Just like when I was playing a little with Fuji cameras to see what they might do for my workflow, I spent some time with the Medium Format Hasselblad H5D. Wow that thing was huge and being a little crazy I decided that a trip across the world including India, the Middle East and Europe (a good chunk by train) with the family was an ideal situation for it. It did give me a lot to think about in terms of what I needed or wanted in a camera system, and it also created some epic images.

The First Hasselblad Adventure

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-01-09 02:04:23
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/20
• Aperture5.6
• ISO200
• Focal Length80.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

But which? Is it a Sony? Have I moved to something completely different? Is it finally time to go mobile phone only? While you mull that over, here’s a favorite shot of mine from the trusty old D2X back in the day…

New Year, New Camera

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2024-01-03 14:41:30
• CameraNIKON D2Xs
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/45
• Aperture5
• ISO100
• Focal Length15.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

The Thiruvalluvar Statue, located atop a small island, near the town of Kanyakumari on the southernmost point of the Indian peninsula. Here two seas (the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) meet an ocean (the Indian Ocean) creating some epic scenes.

The Statue Watches as the Seas Meet

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-01-09 02:04:23
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/20
• Aperture5.6
• ISO200
• Focal Length80.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Beautiful details on the towers in Mahabalipuram. I could stare at them for hours. When standing there, you can see monkeys all over the place. They blend in really well, but there are a ton. They run and jump and swing all over the place, making the whole façade feel alive and ever-changing.

Mahabalipuram Detail

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-01-07 13:52:10
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/1000
• Aperture
• ISO100
• Focal Length
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

It was nice to get way off the tourist track in India from time to time. This city, Pondicherry, actually has had a name-change like so many cities in India. Now it’s called Puducherry, although I find that most Indians I talked to still call in Pondicherry, so I’m calling it that too. Other names seem to stick better. Like, for example, Bombay is now called Mumbai, and most Indians call it Mumbai. It all comes from those tricky Englishmen who came in, could not say the regular name, and the Englishified it!

Deep in the Garment Market of Pondicherry

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-01-06 20:03:53
• CameraDSC-RX100M4
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/400
• Aperture1.8
• ISO1250
• Focal Length8.8 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Where three seas meet on the southern tip of India you’ll find this massive statue just out of the ocean. I took this at sunrise one morning after we got off the train. It was a disorienting morning because the train rumbled down the tracks all night then we got out off at about 4 AM. Everything is a bit confusing when waking up at 4 AM! Then it was even more confusing navigating a bunch of tiny and crowded Indian streets in the dark of morning. I had no idea what I was really seeing until a little bit of light hit the scene, and then I was totally blown away!

Tina, my first wife, as I liked to refer to her when we were married, had a small panic attack here. Our youngest, Scarlett, kind of got lost in a mass of tourists. We found her about a minute later and of course, being a true extrovert, Scarlett was not worried at all and didn’t even notice!

The Mighty Statue

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-01-09 01:33:12
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time3
• Aperture5.6
• ISO400
• Focal Length70.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

While on our trip through India I liked to stop in each location and take some time to wander around the local markets. They were all filled with their own uniqueness and always packed with color.

Exploring the Markets in India

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-01-06 20:02:06
• CameraDSC-RX100M4
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/400
• Aperture1.8
• ISO2500
• Focal Length8.8 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

I probably visited over 50 of these amazing temples in India. Besides the ancient structures, it was fascinating to watch remote villagers also making the same pilgrimage. I think I averaged about 1,000 photos a day, and I still have only processed about 20% of them.

A Pilgrimage

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-01-05 12:29:22
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/640
• Aperture4
• ISO100
• Focal Length35.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

This is the train, The Golden Chariot, that we spent 10 days touring Southern India. It was so cool to take Tina and all three kids on such an adventure.

That guy sitting there is “Aman,” one of the crew of the train that absolutely loved Scarlett. She must have been about 6 years old. She called him “Almond.” He kept correcting her with a smile and said, no, my name is “Aman.” Scarlett was like, “No, to me, you are Almond. I shall call you Almond.”

Madurai, India

One of the last nights on our moving hotel

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-01-07 17:18:04
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time23
• Aperture9.5
• ISO100
• Focal Length40.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Here are some cool houseboats in India… what wasn’t so cool is that I think this was the same day I had an ill-fated quadcopter flight that ended in a rather large splash and a never to be seen again device… Note to self… launching and then trying to land on a moving boat isn’t the easiest thing to do.

Houseboats

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-01-10 07:01:25
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/800
• Aperture5.6
• ISO100
• Focal Length90.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias