Hasselblad from Film to Digital 9
or subject effectively in the camera. Furthermore, after the composition is made and the lens
is focused, you no longer need to look into the viewfi nder or on the viewing screen. You can
look directly at the subject, which is extremely valuable when you are photographing people.
It allows you to communicate more directly with your subjects and direct the people as well
as allowing you to take several identical images.
While the mirror and shutter operation in Hasselblad cameras, especially the H models, is
beautifully dampened to reduce motion within the camera, you may still want to pre-release
a tripod-mounted camera. It is my standard approach with any lens as it is a simple and fast
procedure with any Hasselblad camera.
Selecting a Tripod
For studio work you naturally want to use a sturdy studio type. If tripods are taken in the fi eld
there must be a compromise between steadiness and portability. The new carbon fi ber types
seem to offer a good compromise.
A few other points to look for in the tripod design:
● A convenient and fast leg-locking arrangement.
● Convenient camera operation, which is mainly determined by the choice of tripod head. I prefer
ballheads. To turn the camera, tilt it sideways or up and down, you need to tighten or loosen only
one knob.
● The tripod should bring the camera up to eye level by simply extending the legs, without using
the elevating extension. Elevating extensions are for making minor adjustments in the camera
height.
Operating the Tripod-Mounted Camera
Most photographers work with a tripod-mounted camera by attaching a release cord and then
staying far enough away to avoid any body contact with the tripod or camera. This is a good
approach with heavy studio tripods and a necessary approach when working at very long
focal lengths or at shutter speeds of about ½ second or longer.
In other situations, especially when working with a lightweight portable tripod, you can
also operate a tripod-mounted camera by keeping both hands on the camera or one hand
on the camera and the other on top of the tripod with both pressing the tripod and camera
toward the ground and perhaps keeping the eye at the viewfi nder eyepiece (Figure 1-5C). It
is almost like holding the camera as in handheld photography but with the tripod serving as
an additional support. You can release the shutter with or without a release cord. If carefully
done, pressing the camera release is just as good. You do not have to use the pre-release, but I
usually do whenever practical. I use this approach for practically all outdoor photography at
shorter shutter speeds up to about
1
/
8
second and with lenses up to 250 mm. This approach
gives me sharp images from a lightweight tripod.
Monopods can be used instead of tripods for location work when exposure times do not
exceed ¼ second (see Figure 1-5).
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