Hasselblad

Hasselblad has always been the camera that people aspire too. For years some of the worlds most successful photographers have worked with Hasselblad.

The Beginning

Victor Hasselblad’s vision was to create the finest camera in order to offer the best possible tool to help photographers capture their images.

In 1841 the Hasselblad name began as a trading Company only later did they start supplying photography products which hugely increased trade when Victors son, Arvid met with George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Hasselblad agreed on a handshake to be the sole traders for Eastman in Sweden.

In 1906, Victor, great grandson to the founder was born. He took the family business a step further due to his determination to improve the standard of photographic equipment that was available at the time. It was his destiny to take over from the family business when he was old enough, until that time his father encouraged him to discover a deeper understanding of the world of photography. This lead to him working in France, Germany and the United States, working in various areas such as labs, factories and shops.

Victor went onto produce exhibitions about his other passion, birds and began to make a name for himself as a photographer. After returning home Victor split away from the family business and set up a company of his own.

Following the war the Swedish government approached Victor with the challenge to recreate a camera that fell into their possession from a German plane.  As a result the HK 7, the first Hasselblad camera was made. In years to come Victor would gain owner ship of the Hasselblad company after his father died, this spurred him onto creating photography equipment for the consumer market as well as for the military.

It was not until 1958 that the first consumer Hasselblad was introduced, the 1500F. However it was the second camera to be produced that really put Hasselblad in the spotlight. The 1000F had great reviews for both its aesthetic and technical abilities. From then on Hasselblad began to be at the forefront of photographic engineering. Which is why Hasselblad is the preferred choice of many professional photographers today. 

Food Stylist

When I approach clients unfortunatly I wont have a mega budget to afford a food stylist so this is something that I need learn myself.

So, what is the role of a food stylist?

The food stylist is responsible for sourcing the best quality and sometimes unusual ingredients, before preparing the dish to then be photographed or filmed. 

For a stylist the appearence of the food is always the priority over taste. Some stylist use trickery to add to the appearence of the food, defering from the original recipe without changing the look of the final product. For example when photographing cereal, some stylists might use cream instead of milk as it looks more glossy and appertising, or adding asprin to champagne to increase the fizz.

Not only is it about making the food look good, a big part of the stylists job is about props such as table clothes, cutlury, plates, etc. They need to work quick to ensure the food stays looking its best under lighting and patience with small, constant tweaking.

Here are a few tips I have discovered:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/food/2011/10/the-glamorous-life-of-a-food-s.shtml

Alison Clarkson

Claire Ptak

Mari Mererid Williams

In the studio

This evening the group has been in the studio working with a range of lighting and the Hasselblad camera.

The camera and lighting was set up and it was up to us to take it in turns to alter the f.stops and shutter speed in order to correct the exposure.


The idea of this exercise was for us to try out some new equipment and work on our skills in the studio. 


From this exercise I have realised that I should take advantage of the studio while I have it easily available to me. Therefore I have spoken to my tutor about arranging a food shoot in the studio next week using cold lighting.

Before then I need to make a decision on what I want to photograph, what lighting effects I want to create, what props I might need and come up with a few ideas for styling the shoot so that I can make the most of the time in the studio.

I decided to try out some photographs to see what problems I came across. That way when I am photographing for a client I can be prepared.

Firstly, I knew that I wanted to use natural light and the biggest problem this gave me was shadows. I would like to try another shoot using a reflector. 

I also need to think more about the food I am going to be photographing and sorting out a variety of props before the shoot. 

However I am happy with these photographs and feel that they work well together.

Jonathan Gregson

After speaking to Steve about working on my food photography skills he feels that I should be conscious to keep the style that I have produced for the Eden project images. I agree with him, this means working in precise ways, keeping the soft focus and using natural light. This could prove difficult on days of bad weather but I will need to work on manipulating the light I have available at each shoot using a variety of props such as reflectors, white screens or foil boards.

I have a few clients in mind that I am thinking about approaching but before I do that I am researching photographers work that I find inspirational to gain ideas. Jonathan Gregson is a food photographer and has produced images for Jamie Oliver's magazine. I like the layout, design and style of jaime magazine. This was the look and feel that the Eden project were seeking when I was  photographing there product shots. 

Jonathan's photography is contemporary and relaxed. I like the tones within his work and his use of props complement the shoot rather than deter from its focus.

Things I need to think about:

  Where to source props

  How to guarantee correct lighting

  Composition

  Timing