Hasselblad Shooters Find Inspiration on YouTube

19/04/2010 How often are you on YouTube? If you’ve ever done a search for Hasselblad product or workflow videos, you’ve discovered there are literally millions.

I searched for “photographers shooting with Hasselblad,” and came up with a list of some 150,000 stories. Did a search for “Hasselblad cameras” and tapped into 350,000 leads. My search for “Hasselblad photographers” generated a list of 11,500,000 stories and videos.

Hasselblad and photographers have been an enormously popular duo on YouTube for some time. The annual Masters final exhibition and tours, plus the popular website addition, Hasselblad Owners Club, have caused a sharp spike in the number of stories to inspire and inform.

The videos with the biggest draw, inevitably, involve high-end photographers discussing their digital workflow, the power of Hasselblad, the remarkable detail and resolution of their files, how Hasselblad enhances their images and their ability to tell a story through pictures. For example, early this year Hasselblad posted videos captured by Michael Grecco, Steve McCurry, and Kevin Then as they put the brand-new H4D-40 through its paces on demanding outdoor photo shoots.

A global resource, YouTube showcases the work, workflow, and lessons learned from photographers around the world. Director David Lynch, frequently honored for his work in cinema and television, presents some of the amazing things he has achieved with a Hasselblad H3DII-39. Another video gives the visitor a behind-the-scenes look at commercial photographer Daniel Allen shooting with the Hasselblad H3Dii 31 and a Profoto Ringflash for the January 2010 issue of WildTomato magazine on board an 87-foot yacht. U.K.-based Timothy Wallace is captured using a Hasselblad H3DII 39 and Elinchrom lights for a shoot with model 'Zara' for the project 'Fashion Kills.' In an application story on wedding portrait photographer Rodney Hobbs, Melbourne, Australia, he describes how his digital workflow and the Hasselblad system and features are a perfect fit.

Videos shot at the annual Masters exhibition tour convey powerfully the experience at these events. You might want to check out the interviews conducted in January when more than 500 VIP guests attended the exhibition opening in Copenhagen, at DASK Gallery. Australian-born, Copenhagen resident David Trood, 2006 Master, Germany photographer Jan Schlegel, 2009 Masters finalist, and Swiss photographer Marco Grob, 2007 Master, all shared their perspectives on the winning collection.

Among the millions of videos waiting to be tapped are a demo on loadiing the film holder of a classic Hasselblad camera, by Walter Lew of Photo Habitat, and a photo shoot by Russian photographer Maria Goncharova captured in Saint-Petersburg with a Hasselblad Zimushka-Zima.

The next time you’re on YouTube, conduct a search for Hasselblad, Hasselblad Photographers, etc. You’ll find an unlimited collection of informative, entertaining videos to inspire your next Hasselblad creations.

Text by Alice B. Miller