Are you a Hasselblad X-Pan owner curious about where to take your famed film camera next? Locations with sweeping vistas and breathtaking scenes make obvious choices. But how about somewhere remote and challenging like the Arctic? UK-based landscape photographer Thomas Heaton shares his experience in today’s featured video.
As Heaton mentioned in his intro, the Hasselblad X-Pan isn’t the obvious choice for most photographers when shooting in the Arctic. As a manual focus rangefinder film camera, for example, it’s not exactly best suited for taking photos on a fast-moving ship on rough seas. But he wanted to see if he could make it work during a 10-day trip sailing around Svalbard.
So, he loaded the Hasselblad X-Pan with Fujifilm Acros 100 and Kodak Portra 160, and shared his results. However, he much preferred the black and white photos between the two. He also talked about the challenges he encountered, from the shooting to the editing. These details should help you manage your expectations should you decide to take this camera with you to the Arctic or a similar location.
What about you, which photos do you think he took best? Do you have any tips for photographing with the Hasselblad X-Pan in challenging conditions such as the Arctic? Share them with us in the comments below, or in our group discussion if you’re already part of the Photofocus Community!
