hassie love

Back in the late 1970's I got my first Hasselblad. Eddie gave it to me. It was used and had come from a camera store in Chicago. It dated back to the mid-sixties and was a giant slice of medium format heaven. I loved that camera and used it until 2000, when I received a shiny brand new model as a prize in a photo competition.

In 2005 I started playing around with digital and ended up getting a Canon SLR. Slowly but surely, I left my beloved Hassie alone on the shelf. Slowly but surely, I moved away from it's magnificent square format, its impeccably sharp glass lens and it's simple, sturdy body.

I've missed it.

But I have embraced digital technology and do not (at least for the time being) see myself returning to film.

The brilliant people at Hasselblad have, of course, also embraced the new technology and have been making digital incarnations of their spectacular camera. They have also been making digital backs that can replace the film backs used on the old camera, as well as adapters that allow usage of the old lenses.

I've been drooling over these items for about four years now.

I've also been dealing with the a nagging health issue lately (more on that later) and I have decided to just do it. What the hell, life is short. Go for the gold.

There is a decent selection of used equipment on the market, and that's the route I will take. Next week I'm heading to Chicago, where I hope to meet the next Hassie of my dreams!

These photos represent the first and last series I worked on with my analog Hasselblads. "Plaid Skirt, Wisconsin" was made in 1979 with the vintage 1960's camera. "Tom and Andy, Kansas" was made in 2005 with the 2000 model.






I can't wait to fall in Hassie love all over again. Counting the days til Tuesday!