medium format - ERIC KIM ₿

My Experiences Shooting Medium-Format Film vs a Smartphone in Street Photography

Berkeley, 2014

So after a long trip in Stockholm, Dubai, and London I wanted to share some of my experiences shooting medium-format (Hasselblad 501c + 80mm lens and Mamiya 7 + 80mm lens) for street photography (and traveling in general).

To start off, I have been really fascinated with shooting square-format photographs recently. To be honest, my first real fascination with shooting squares was from Instagram (and of course photographers like Lee Friedlander and Vivian Maier).

So I first started shooting a lot of squares on my smartphone (squares in-camera, post-processing in VSCO, and uploading to Instagram and social media). Then I realized I had a Hasselblad that my friend Jeroen Helmink gave me about 2 years ago (which was collecting dust on my shelf) that I wanted to try out. Dutifully while living in Berkeley, I carried around my (quite heavy) Hasselblad while on my daily chores and just exploring the neighborhood.

In Street Photography, The Smaller the Camera, the Better

Photo slightly related: Minox Spy Camera of Grant Loxton

Recently for my trip to Stockholm, London, and Dubai I brought along my Hasselblad 501c and 80mm lens (and about 20 rolls of Kodak Portra 400 120 film). I had been shooting a lot of medium-format 6×6 photos back home, and I had the natural gut feeling to bring it to my trip and make some photos. But at the same time I’m glad I brought along my compact 35mm camera, the Contax T3.

The Challenges and Rewards of Shooting Street Photography With a Medium-Format TLR Camera

Eric’s Note: This guest blog post is by Christian Nilson, a street photographer based in Zurich. Christian attended my Introduction to Street Photography Workshop in Berlin this year, and upon meeting Juliane Eirich (one of my guest lecturers) and seeing her work, he decided to experimenting using a square-format TLR. In his article below he shares his experiences and challenges.Â

Christian: After having met Juliane Eirich at Ericâ€™s workshop in Berlin, in May this year, I was intrigued with her photography and the square format. She uses a medium format TLR, which is both a format and a type of camera that I have never used. The first thing I did after my return from Berlin was to check the auction sites for a used Ricohflex and I was soon successful. A couple of days later I had it in my hand. Full working condition. I popped a roll of film in it and went out shooting. It took a bit of getting used to the different way of shooting and composing.

Introduction to Hasselblad Medium Format Cameras by Jeroen Helmink

An introduction to using Hasselblad Medium Format Cameras by Jeroen Helmink, Dutch street photographer. Check out Jeroen’s work on his website or on Flickr!

Also if you are interested in getting a Hasselblad, email Jeroen at jeroen.helmink@gmail.com

Got any questions about Hasselblads or shooting medium-format film? Leave a comment below!Â