articles - Page 22 of 28 - Nigel Goldsmith photography & film

Hasselblad 500CM (V system) – end of an era

It has just been announced that the Hasselblad company have stopped making their ‘V’ system of cameras. These iconic cameras have been the reliable workhorses of countless photographers over the years. In all of the time I have had my 40+ year old Hasselblad 500CM it has hardly needed more than a minor service. It is probably their robust and reliable nature which has led to the decision by Hasselblad, photographers buy them once and never need to replace them. My Hasselblad has outlived numerous digital SLR cameras and I anticipate using it for work and pleasure for many years to come.

The Hasselblad ‘V’ system changed so little over the years that it became a standard for medium format digital backs. I still occasionally stick a digital back on the camera and use it for proper commercial jobs and it is always carefully smuggled in my holiday luggage on family holidays much to my companion’s chagrin. See earlier post http://www.nigelgoldsmith.co.uk/its-back-to-front-dad/

My 40+ year old Hasselblad 500CM, a digital / analogue hybrid

The photo-film, a digital version of the old ‘tape-slide’ show

A long time ago I produced a number of analogue photo / audio presentations knows as ‘tape-slide ‘ shows. The process was very technical and tended to only be used for gallery presentations. It involved setting up two or more slide projectors that were carefully aligned so that they both projected onto the same part of the screen. The system used two C60 audio tapes, one with the dialogue the other carried the timecode which synchronised the projectors to each other and to the audio. The end product always looked great but was expensive and time consuming to produce and during the quieter parts of the presentation you could often hear the slide transport system and the clunking of the carousel.

Today, tape-slide presentations have largely made way to digital photo slideshows or photo-films, these are much easier to create and are equally at home on websites or physical galleries. With quality images and audio these can look and sound as good if not better than a well executed video but involve considerably less post-production and crew members. Photo slideshows or photofilms are therefore considerably cheaper to produce than the equivalent length of video.

The photography and sound recording for a photofilm can normally be carried out in a single day. Normally the images are of activities, portraits, workplaces, products etc but can also use existing images supplied by the client providing that they own the copyright of the images. A typical 3 minute photofilm will use between 60 and 80 pictures drawn from a photoshoot of between 200 and 300 pictures.

The still images used to create the photofilm can also be used as stills on a website or for print purposes, the still shots can be supplied for a small additional fee.

Prices for the photography and sound recording for a 2-3 minute photofilm start from £550.

If digital copyright cleared images are submitted and only a voice over is required the price starts at £450.

Please contact me if you need material digitising for a photofilm.

This is a photo-film produced for a local gardening company. Click on the HD 1080p option to view the clip at the highest quality.

Documentary

This gallery includes documentary photography covering a range of topics including; medical students in training, ship breakers in Bangladesh and other subjects.

Medical education images taken by Nigel Goldsmith, © Bristol University, moral rights retained by Nigel Goldsmith

Pinhole photography workshop hits the road

I have been running pinhole photography sessions for some time however the have tended to be held at places where there are existing darkroom facilities or a windowless room which can be adapted. Recently however I bought a portable darkroom which can be set up in the corner of any room and provides enough space to load or unload cameras and process pictures.

Wedding and event photography

If you are holding a special event then you will probably want professional wedding photographs to preserve those precious moments. I recognise that every wedding is different so I enjoy chatting through the plans with the couple so that on the day I can capture the essence of the occasion and provide pictures to trigger fond memories for years to come. I am always happy to talk about how I can help you with your wedding or special day. Send me an email or give me a call 07973 631185

Prices start at £700

This covers the bridal preparations, the ceremony, group shots and pictures of the newly weds and the speeches.

You will normally get between 200 and 300 high resolution digital files on a DVD or USB stick which you are free to reproduce as you like.

Wedding speeches

Details of the happy day

relaxed moments

documentary wedding photographs