Listening for that Hassleblad 'clunk' sound that signals the photo has been taken. (As documented by an i-phone!)
A while back we were taken up with the idea of buying a Hasselblad. These iconic cameras don’t come cheap and it took quite a bit of patient E-Bay-ing before we managed to snaffle one in our price range. The camera in question came from a retiring portrait photographer in Texas and turned up, lovingly wrapped, with a number of interesting accessories. After years of using digital cameras, looking through a filmic lens of this calibre was a revelation. Shortly after it arrived, we took it to Sweden. (Which funnily enough where the cameras were first made.)
Many months later, we finally had the prints developed! (OK, so we’re spear-heading a sort of ‘slow photography’ movement.) The light metre in the camera didn’t work and the film – which was an out-of-date gift from a photographer friend in Pau – was going to be a surprise in any case. (It was fun to open up an envelope of processed film and wonder what was inside.) Needless to say, there was a high casualty rate! That said, the enjoyment of taking the photographs and a couple of successes were good enough for us. At least, to begin with. Here’s three that turned out. For all their shortcomings I think they convey something of the atmosphere of a Småland lake on a summer afternoon. (You can see a review of where we stayed here.) But this summer, we’re definitely buying a light metre!
A bike rests against a birch, low-fi transport choice for an afternoon's swim. The best things in life are free... (Image by HWL)
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Still lake, soft afternoon light, a whisper of purple and a small birch. (Image by HWL)
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As the day drew on, swimmers disappeared indoors. I love the stillness of the lake though here you start to detect the shortcomings of old-style photography without a light metre! (Image by HWL)
