Victor by Hasselblad (2010/08) by Hasselblad

online 8.2010

From the global leader of ﬂash memory cards

“The best camera systems in the world require the best compact ﬂash solution. With the launch of the new H4D-40, Hasselblad has looked to the SanDisk Extreme® Pro™ CompactFlash® cards as the best choice for reliability and speed, creating a perfect blend of the world’s best digital technology.”

–Mark Duhaime, VP Marketing, Hasselblad USA

90 MB/second

capacities up to 64 GB

60 MB/second

capacities up to 32 GB

www.sandisk.com *up to 90 MB/sec read/write speed for Extreme Pro; up to 60 MB/sec for Extreme. Speeds based on SanDisk internal testing performance may be lower depending upon host device. 1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million bytes x=150 KB/sec. 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes. Some capacity not available for data storage. 10 year warranty in Germany and regions not recognizing Lifetime limited warranty. © 2010 SanDisk Corporation . All rights reserved. SanDisk, the SanDisk logo, CompactFlash and SanDisk Extreme are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation. Registered in the U.S. and other countries. SanDisk Extreme Pro and Power Core are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation

editorial

Content

Many of us will soon be heading for beautiful Cologne, curious to see what the industry has in store for the coming years; but, before we get there, this issue of VICTOR online is bringing life and color into the hot summer season. As exclusive distributor for Hasselblad in Hongkong and China, I am delighted to have this opportunity to reach out to VICTOR readers around the world – and to have the chance to meet many of you at photokina next month. Despite the recent financial crisis, the imaging business in Asia has continued to grow. As the whole world looked to China as the last bastion of strong economic growth, the Chinese government showed strong determination, buffering lost exports through domestic investment, so that, on the whole, businesses around here remained confident and have thrived. With the exception of a few politically troubled areas, the entire region, including Japan, benefited from the ‘China factor’ and did reasonably well. As Japan gradually recovers from a prolonged economic depression, it is nice to see a prominent representative of Japan’s spirited creative community featured in this issue. Mitsuaki Koshizuka, a Tokyobased, fashion, fine art, and commercial photographer for 15 years, loves experimenting with light and lighting techniques. A Hasselblad shooter since 2000, he made the transition to digital in 2007, first with the H1D and more recently with the H4D-50 – the camera used to take the “Karagami”-inspired, nude series featured in this issue. His work, starting on page 6, speaks for itself. Closer to home, we are celebrating the election of yet another Chinese Hasselblad Master. Bang Peng is the winner of this year’s Landscape and Nature Award. The Chinese photographer’s work is a vivid testimonial to the vibrant photography scene here. His dramatic depictions of the landscapes of western China, give us an idea as to why such a strong and dedicated community of amateur photographers has emerged in China over the years, inspired by the sheer might and beauty of this vast country. Being a long-time owner of a comprehensive collection of Hasselblad V system cameras and lenses, Bang Peng now delights in the new level of sophistication and perfection offered by the H4D system. On page 4, you will find one of the pictures he took for the “Hasselblad Masters Vol. 2, Emotion”, as well as information on the book and the Masters Exhibition to be held at photokina. It is thanks to people like Bang Peng that Hasselblad made vigorous inroads into China right from the early days, enjoying a strong reputation among profes sionals and keen photo amateurs alike: To this day, the country remains one of Hasselblad’s major markets. Greetings from the Far East and have a great summer! Enjoy this new issue of VICTOR online.

Mitsuaki Koshizuka loves the interplay of light and shadow. In Victor online, he brings us his „Katagami“ photos (right)

4 >> News Hasselblad Masters 2009: The new photo book “Hasselblad Masters Vol. 2, Emotion” will be launched at this year’s photokina at the end of September. In addition, there will be an exhibition in Cologne showing works by the ten Hasselblad Masters.

6 >> Mitsuaki Koshizuka The Japanese fashion and fine art photographer Mitsuaki Koshizuka brings us artistic nude pictures inspired by the trad itional art of “Katagami”. Using an H4D-50, he achieved razor sharp images that capture a sensual play of light and shadow.

24 >> peter golznig Registered users of the Hasselblad Owners’ Club have chosen an image by the Austrian photographer as Photo of the Month. At VICTOR online he introduces some of his most beautiful shots – including ghostly images of the normally busy train station in Lyon.

28 >> louie palu The Canadian is particularly concerned with societal and politically relevant issues. This explains why his work often focuses on these types of themes – whether homelessness in the USA or the difficulties of everyday life in the Afghan province of Kandahar.

44 >> preview German photographer Tom Hagemeyer has a particular weakness for unorthodox fashion stories. For a large photo shoot staged in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris, he masterfully combines old and new, creating an exciting series of images.

Egon Heldner, Managing Director Shriro (H.K.) Ltd.

ONLINE 8/2010

victornEWS

Masters 2009 at photokina

Work by the ten Hasselblad Masters 2009 appear in the new book: „Hasselblad Masters Vol. 2, Emo tion“. The cover picture was taken by photographer Joao Carlos

The versatile H4D-40 was used for a broad range of pictures centered on the “Emotion“ theme: Joao Carlos placed a bride in a mystical setting (above left), Stephan Zir

ONLINE 8/2010

Emotion – the ten Hasselblad Mas ters 2009 were asked to interpret this theme and present it in a unique se ries of photos. To ensure the project’s successful realisation, Hasselblad equipped each of the photographers with the recently released H4D-40 camera. The resulting pictures were awaited with great anticipation, and will be officially introduced at photo kina at the end of September, where specialists and the general public will be able to admire the photos in both the Hasselblad Masters book and at a large exhibition. Photo kina, the largest photography trade fair in the world that takes place in Cologne/Germany every two years, is a very appropriate setting to dis play these outstanding works. The 240-page picture book “Hasselblad Masters Vol. 2, Emotion”, published by teNeues, will be first shown at photokina on Tuesday, September 21, 2010. In this large format pub lication (27,5 x 34 cm), which sells for 79,90 Euro, the ten Hasselblad Masters 2009 offer us their personal interpretations of the chosen theme. “The images just knocked me over: their creative originality, their pas sionate realization and their techni cal perfection,” Christian Nørgaard, Photographer Relations Manager, Hasselblad, explains. “The ten win ners of the Masters competition were chosen from amongst nearly 3000 photographers from around the world, so my expectations for the se

wes composed graphically precise aerial shots (below left), Bang Peng created opulent landscape images (above), and Nina Berman took black & white portraits (above ri.)

HOC

Hasselblad Owners’ Club 7/2010

Hasselblad users all over the world exchange news on the Hasselblad Owners’ Club (HOC) site. At the end of July, registered users chose a new Photo of the Month, taken by Sofie Lou ca. With this picture, the Cyprus-based wed ding photographer prevailed over the strong competition. We will fully introduce her in the September issue of VICTOR online. ■

ries that they were to develop for the Hasselblad Masters book were very high. In the end, however, the results far surpassed my wildest dreams.” The book’s fascination is largely due to the broad range covered in the Emotion series – from the colorfully opulent and detailed landscapes by Bang Peng from China, and the un usual black & white portrait extracts by Nina Berman from the USA, to the graphically precise aerial shots taken by German architecture pho tographer Stephan Zirwes. This great versatility also comes from the fact that the Hasselblad Masters Award is presented in ten categories. The 2009 winners, who now have series in the “Hasselblad Masters Vol. 2, Emotion” picture book, are: Lyle Owerko (Up-

and-Coming), Joao Carlos (Wedding photography), Claudio Napolitano (Portraits), Dirk Rees (Fashion), Mark Holthusen (Product photography), Alexandfelix (Fine Art), Stephan Zir wes (Architecture), Bang Peng (Land scape), Nina Berman (Editorial) and Mark Zibert (General). Those interested in having a look at the different photo series will have a chance not only to browse through the book, but also to visit the large Hasselblad Masters exhibition being organized at photokina. The fascinat ing images will be found at the Visual Gallery, Hall 1 for the duration of the fair, from September 21 to 26, 2010. Sponsored by HP, broncolor, Hahne mühle Fineart and SanDisk, the large format, quality prints of the “Emo tion” images, will appear in a 250 square meter space – which means they will be very visible for the en joyment of the nearly 200.000 pho tokina visitors expected from around the world. ■ www.hasselblad.com; www.teneues.com

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about the vIsIon. With the h4D-40, hasselblad is bringing ultimate image quality to an entirely new generation of photographers, and provides the perfect entry point into the hasselblad world. Featuring a 40 Megapixel Medium Format sensor, our Phocus software, and the new true Focus aF, the h4D-40 is as easy to use as any 35mm camera. the perfect base to realize your creativity. all information about the h4D-40 (starting at 12,995 eUr), or the models h4D-50 / h4D-50 MultiShot and h4D-60 are available on www.hasselblad.com.

ÂŠ Photo: Michael Grecco

Meet us at Photokina in Cologne, Germany from 21. - 26. september 2010, hall 2.1, booth a-021

Mitsuaki Koshizuka Using an H4D-50 with HC 2,8/80mm lens, Japanese photographer Mitsuaki Koshizuka puts a new spin on the traditional craft of Katagami: He considers the fragile patterns and techniques for printing kimono materials an important legacy of Japanese culture. Close-up impressions of a stunning art form.

ONLINE 8/2010

The smaller and finer the Katagami pattern, the more complex and expensive the material was. To show their standing, the intricate designs were limited to Samurai families

ONLINE 8/2010

For the Souchou no Zu (picture of bird â&#x20AC;&#x201C; left) and Kishou Kikumon (Chrysanthemum â&#x20AC;&#x201C; right) motifs, Koshizuka reproduced the respective Katagamis on slide film, then projected them onto the model

ONLINE 8/2010

The Botan karakusa motif showing large snowflakes, derives originally from China (left). In this case, Koshizuka held the stencil directly in front of the model and only lit up her body. Chuya no Hishikumi (day and night diamond shape) was first reproduced on slide film (right)

ONLINE 8/2010

Mitsuaki koshizuka Portfolio

Katagami patterns always have a symbolic and positive meaning. The decorative elements stand for luck, long life and prosperity, or evoke semantic riddles

ONLINE 8/2010

Portfolio Mitsuaki koshizuka

“Katagami is one aspect of the Japa nese identity,” fashion, fine art and commercial photographer Mitsuaki Koshizuka explains. Born in 1969 in Gumna near Tokyo, Koshizuka has been in the business for 15 years: His studio, named Gokuraka (Heaven), is located in a complex known as The Tokyo Edge, an artistic collective in a subcultural area in the heart of Tokyo. From this edgy place, he in tends to produce much more cre atively edgy work. With customers including Sony, Shiseido, Nike, Adi das, Toyota and Nissan, the nearly forgotten Katagami handicraft of fers a beautiful contrast to the prod ucts and collections that normally surround him. Koshizuka began his career working as an editor for Shogakukan Publishers, immediate ly after graduating from the Tokyo Event School. It was the creative as pects he was passionate about. Work ing with photographers and artists made him aware of his own desire to be creative, and led him to becoming a photographer himself some years later. Koshizuka was particularly im pressed and inspired by the work of Nick Knight, the 1990s pioneer of new forms of expression. One em phasis of Koshizuka’s work is a focus

on lighting, where he is very well served by the H4D-50’s versatility and precision. “Up close, the H4D50’s quality is very much like film. A soft yet perfect texture.“ Koshizuka has been fascinated by Katagami since working more intensely with it in 2006. “I’ve now photographed 50 motifs, but it could be 50.000,” he says. “I was first in troduced to Katagami, when I dis covered some beautiful items at a museum shop. I asked the shop clerk where they were made. From there, I visited a dyeing shop in Tokyo and got to see many of the paper sten cils and stunning designs. As I went through them, they touched my spirit and I could hear the voices of their creators asking me to preserve the beauty of this historical art form that might soon be lost,” Koshizuka says, explaining his intentions. Katagami is a design dyed onto a traditional kimono. The technique was developed several centuries ago and boomed in the Edo era (16031867). At that time, the Samurai wore their kommon (family crest) to show their family’s power. Later this dyeing method became stylish and ordinary people started to wear it because of its uniqueness. The ki

monos look plain from a distance, but up close their delicate and sub tle beauty becomes apparent. Since there were rules against ordinary people wearing flashy kimonos, Edo kommon designs gave people the opportunity to be stylish without be ing flashy. Katagami designs are like monograms that are normally carved by hand using tiny knives. Some knives can carve up to one hundred designs onto a 1.5 square inch of Japanese washi (traditional paper). Because the paper is very delicate, some artists use silk gauze or lacquer to strengthen it. Koshizuka has created a unique new art form: Using Katagami pat terns, he cuts clothes out of light, introducing materials where none ex ists. “Because these patterns are used to make kimonos, which are worn on the body, I decided to project them onto women’s nude bodies in order to express traditional Japanese art in a new way. Through fashion photogra phy I hope to share these incredible designs and the skills of Japanese art ists with the world.” Further motifs can been seen in his book “Japanese” that will appear in stores and on Ama zon in September in a limited edition of 750 copies. carla susanne erdmann Katagami stencils are made out of the bark of the Kózo tree. For the stencil to be of high quality, the glued layered sheets of paper must first dry for a number of years; www.morevisiontokyo.com

ONLINE 8/2010

HOC

Hasselblad Owners’ Club 7/2010

Peter Golznig Members of the Hasselblad Owners’ Club have chosen a picture by Peter Golznig as Photo of the Month. Introducing the Austrian architecture photographer and his aesthetic world.

It was a walkout of the French railway workers that allowed Austrian photographer, Peter Golznig, to create a series of images of mysterious architecture. Thanks to the strike, he was able to take his Hasselblad Xpan I and photograph Lyon’s otherwise extremely busy Satolas train station. Despite being taken in the middle of the day, the pictures are reminiscent of a ghost town: The deserted platforms, the eerie lighting of the escalators, and a couple of business people seemingly lost in the gigantic, empty corridors (this double page). Hasselblad Owners’ Club members chose this motif by Peter Golznig as Photo of the Month. It is part of his “Architecture of Men” project. Born in the Austrian state of Carinthia in 1964, Golznig decided to become a photographer in 1986, 10 years after he was given his first camera by his father. In addition to architecture, the self-taught Golznig covers portraits, documentation and nature. In the mid-nineties he focused on wildlife pictures, traveling with his camera all the way to nature reserves in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Tschad (p. 22, bottom), Algeria (p. 23, center) and South Africa. He is currently working on a series of images that he has christened “Architecture of Elements”. The next project the travel-friendly photographer has in mind is titled “Reason and Result” – a documentation on the causes and effects of human dealings and actions. Vita: Born in Villach/Austria in 1964; self-taught; his contributions to the Central Sahara Image Bank are among his most important publications. www.hasselblad.com

ONLINE 8/2010

HOC

Hasselblad Owners’ Club 7/2010

ONLINE 8/2010

Hasselblad Master portfolio

editorial

Louie Palu The work of Canadian photographer Louie Palu focuses primarily on societal and politically relevant themes. For the picture book „Hasselblad Masters Vol. 1, Passion“, Palu took a series of pictures dealing with homelessness – an issue of significance for almost every city around the world. Following Photo League tradition and inspired by the 1930s, US street photographer, Ben Shahn, Palu used an H3DII to take no-frills, black & white shots of everything he saw. His extracts of reality – made up at times of suggestively abstract shapes and structures – put together a portrait of homelessness that transfers the destitute from the edges of society to the center of attention. This year, Palu received the Alexia Foundation Photography Grant for World Peace and Cultural Understanding for a project on Kandahar, Afghanistan – a project the photographer is working on in that country right now, exploring the cultural, historical and contemporary significance of Kandahar and its people within the region and the current Afghan State. “I began my journey to document the situation in Kandahar in 2006 and have been going back every year since,” Palu explains. “I believe the answer to finding the path to a stable Afghanistan is in understanding the land and its people first, not only the insurgency and their methods of warfare. This project will seek to go further into many distant districts to document the cultural and social fabric of centuries-old villages and their tribal and ethnic affiliations.” www.louiepalu.photoshelter.com www.hasselblad.com

ONLINE 8/2010

Next victor online: 1 September 2010 © Photo: Tom Hagemeyer, Photo assistance: Chris Stock, Model: Francesca Giardina, Hair: Sandrina Rusu, Make up: Claudia Kaelin, Latex fashion: Danny Deluxe, Thanks to: Heinz Rüedi, Willy Egeli and family

Be surprised by inspiring portfolios, keep up-to-date with the most significant photographic trends and read leading news for the photography community. On September 1st, 2010, check your monitor for the next issue of VICTOR online.

tom Hagemeyer >> His distinctive fashion photos are a masterful combination of old and new

gregor Halenda >> A specialist in creative problem solving and technical precision

>> Discover the aesthetic world of the photographer who took the Hasselblad Owners’ Club photo of the month: Sofie Louca

HOC

Hasselblad Owners’ Club 8/2010

Items and topics in the next issue of VICTOR online may be changed or post-poned due to editorial or other reasons.

ONLINE 8/2010

Imprint VICTOR online | 8/2010 www.victorbyhasselblad.com info@victorbyhasselblad.com

Realization: IDC Corporate Publishing GmbH, Hamburg, Germany

Publishing House /Advertising: Center of Service GmbH Hammerbrookstr. 93 20097 Hamburg, Germany Tel.: + 49.40.25 40 48-69 (Fax: - 40) E-mail: info@centerofservice.com

All articles and illustrations contained in the online magazine are subject to the laws of copyright. Any form of utilisation beyond the narrow limits imposed by the laws of copyright and without the expressed permission of the publisher is forbidden and will be prosecuted. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited material and this will only be returned if appropriate postage is included.

Photographer Relations Manager Hasselblad: Christian Nørgaard Christian.Norgaard@Hasselblad.dk

Hasselblad is a registered trademark of Victor Hasselblad A/S, Denmark. Place of jurisdiction and execution: Hamburg, Germany

Publisher: Stephan Bittner, Center of Service GmbH