this technical innovation. From April, Hasselblad’s most powerful camera, the H3DII-50, will be crossing counters for 17.995 Euro ex. V.A.T. The workhorse of the family, the H3DII-39, now sells for 14.995 Euro ex. V.A.T. The H3DII-31 – and this is Hasselblad’s most important message – is Hasselblad’s first high-end system to be sold below the 10.000 Euro threshold. At 9.990 Euro ex. V.A.T. it is the first Hasselblad camera to penetrate below that magical bottom price limit. The entry into the champions league of photography has never been this accessible. We’re almost down there with the top performers of the 35 mm DSLR sector. And there is one more highlight: The H3DII-60 introduced at Photokina 2008 will be available in the third quarter of 2009 for 26.995 ex. V.A.T. Most photographers like to be at the cutting edge of technology. For those avant-gardists who purchase a brand-new H3DII-50 from 1 January to 30 June 2009, Hasselblad offers an upagrade to the H3DII-60 for a catalogue price difference. Find out more at www.hasselblad.com We hope you enjoy the new version of VICTOR online. Yours sincerely Uwe Möbus, Director Hasselblad Germany
Content
David Lynch photographed by Marco Grob. What happens, when the film director picks up a photo camera himself? Find out on page 16
04 >> news High ISO: New, free-of-charge firmware enables ISO 800 or ISO 1600 · The H cameras can now connect to your national grid network · Hasselblad Master Award 2009: over 2.400 applicants
06 >> Michael meyersfeld South African Michael Meyersfeld is a master in composition. His commercial (VICTOR-online-cover) and non-commercial works are always precisely arranged and visually stunning.
16 >> david lynch David Lynch is not just a film director: He paints, composes and photographs. In an exclusive interview with VICTOR, Lynch shares his experience working with an H3DII-39.
24 >> seven up VICTOR asked seven representatives from the international photo scene to choose their personal top photographer Newcomer – and to explain why these are the ones to watch.
26 >> perfect shape Hasselblad’s exclusive multi-shot technology ensures higher resolution, better colors and natural picture effects – with a lot of high tech but without changing the sensor.
34 >> Uli weber Delightfully sensual and elegant images are Uli Weber’s trademark. A 2006 Hasselblad Master, his pictures demonstrate an unwavering intuition for setting the right mood.
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victornEWS DC Power Grip Unlimited Performance High ISO The H3D is very sensitive! If you own a Hasseldblad camera back with a 39 megapixel sensor (CFH, CF or CFII) and you work with Phocus, then the firmware update is for you – increasing the ISO setting to 800
The H camera by Hasselblad is not only as solid as they come – it’s becoming increasingly sensitive to light! The latest, freely downloadable firmware version known as “R290” introduces an extra ISO setting to H2D, H3D and H3DII cameras and CFH, CF and CFII backs with 31 and 39 megapixels. The 39 megapixel Hasselblad with updated firmware, for instance, now packs a maximum ISO 800 while the H3D-31 and H3DII-31 climb to a soaring ISO 1600. All ISO settings, including the uppermost ones, guarantee immaculate, low-noise photography come rain or sunshine. The 31 megapixel Hasselblad has never looked this attractive to available light specialists! What warrants the ISO boost is a vastly improved noise suppression algorithm performed to Hasselblad’s renowned imaging software, Phocus. Not only does it deal far more effectively with colour and luminance noise but the inherently low-noise 31 and 39 megapixel sensors have been meticulously attuned to noise suppression conducted in Phocus. Once the firmware has been optimised for the 50 megapixel sensor, the H3DII50 will be included in the program immediately. Meanwhile, the firmware update is automatically imple mented in current Phocus versions 1.1.3 for Mac and 1.0.2 for PC. ■
Hasselblad’s new DC Power Grip provides all owners of H cameras with an external power supply unit, replacing the need for the battery that comes supplied with the camera. The ergonomic DC Power Grip is inserted in the battery compartment and connected to the power unit by means of an electricity lead. This enables hours upon hours of photography with the camera linked directly to the grid. Depleted batteries shall never threaten to spoil the fun again! Hasselblad’s DC Power Grip fulfils a long-standing dream of countless H photographers seeking to maintain a constant connection between their camera and computer – without having to worry about running out of juice. The DC Power Grip warrants extensive use in surveillance operations and even remote-capture photography. The DC Power Grip might just even do away with the need for a back-up battery. The lead connecting the DC Power Grip with the adapter is sufficiently long (2 meters) and the electricity supply unit compatible with 100 to 240 Volts and even power generators. The power supply socket is standardised (‘shaver cable’) – all that is required is a fitting power cord for the given power grid. The jack on the DC Power Grip is a standard type with a 6 millimeter diameter compatible with all kinds of power sources capable of supplying 7.5 Volts DC at 3.5 ampere. Conventional power packs like these, however, are not obtainable through Hasselblad. The DC Power Grip greatly increa ses the options of every digital or analogue H camera within and without the studio. It stands as an example for how Hasselblad endeavours toward expanding the H system even at detail level. The DC Power Grip is available through specialized camera dealers for a price of 225 Euro. ■
Masters Award More than 2.400 participants The Hasselblad Masters Award 2009 submission period has just closed. More than 2.400 photographers from around the world have uploaded more than 10.000 photographs onto Hasselblad’s main website. “I’m thrilled with the level of quality and talent evident in the submissions. It will be quite a challenging task to choose the ten winners – but I’m certain that our extremely qualified jury will be up for this challenge,” Christian Nørgaard, Photographer Relations Manager at Hasselblad, announces. A total of 100 finalists will be nominated, producing 10 candidates for each of the 10 masters categories. The jury, a panel of chief editors for renowned photography magazines, museum directors and master photographers such as Anton Corbijn and Douglas Kirkland, is faced with the immense challenge of having to elect 10 winners. In addition, from Mai 15 to 1st December 2009, the public is being invited to participate in the event by casting a vote and supporting their favorite fashion photographers or newcomer artists via Hasselblad.com. The public poll acts as the thirteenth member of the jury. The 10 winners will be announced in early 2010. ■
Update the firmware on your Hasselblad H3D-31 or H3DII-31, climb to ISO 1600 and greatly increase your possibilities in available light photography
The DC Power Grip fits all Hasselblad H cameras and enables the studio photographer to work freely without batteries and chargers
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The Hasselblad Masters 2008 present their photographic interpretation of the “passion” theme in this fabulous coffee table book by teNeues
michael Meyersfeld Fast action photography, sophisticated still-life arrangements, nostalgic colour palettes. No matter where South African photographer Michael Meyersfeld sets his sights, the audience enjoys the highest degree of techni足cal precision, stunning visuals, and intellectual stimulation. An insightful glimpse at his commercial and personal portfolio
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From the 12-part series “Woman Undone”, Meyersfeld’s most recent project. To capture the energy of the motion his Hasselblad camera was mounted on a special contraption developed specifically for the shoot
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From Meyerfeld’s series on a large coal extraction plant in South Africa, 2007 (page 8 top); pictures for “Great Stock”, library in Johannesburg, 2008 (above and page 8 lower right)
Taylor project of a South African coal mine (left page far left); extracts from a campaign for Mercedes SLK (commissioned by the advertising agency Leo Burnett), 2005 (left)
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Marching band as part of a community project sponsored by diamond company De Beers in South Africa. From an adver足tising campaign commissioned by JWT, 2007
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From Michael Meyersfeld’s recent art project series “12 Naked Men” on the evolution of masculinity (above); a test for variations in black, the pictures served as ideas for later campaigns (right and right page lower right)
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Portrait of Jeluzgan, Meyersfeld’s Malawian assistant (page 9 top); Nigerian body builder on an operating table, from “12 Naked Men”. The body builder was unhappy with the result and steered clear of the exhibition opening (page 13 lower left)
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Portfolio Michael Meyersfeld
Michael Meyersfeld from Johannes burg South Africa is a popular advertising photographer who is booked for his unique style, brilliant compositions, and crisp detail work. “Image-making has always fascinated me. From the age of six, I was making black and white contacts from a Brownie camera (a basic Kodak camera popular back in the 1950s and 60s) in a cupboard under the stairwell at my home in Johannesburg,” Meyersfeld says. The toilsome road to the top of advertising photography, having claimed numerous awards – at the New York Advertising Festival, The Andys, New York, Clios Advertising Awards, USA, and the London International Advertising Awards – however, was all but straight. “Studying architecture was my first choice after matriculating. However, I relented under family pressure and completed a predictable B.Com at the university of the Witwatersrand. I was then absorbed into the family steel merchandising business where I remained until the business was fortuitously sold. That’s when I made the leap into commercial photography,” he reminisces. Meyersfeld, a passionate collector of paintings, photography and sculp ture, is greatly inspired by the works of photography masters Eugene Atget (1857–1927), Richard Avedon (1923–2004) and Helmut Newton (1920–2004). Today, he is hired both domestically and internationally and his customers include major companies such as Mercedes Benz, Colgate and Post-It. Meyersfeld runs a studio in Johannesburg where he took on a photo assistant, a studio assistant and a studio and product manager as part of his team. His work is post-produced by independent company “The Touch Shop”. Despite the increase in computeraided equipment, however, the South African has a clear vision: “I
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Multiple award winning advertisement photo of the “Nugget Campaign” for Jupiter Drawing Room, Johannesburg (above); from the series “Woman Undone”, photographed in the toilet of a swimming pool. The man in the background was not hired as a model (right)
Advertisement for Jaguar shot after sunset in Cape Town, commissioned by London Agency “Another Solution”
prefer to achieve as much as possible in the taking of the photo, using post-production mainly to apply interesting colour palettes,” he says. As a result, many of his works have that distinct nostalgic feel – with an abundant use of black. “It’s a lot of work,” Meyersfeld secretively admits, “but it’s worth the effort!” Be it advertising or personal projects, Meyersfeld knows exactly what he wants to show: “I love making images that break the norm – images that are exciting and compelling,” he explains. To do so, Meyersfeld has cultivated his artistic intuition as much as he as honed his research skills. “I am constantly on the look-out for interesting, exciting and unusual visuals. When something catches my eye, I think about how I want to capture what I saw and then prepare for the shoot,” he explains. Meyersfeld enjoys the adventure in his personal work. It gives him a looseness of touch which invariably spills over into his commercial assignments. Meyersfeld has been shooting Hasselblad exclusively for more than 20 years. He actually uses the new H3DII-50 mounted with 28, 35, 80 and 120 mm lenses to breathe life into both his commercial and personal art projects: “The two disciplines feed off each other. It’s how I’m able to grow as a fine art photographer. Numerous collectors, including the Johannesburg Art Gallery, have bought my work.” Currently he is working on a series called “Woman Undone”, the followup to “12 Naked Men”, previously exhibited. “This series depicts the changing role of women in the world of today, as well as the consequences.” A profound subject which he has no problem contrasting with other, perhaps more profane assignments – having only just completed a project for Junior tooth paste. carla susanne erdmann
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»Every Click
Is AmazingLy Satisfying .
«
World renowned and frequently honored for his work in cinema and television, director David Lynch moves easily between media worlds – just as he always did. So it’s hardly surprising this Jack-of-all-trades can do amazing things with a Hasselblad H3DII-39.
Photos: David Lynch Portrait: marco Grob
The name David Lynch brings to mind films such as The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986), Lost Highway (1997), Mulholland Drive (2001) and Inland Empire (2006), and the many awards and the recognition they have received. His style is unique, his stories idiosyncratic, his Œuvre one of a kind. But David Lynch is much more than just a film director, screenplay writer and producer. He paints, composes, animates and photographs. In 2007, his photographic exhibition The Air is on Fire appeared at the Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris. Born in 1946 in Missoula (Montana), USA, Lynch studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. His main focus was painting, sculpture and photography, but for his final year in 1967 he animated sketches, creating his first short film, Six Men Getting Sick. Regardless of which medium he happens to work in, Lynch is always pushing the limits, exploring human relationships to the visual world. Most recently, he did so with a H3DII39 from Hasselblad: with amazing results. VICTOR met up with David Lynch in Paris to talk about art, rotten meat and beauty. frank britt (buddy.se)/inas fayed Victor: Mr. Lynch, most people are not as familiar with your photography as with your films. How did you get into photography? David Lynch: Film combines many art forms, so it’s obvious that through the world of cinema you can easily become interested in photography. That’s what happened to me. I started out as a painter, exploring ideas. Sometimes the ideas lead to films, and sometimes photography; then, off I’d go … It wasn’t like I thought of myself as a photographer. I just liked taking pictures – mainly of nudes and factories. Then I got this Hasselblad camera. The first thing I noticed, which set it apart from anything I’d experienced before, was the
incredible detail. It was unbelievable. You zoom in, and in one photograph you can find twenty-five, fifty, more than a hundred images that are of better quality than the full frame of any other camera. So the camera opens up new worlds. For me it represents a real breakthrough in photography. Victor: When you enlarge the pictures, do you find creative angles that you hadn’t seen before? Lynch: That’s exactly what I’m saying. You can zoom in as deep as you want and there’s no loss of quality. Every click satisfies. Amazing. And that’s just the beginning of the journey. What happens after that is filled with surprises and possibilities. Victor: You’ve said that a single word can get you all fired up. ‘Industry’ is a powerful one, for example. Do you associate any particular word with your flower pictures? Lynch: Well, I love the word ‘organic’. However you apply it. Take factories, industry, old buildings, when nature goes to work on a factory, starts breaking it down, you get both industry and organic, know what I mean? So take the flowers: flowers are nature. You start out with a certain idea of what a flower is, but if you go deep enough inside the flower, and see the abstraction of it, you find another kind of organic. It’s almost cosmic and totally stunning.
The same can happen with the factory photos. The same for the nudes, you know. When you have so much detail and resolution, who knows what you might discover? Victor: Doesn’t it go against the photographic ideal of ‘composing in the viewfinder’? Lynch: Well, everyone knows there are no rules in art. In physics or in chemistry, there are rules that can be observed: the laws of nature and all that. But in art, as soon as there are rules, someone’s gonna come along and break them. And I prefer to be one of those people … Victor: You’ve also said that a camera is like a pencil and paper, nothing more than a tool. Just because you have a pen and paper doesn’t mean you can write a novel.
Lynch: Exactly. Virtually everyone has access to pen and paper, but how many truly great works have been written? Nowadays, everybody has access to digital technology. But the important thing is what people do with the flow of creativity. The whole question of catching ideas and realizing them, is a thrilling, thrilling, thrilling process. In the past it was a process that was only accessible to a limited number of people, since film was so expensive. Victor: Moving from the quality of the results to the product itself: how did you find the camera’s handling? Did you always take hand-held pictures? Lynch: I used a tripod a couple of times, but usually it was hand-held. Another thing I like is that you can set the shutter so that it actually opens like a quarter of a second or something after pressing the release. So the action of pushing on the trigger doesn’t affect the focus, doesn’t produce even a tiny blur. I like that. Because when you have that much detail, it’s important that every shot is as clear as possible, so that when you zoom in you don’t see double or anything. I like the way Hasselblad has solved the problem. I also like the fact that you can designate different buttons for different functions: I used that feature a lot. Victor: But you don’t seem to have made much use of the functions in your black & white pictures. Actually they look like an analogue collage; as if someone had taken a print and worked on it with scissors and a pen. It’s unusual for digital images. Lynch: Everything conjures up ideas. This series of photographies conjured up ideas that led to cutting and manipulating and drawing in Photoshop.
From left: David Lynch, 2008, Red-Yellow Flower #3, Red-Yellow Flower #1, Red-Yellow Flower #2
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It » makes
No Sense to Apply Rules To Art .
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Victor: The pictures convey a sense of destruction, but without an aggressive feeling. It’s as though something new and beautiful is created by destroying parts of the picture. What did you do? Lynch: Sometimes we can only advance by destroying a part of the past. This is exactly what happened with many of these photos. Victor: As clear, sharp and crisp as the flower images are, the black & white portraits are mystical, shaken and blurred. Movement, moments, feelings. And beauty. Like in the reclining nude (page 10) – a classic pose, precisely composed – but nothing to really grasp on to, it’s rather fleeting. Do you prefer hiding to explaining? If yes, why? Lynch: I don’t call it hiding, and from my perspective, explaining poisons the experience for others. I like to let the image speak for itself, whether it’s a blurred dream or a crisp piece of reality. Victor: Getting back to the camera. Do you use the customized and automated functions? Lynch: Yeah, a lot at first! When I started working with the camera, I thought I’d use automatic for everything, but after discovering the way it works I wound up opting for manual all the time. Victor: So, you’re not shooting auto then? Lynch: No! When you learn to adjust the camera yourself, you see exactly what you’re getting, and you just dial it in to whatever you want. And this is another advantage of digital. With film, you don’t see what you have till it comes back from the lab. Here you see right away, and then you can delete or change. You tweak until things are where you want them, and then you’re ready to rock! Then it becomes increasingly intuitive. You have a certain light, a certain set up, and you gradually know enough to just set it up manually, and then go for it. It’s so beautiful!
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Victor: But you have more than just flowers. What about the portraits? Lynch: I photographed some flowers, then I took a kind of portrait, and afterwards my chicken head … Victor: … your chicken head??? Lynch: Yes, back in the nineties I painstakingly sculpted a head from a mixture of cheese and chicken and covered it with wax. I put it on a coat hanger and hung it up on a nail to set the stage. Then I waited. I opened up the eyes, the mouth, the nose and the ears, and waited. Pretty soon ants came and found their way up to the sculpture and began to clean it. This was phenomenal – for four days and four nights they cleaned the entire mass out of the head. Their little feet made marks in the mortician’s clay. Their footprints looked so much like pores. I wish I’d had a Hasselblad back then, because you could have gone so deep into it … uuunnreal. I’ve tried to do it again. I used sugar, jelly and turkey! And cheese. And tomatoes. I sculpted the head in wax, stuffed it and put it on wires in a stage-like setting and waited, but there was hardly any ant activity. Hardly any at all. So, necessity is the mother of invention. I analysed. The turkey, I think, was processed, not natural. I don’t think it generated any odour or whatever it was that attracted the ants, so they just couldn’t find it. They were all around, but only five or six came closer, and then they went away again. They never came in the same large numbers as before. So I realize I don’t know what ants are thinking. Then I built a box for outside. I was going to try the whole thing again closer to a known ant area, though
3 or 4 feet above the ground. And to attract the ants, I put a piece of real raw chicken in the box. Over the course of time, maggots were born … so then I decided to go with the maggots instead. I sculpted another head using chicken covered with wax. I only opened it at the mouth, where there just happened to be a piece of liver. I got some photos of that early stage. The head was on wires in a white box so that it would stand out. I waited for the maggots to start coming out of the mouth: it should have started 11 to 14 days later; but it never really happened. Other stuff happened – pretty organic stuff. Really organic. And you find all these phenomenal details, if you know what I mean. Victor: After hearing that story, I hesitate to ask the next question, but … what the hell. You once said in an interview that every picture has a sound. What kind of sound would such an image make? Lynch: You discover the sound by experimenting – by action and reaction. Off hand, I don’t know what sound such an image might make, but if I experimented for a while, you know, lived with it, I’d find out. It’s a lonely sort of image, so it would be a lonely sort of sound. Because of the detail you just can’t stop looking at it. Victor: Okay, so you’ve got rotting pieces of animal flesh in different shapes and forms and the beauty of flowers – it’s quite a contrast, to say the least … Lynch: … right, and portraits. I also want to use the Hasselblad to do some magic hour photos of east LA – of Silver Lake and Echo Park. An area of LA where there’s plenty of very modern stuff, but there’s still a real nice feeling of the past. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, and the Hasselblad is the perfect camera to do it with. I can’t wait to get going. Victor: We appreciate and thank you for your time.
Emily Scream #1 (above left), Chicken Head Blue #1 (above), Women Thinking #2 (right)
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Woman Looks #3 (above), Light Cigarette #1 (above left), Light Cigarette #3, Light Cigarette #4, Light Cigarette #8 (from left), Couch Series #3 (next page)
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Anthony Gayton
Thierry Perez
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Up
Which photographers are currently on the move to the very top? VICTOR got seven international photo representatives to choose – we present their newcomers and tell why these are the ones to watch.
Francesco Carrozzini
Thierry Perez illustrated modern
Anthony Gayton immaculately mythical
Francesco Carrozzini simply cinematic
Fred Baur, Office36, Hamburg: “Getting into photography was a career change for Thierry Perez. Thierry was designer and art director for Jean-Paul Gaultier for many years, where he established an international reputation as an illustrator. At Gaultier, Thierry was in charge of developing the collection for Madonna’s stage shows. He made photography his profession in 2003; developing a technique which is a blend of illustration and photography. Thierry’s pictures have a unique character and show great talent, expressing his own style of classic-modern imagery.”
Saskia Middelburg-Munteanu, Middelburg Pictures, Munich: “Anthony Gayton doesn’t take photographs, he tells stories. He is inspired by literature and world history and makes use of digital postproduction to create images of anthropomorphic beings and mythological allegories. Anthony Gayton is a top newcomer because he photographs things as yet unseen, and he does so with perfect quality. He will develop strongly in the art scene and also in fashion, because he manages to turn every outfit into a story.”
Marek Milewicz, Marek and Associates, New York: “Even though Francesco Carrozzini had spent his childhood traveling with a camera in his pocket, when I first met him he was only interested in making movies. But then he decided to give photography a chance – and he was very successful. Francesco Carrozzini’s work has a very cinematic quality: his pictures tell stories, they are very honest and direct. This is photography in its simplest and most effective form – no games, no retouching. I haven’t met a young man with such passion and incredible ability for a long time. I admire his return to the essentials of photography for photography’s sake.”
Thierry Perez: born 1964 in Trabes, France; 1983–1985 Art School, Paris; 1985–2003 designer and art director, Jean-Paul Gaultier; freelance photographer since 2003. Published in ‘Elle’, ‘Vogue’/ Italy, ‘Amica’ and others. Advertising for Dolce&Gabana, Versace, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Missoni, Bulgari. www.thierryperez.com www.office36.com
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Anthony Gayton: born 1968 in Devon, England; studied photography 1987–1988; 1993–1998 photo assistant in Vienna and Paris; freelance photographer since 1998. Published in ‘Männer Aktuell’, ‘Squeeze’, ‘Mate’, ‘AXM’, ‘Préf’, ‘Blue’, ‘Gay Times’, ‘Pool’, ‘Playgirl’ and others. www.anthonygayton.com www.middelburg-pictures.de
Francesco Carrozzini: born 1982 in Monza, Italy; 2004 degree in philosophy, University of Milan; 2003 movie debut: advertisement for MTV/Italy. Published in ‘10’, ‘Casa Vogue’, ‘L’Uomo Vogue’, ‘Vogue’/ Russia, ‘Liberation’ and others. www.francescocarrozzini.com www.marekandassociates.com
top seven Newcomers
Takay
Stéphane Gallois
Marcus Ohlsson
Diana Scheunemann
Takay nicely raw
Marcus Ohlsson purely fashionable
Stéphane Gallois wonderfully chic
Diana Scheunemann sensually sexy
Sven Kaufmann, Jed Root, Paris: “Takay’s particular style is defined by how he photographs beauty – as well as by his raw yet gentle eye. His Japanese background is also reflected throughout his work in the way he utilizes light: so clear and pure. Takay prefers to cast his ‘models’ right off the street, because he likes strong new faces. His pictures are intimate and somehow familiar. Takay prefers to shoot with film because he considers this medium to be more intimate.”
Karin Lund, LundLund, Stockholm: “Marcus Ohlsson is a hearty person with a very positive attitude and friendly laugh. His photographs speak for themselves: simply beautiful and straightforward. He describes his style as ‘form and emotion’. I can only agree. Marcus Ohlsson’s style is clean and direct, but with an unmistakable sense of fashion, which seems to flow into all his work quite naturally. Marcus’ talent, combined with his positive approach and exceptional personality, will undoubtedly take him a long way. I believe he has the potential to be the next great fashion photo grapher from Stockholm, Sweden.”
Tristan Godefroy, Judy Casey, Paris: “There is a dream-like quality to the light in a Stéphane Gallois image. His pictures are chic and modern. Stéphane mainly photographs fashion, but he is interested in every form of photography and creativity and so he often turns up where no one expects him. Stéphane shoots amazing portraits of stars, as well as pictures of glamour, music and movies. When Stéphane comes together with people at a photo shoot, he tries to bring his particular talents to the group – but not aggressively. Always gently.”
René Hauser, René Hauser, Zurich: “Diana Scheunemann’s photographic style is very energetic and sexy. She encourages her models to step outside themselves, shooting them in a way that seems natural and easy. Often she chooses everyday situations that only appear intimate within the context of the publication. Diana has been taking selfportraits every day since 1999 and since 2005 she has devoted herself to a project entitled ‘I was here’. Diana is an open person who loves to travel and she has a remarkable ability to connect with her clients and models.”
Stéphane Gallois: born 1970 in Marseille, France; 1993 and 1995 degree in photography and plastic arts; freelance photo assistant in 1998; 2000–2004 assistant for Jean-Baptiste Mondino; freelance photographer since 2004. Published in ‘Numéro’, ‘Instyle’/GB and others. Advertisement for Nike and more.
Diana Scheunemann: born 1975; 1994– 1995 trained as photographic production coordinator; 1995–2000 photo assistant; 1996–2000 Photographic Art School, Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst in Zurich; freelance photographer since 2002. Published in ‘Qvest’, ‘The Face’, ‘BMW Magazine’, ‘Elle’/GB and others. Some group and solo exhibitions.
Takay: born 1973 in Osaka, Japan; 1994–1995 photographic studies in Osaka and assistant for Takada; 1996–1998 freelance photo assistant in London; freelance photographer since 1998. Published in ‘i-D’, ‘The Face’, ‘Arena’, ‘Spoon’, ‘Jalouse’, ‘L’Officiel’ and others. Solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka and London. www.jedroot.com/photogr/t/takay-bio.php www.jedroot.com
Marcus Ohlsson: born 1979 in Gothenburg, Sweden; 1999 studied at the Kulturama Photography School, Stockholm, Sweden; 2000–2001 photo assistant to Calle Stoltz; 2001–2004 photo assistant to Mikael Jansson; freelance photographer since 2005. Published in ‘Cosmopolitan’, ‘Tush’, ‘Torö’, ‘Obygden’ and others. www.lundlund.com
www.sgallois.com www.judycasey.com
www.dianascheunemann.com www.renehauser.com
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Perfect shape Hasselblad’s exclusive multi-shot products, the H3DII-39MS and the CF-39-MS digital back use the latest in technology to achieve superior resolution, detail, color, and naturalness – and it does this with the same, but slightly shifted, sensor technology.
photos: ezio Prandini, roberto Bigano
Ezio Prandini took this picture for Zalf with Hasselblad’s H3DII39MS in multi-shot mode. The wealth of detail in this image is awe-inspiring, and we could have printed it much larger. In this area of photography, maximum quality is a must
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This Leonardo da Vinci drawing was photographed by Roberto Bigano. The original size measures only 13,13 by 8,38 inches. The tremendous wealth of detail brings to light every stroke and every spot in the paper. The chair (right) was shot for Mascheroni
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Multi-shot Technology
Pictures like the one made for Misuraemme have to be free of distortion and vignetting. Fortunately, DAC makes this possible – even in multi-shot images. That’s why Ezio Prandini didn’t hesitate to purchase a H3DII-39MS as soon as it became available
Ezio Prandini can’t afford to compromise on quality. Whenever models are required or windows come into view, he shoots them in single-shot mode and superimposes them later on in the multi-shot scene – and all it takes is the multishot camera and a solid tripod
Sometimes it’s the small steps that make the big difference. The multishot edition of Hasselblad digital cameras and backs shifts the sensor between exposures by a nominal 6.8 micrometers and, in doing so, opens up new dimensions of resolution and accuracy. Every pixel is registered for every color, greatly increasing the richness of detail and improving the color accuracy of every shot. In 2005, Italian photographer Ezio Prandini, whose work is featured on these pages (together with work of his fellow countryman Robert Bigano), switched to a Hasselblad Ixpress 528 digital back with multi-shot after testing a number of solutions and discovering that only the multi-shot was capable of clearly exceeding the 4 by 5 inch slides he was using: “Photos taken using multi-shot possess more depth in the detail and color. Moiré disappears entirely and the sharpness can even be too much at times.” When the H3DII-39MS finally hit the market, he was quick to secure one for himself: “My clients expect 100 percent distortion-free pictures, and I immediately recognized that the multi-shot, co-powered by DAC, would deliver the necessary results. And it is compatible with the amazing HCD 4/28. Now, I couldn’t be happier with my equipment!” The image quality is spectacular. Even laymen will recognize it imme-
diately: the tiniest detail in the image appears as if it had been taken at substantially higher resolution and intricately post processed. Moiré is an unknown concept to multi-shot cameras that thrive particularly well in details of an image, producing the finest tonal differentiation without a trace of noise. Multi-shot photography is limited to working with static subjects: the camera remains tethered to the computer with Phocus software installed, and the processing time is about 10 seconds. This is more than tolerable however considering the benefits: more quality and less post-production.
Multi-shot For Pinnacle Image Quality “I use the multi-shot for almost everything apart from portraits – sometimes even in landscape photography,” explains Italian photographer Roberto Bigano. “The multi-shot makes the best of every situation, even when you need long exposures or the air is full of dust”. Roberto Bigano is a longstanding master of multi-shot technology and is frequently summoned when pinnacle image quality is of the essence. For example, when priceless drawings from Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus were removed from their
safekeeping in Milano’s famous Biblioteca Ambrosiana for a very short period, it only made sense to use the best possible equipment available on the planet for their photographic documentation. Bigano also photographed Leonardo’s famous drawing on page 46 (Turin, Biblioteca Reale) which is often referred to as a self-portrait. There were certain, unforeseen side effects: “Because the exposures were so sharp, we discovered that several drawings showed serious conservation issues,” Bigano says. For still-life photographers, multishot yields a welcome increase in quality. In other areas, however, the camera is like a long-awaited key to hidden possibilities. Today, a sizable number of museums and galleries around the world are using multi-shot cameras from Hasselblad to document and catalog famous paintings and sculptures for which only the best camera technology can be considered. Conservators, who refer to these high-resolution photographs as a means to check their work, are adamant when it comes to the authentic, undistorted reproduction of tiniest details. For those, multi-shot is the only real option.
Multi-shot Versions of all H3DII Cameras in The Future Multi-shot technology is not new and throughout its existence, Hasselblad has received both praise and prejudice. What photographers aren’t always aware of is that every multi-shot camera can also be run in single-shot mode. Multi-shot is an option that can be activated on occasion – it is by no means compulsory. And a camera equipped with multi-shot technology even remains portable thanks to CompactFlash cards and Hasselblad’s ImageBank II hard disk. It can take a beating and doesn’t restrict the photographer’s ambitions. The only difference between a standard Hasselblad and the ‘MS edition’ is two centimeters added camera depth – which doesn’t interfere enough to reduce the pleasure working with the camera. Today the equipment line consists of the H3DII-39MS, a multi-shot camera complete unto itself and the CF-39-MS, a universal multishot back that complies to an array of cameras. Hasselblad is extremely happy with the outstanding quality that the current multi-shot cameras and backs deliver, but this doesn’t stop the company from constantly developing the technology further. Right now the Hasselblad engineers
are investigating the compatibility of the all new 50 megapixel sensor used in the H3DII-50 as well as the sensor of the H3DII-31 with the multi-shot technology. The goal is to have multi-shot versions of the complete H3DII line in the future. And there are still many more interesting ideas to explore once the sensor can be moved in very small steps – so stay tuned for the further development of this powerful technology.
Multi-shot and Color Theory Apart from some examples that are completely irrelevant in professional digital photography, sensor pixels are always coupled with color filters in so-called Bayer Patterns (VICTOR 2/2008, page 36). In the case of the sensor installed in the H3DII-39, about 20 million pixels are endowed with green filters, 10 million with red and 10 million with blue. An image sensor carrying a Bayer Pattern therefore only sees one third of the color; either red, green or blue. The missing two colors are interpolated by the camera’s firmware – or, in the case of Hasselblad cameras, in Phocus or Flexcolor software on the computer. This is simple enough if the surfaces are large and monochrome, since the information needed to complete the color information of one pixel is stored in the neighboring pixel. Interpolation becomes more complicated however in the intricate details, where the camera begins to meet the limits of its resolving power. At this level, adjacent pixels no longer contain reliable information. The question is: how do we deal with the detail in the reproduction? We can take the ‘aggressive’ approach by attempting to guess the missing color or pattern but in this case, the demosaicing algorithm produces disturbances and potentially even moiré. The ‘defensive’ method arbitrarily allocates a neutral grey to the colors in the details as opposed to representing them as radiant and flawed. In this case, the image becomes softer, poorer in detail and seemingly less sharp. It all depends on the programmer’s skill level. Hasselblad’s demosaicing algorithms have been developed and refined over many years and are consistently being improved, even today. The demosaicing process has a tendency to work far better than critical users suspect. Even mediocre algorithms easily extract two thirds of the theoretical maximum, even though the sensor only actu-
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Technology Multi-shot
ally registered one third. Hasselblad sensors combined with FlexColor or Phocus in turn are far more powerful, partly also because Hasselblad votes against the usage of antialiasing filters – which cripple the resolution. Image files generated through Bayer sensors are always loaded with a certain amount of unnecessary ballast, since as a tribute to the demosaicing process not all pixels contain useful information. Only the multi-shot technology can increase the resolution substantially.
Small Steps with Big Effects on Imaging Multi-shot technology shifts this at the core, using a high-precision Piezo motor to move the sensor, pixel by pixel, between exposures and registering every color for every pixel. From these four exposures the software can calculate the contents of each pixel by drawing upon real values for red, green and blue. With this technology, no form of interpolation or probability analysis is needed and misreadings are practically excluded. The quadruple amount of raw data increases the accuracy as a whole
by a third-generation multi-shot mechanism which has been further developed and patented over the years. The symmetrical design compensates for thermal fluctuations and transports the sensor with nanoscopic precision. The Piezo drive containing the sensor mounts in front of the (otherwise unchanged) digital back unit. Every multi-shot back is calibrated at the factory under the most scrupulous conditions and can be fired reliably for continuous, high-stress operation. Multi-shot backs can also be mounted on view cameras and third-party bodies, the only prerequisite being electronic exposure compliance – using the computerregulated multi-shot mode to generate four exposures in quick interval.
Practising With Multi-shot In terms of handling, there is little difference between an exposure shot with a multi-shot camera and a customary single-shot. The photographer connects the camera to the computer, boots up the Phocus or FlexColor software, selects multishot as the exposure mode and
Single-shot
and minimizes noise. Because of the Bayer color pattern, green is registered twice to increase its precision yet again and thereby also to enable the software to give off a warning signal if something has moved between the exposures. The technical condition for multi-shot photography is a motor powered by Piezo actuators, which moves a frame with the CCD sensor inside it. The Piezo actuators operate within a 10 micrometer field, shifting the sensor between exposures by exactly one pixel – i.e., 6.8 µm in the case of the 39 megapixel sensor – about one-tenth of the thickness of a human hair. The H3DII-39MS and the CF39-MS back are already powered
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finally – this is the difference – leans back for about 10 seconds while the software fires a control exposure followed by four individual frames in the (adjustable) interval of about one second. It then takes another couple of seconds for the software to generate the final image combining the four exposures. The result is nothing short of phenomenal. The key difference between a single-shot and a multi-shot exposure is probably the fact that a multi-shot exposure tends to be outstanding from the word go. It’s as sharp as it gets, whereas a single-shot exposure can often look a little soft at pixel level and require careful tweaking. A single-shot photo will, without a doubt, deliver a sublime result with
a little work and care. However, the multi-shot camera will achieve this result from the ground up – and with a higher quality, as every photographic pixel and byte will contain valuable information. The sharpness isn’t achieved through digital post production but, rather, in a more ‘natural’ and appealing way. It’s difficult to quantify the extra something that multi-shot provides. In conventional tests the multi-shot perceptibly renders more line pairs than the respective single-shots. However, here’s something that isn’t always appreciated in standardized tests: even the smallest nuances such as color droplets in fabrics, which single-shot cameras will simply just desaturate to be on the safe side, are color-accurate down to the last pixel. Paradoxically, it’s thanks to modern technology that the picture is endowed with a certain naturalness – where the sharpness isn’t generated through digital manipulation but, rather, through optical means. This saves a great deal of time in post production, especially if a super sharp and clean image is what you want. Ezio Prandini claims that digital images taken with multi-shot have a unique aesthetic, much differ-
cally impossible. When the subject involves people entering the scene or a window on the outside world, he likes to combine single exposures with multi-shot images, taking the ‘moving parts’ from the single-shot images and preserving the multishot quality for the rest. “First I’ll photograph the people who move in accordance with the instructions of the art directors. In single-shot mode I can shoot as many people as I want and, in the end, create a good multi-shot of just the scene alone. On location it can be difficult to control the scene outside the windows, so I’ll simply mount part of the window, taken in single-shot, in a perfect multi-shot image of the interior.”
Calling on the last reserves If you’re an avid still-life photographer who works with multi-shot technology, you’ll have already experienced the benefits of spending less time in post production while getting the best quality possible with the only sacrifice being a longer exposure time. Today this is all too tempting. If you’re seeking optically perfect, The difference of single-shot and multi-shot mode is plain. Both images are crude, printed with default sharpening and no other correction in 100 percent view to show the pixel level. Without post production the multi-shot image is razor sharp right off the bat
Multi-shot
ent to that of film: “The sharpness is increased beyond belief. It can be great for one kind of picture, bad for another, and new for some other area which we are yet to discover, understand and appreciate.” Using a digital multi-shot camera instead of a film view camera has completely changed the way he works: “I normally work on large sets or on location, and I remember the nightmares we used to have testing the lighting and styling with Polaroids, a medium I still love today. Now however, I connect the camera, shoot as much as I want and reach a level of precision and quality never before experienced.” As demonstrated on pages 28/29, Prandini likes using multi-shot even when you’d think it was techni-
Small details, smooth sofa textures and fine zebra hair – a total nightmare for just about any digital camera but the ideal moment for the H3DII-39MS, which solves this problem in a matter of ten seconds. The image was shot for Bonacina
unadulterated images of the world at large, there is practically no other way except Hasselblad’s exclusive multishot technology. Multi-shot exploits every available capacity of the digital sensors made by Hasselblad. “Compared with old technology, today’s digital files, cameras and accessories provide us with an amazing spectrum of possibility,” says Ezio Prandini. “It’s clearly the dawn of a new era. We need the humility to learn new technologies, new approaches and new ways to solve our daily problems. And it’s a challenge that gives me a great enthusiasm for my work and passion”. For further information please visit www.hasselblad.com
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Hasselblad Masters 2006
Uli Weber
Born in Ulm, Germany in 1964 | 1984–1986 student, ‘Istituto Europeo di Design’ and ‘Istituto Superiore di Fotografia’, Rome | 1986–1990 freelance assistant in London | freelance photographer in London since 1990 | Clients include: ‘Vogue’/USA, ‘Sunday Times’, McCann Erikson, Marks & Spencer, Young & Rubicam | Prizes: AFAEP, Communication Arts Magazine Award and others
The Beginning. My first experience with a camera was thanks to my father. He was the family photo grapher, always taking pictures at parties and birthdays. Occasionally I’d be allowed to press the button. For me, as a kid, that was so exciting – I will never forget it. The Big Bang. I was greatly influenced by the leader of my youth group, who was a hobby photo grapher. I was 12 years old. I liked it so much that I got into photography myself. The Heroes. I don’t really have any role models or idols, only sources of inspiration. There are many photographers whose work I have greatly appreciated, but I wouldn’t call them my idols. The Excitement. My most exciting assignment had me parachuting out of a plane at the North Pole. It was a public relations photo shoot for Tactel, a company producing outdoor wear.
Above: Will Chalker, ‘Max’/Italy, 2005. Right: Erin O’Connor with a dancer for ‘Cent’ magazine, 2006
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The Dream. I can’t say there’s anything I have always wanted to do. Every assignment is good, some surely more interesting than others. Having said that, I would like to go to the South Pole, take lots of pictures and explore. The Nightmare. Oh, there are many things I wouldn’t do in real life; but I can’t imagine anything in photography. The Star. Every individual is interesting. I am convinced that you can work with anyone for a while. Obviously, there will always be some who are more exciting and others who are less so. The Treasure. I don’t see any assignment, exhibition or prize being more important than any other. For me they are all like small building blocks, set together to create a whole that grows. The Hasselblad. I use the H1 system and the ‘Hasselblad CF 132’ digital back. Currently I prefer, and find myself working most often with, Hasselblad’s 100mm lens. I think the lens gamut should include a 60mm; there used to be one for the old 6x6 Hasselblad camera. I think that nowadays there’s a gap between the 50mm and the 80mm lenses.
Uli Weber is a Hasselblad Master because his
photography is so delightfully sensual and elegant. Weber always manages to catch his subjects in the perfect setting and lighting. Whether a successful model or an up-and-coming talent, famous actor or a newsworthy VIP – photographer Uli Weber has a sense for the right mood. And at the same time he manages to instinctively know when to intro duce a certain unusual element into the moment. This intuition gives Uli Weber’s photographs their unique component without ever losing their charm.
www.uliweber.com www.terrimanduca.co.uk www.ba-reps.com www.kathrin-hoberg.de www.hasselblad.com
Above: Erin O’Connor for ‘Cent’ magazine, 2006. Right: Natalia Vodianova for ‘Die Zeit’, 2005 Far right: Margarita Babina for the ‘Saturday Times Magazine’, 2005
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Next victor online: 1 june 2009 Be surprised by inspiring portfolios, keep up-to-date with the most significant photographic trends, read in-depth articles on technical developments. On June 1st, 2009, check your monitor for the next issue of VICTOR online.
Kevin Lynch >> he reveals how the ultimate fighting championship changes its contestants
Tilt and Shift >> new creative possibilities thanks to the HTS 1.5 adapter
Peter Schafrick >> liquid still life images – bustling with energy
Items and topics in the next issue of VICTOR online may be changed or postponed due to editorial or other reasons.
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Imprint VICTOR online | 5/2009 www.victorbyhasselblad.com info@victorbyhasselblad.com
Realization: IDC Corporate Publishing GmbH, Hamburg, Germany
Publishing House /Advertising: Center of Service GmbH Hammerbrookstr. 93 20097 Hamburg, Germany Tel.: + 49.40.25 40 48-69 (Fax: - 40) E-mail: info@centerofservice.com
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 permission of the publisher is forbidden and will be prosecuted. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited material and this will only be returned if appropriate postage is included.
Photographer Relations Manager Hasselblad: Christian Nørgaard Christian.Norgaard@Hasselblad.dk
Hasselblad is a registered trademark of Victor Hasselblad A/S, Denmark. Place of jurisdiction and execution: Hamburg, Germany
Publisher: Stephan Bittner, Center of Service GmbH
Recent surveys show that one new feature of the H3DII-31 still puzzles photographers:
The price. (€9,990) That the world’s most advanced digital camera is amazingly easy to use is, well, easy to understand. That it produces amazing images is (forgive us) easy to see. The one thing that is hard to explain, however, is the price. Photographers just can’t seem to grasp the fact that for just €9,990, you can have a 31 million pixel image sensor, the new Phocus software for both PC and Mac, and access to the entire Hasselblad line of lenses, including the new HCD 4.0-5.6/35-90 zoom lens, and accessories. But you can. Contact your local Hasselblad dealer or log on to www.hasselblad.com/31 to find out how.
www.hasselblad.com/31
Time Limited Offer! H3DII-31:
(Body and viewfinder)
€9,990 (Offer valid until June 30)