Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #92: Enter the Hasselblad

by Kevin Lane

Have you ever owned so many records that you no longer remember what you actually have? I have. Several times I've come very close to purchasing am LP that I already own, only to have my wife thankfully save me from such embarrassment. Although I've never come close to purchasing a camera I already own, I have at times owned so many cameras (too many, in fact) that I forgot that I once owned one or two.

I can think of one such camera that hadn't entered my mind at all until quite recently, and although I purchased the camera, I did not own it. The camera is a Hasselblad 500 C/M that I purchased for my older daughter, Megan, to have and use for photography classes at the art college she attended. She made fine use of the camera and made a series of family photographs that got her noticed, and she even sold a print or two. I have since made a photobook of those photographs that lives on the shelf in our living room. 

However Megan's journey as an artist took her to media other than photography, and she asked me to look after the camera. Shortly after that, I loaned it to a close friend, Mark Gilliland, who happens to me a gifted professional photographer and a true artist, and he kept it for several years but used it little. Recently, I began to think about that camera, and this is likely because of my growing interest in the work of Robert Adams, who used a Hasselblad for his square format photography. So I asked Mark if I could have it back, and he obliged. I'm a couple of frames from finishing my first roll in it.

If you listen to our podcast and read our blog, you likely understand what I mean when I refer to 'camera mystique.' There is something mysterious about certain cameras - something almost other worldly, I suppose - that we find ourselves thinking about them, desiring them, and finding finding ways to own them. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think it becomes a kind of worship. We begin to ascribe certain powers to cameras that enable them to produce the kind of results that we all hope for and dream about. "If I had such and such camera, I could make excellent pictures."

Of course, cameras don't have any power at all, any more than a hammer has powers to make me a better carpenter. Nonetheless, we can't deny our perception of cameras as more than mere things. Some people feel this way about automobiles. For others, it's guitars.

I recently had the opportunity to use a Rolleiflex 2.8D, a legendary camera because of its Planar lens. I am well aware of it because of my love of the photography of Vivian Maier. Of course, I would love to own one, but what I really desire is the ability to see like Vivian Maier. Then, I could make better photography with the fine-functioning Rolleicord Va that I already own. Furthermore, I own the exact same 4x5 camera that Shutter Brother Wayne Setser uses (a Wisner Technical Field Camera). However I would gladly go back to using the Intrepid 4x5 that I previously owned if I could somehow purchase the ability to see like Wayne. Sadly, that's not how it works.

I hope you already have the camera you have always wanted, but what I wish for you is that you are seeing the photographic possibilities around you, and that you are devoting yourself to developing the skills needed to capture what you see. That's what I want more than anything else out of this. 

My Rolleicord Va and Megan's Hasselblad 500 C/M.

I recently acquired the KEKS M Meter for Leica M cameras. It is an updated version of the Leica Meter MR, which came with the M2 I purchased a year ago. I found the Leica Meter MR to be unreliable (probably due to its age), so I am looking forward to seeing what the KEKS meter can do. Stay tuned.

The KEK M on the lefty and the Leica Meter MR on the right.

The display is easy to read and the activate button is easy to reach.

Turning the knurled knob actually sets the camera's shutter speed.

As of the day I write this, you still have an opportunity to see Wayne's retrospective show, Things I've Seen:  Fifty Years of Analog Photography, at The Arts Center in Athens, Tennessee. It closes on May 22. It you can't get to Athens but still want to see the pictures, Wayne has made a fine book of every print in the show. You can get your copy by sending an email to unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com for only $20.00. And even if you don't want a copy of the book, we would still love to hear from you. You also can reach us on Facebook and Instagram.

Wayne's show at The Arts Center in Athens, TN runs through May 22.

You can get your copy of Wayne's book by sending us an email.

Here is the link to the Leica YouTube channel video in which Anton Dunkelkammer demonstrates how to make contact sheets using 9.5x12 inch Ilford paper.

Happy Photography, everyone! Now go get some good pictures!