Today, we’re featuring a beautiful portrait series full of vintage, retro vibes from film photographer Courtney Bell. Here is more from Courtney about how this series came together…
About a month ago, I decided to take the plunge and buy one of my bucket list film cameras, a Hasselblad 500CM with the 80mm f/2.8 lens. After shooting a couple of test rolls, I decided to go all in and actually plan a proper photo shoot with a local model I met through Facebook, named Esi.
We weren’t really sure at first what, or even where, we wanted to shoot, but I was immediately excited to work with Esi because she seemed genuinely interested in the collaborative process. Our ideas for this photo shoot were a little all over the place at first (everything from an outdoor shoot by the lake to a portrait session at my house), but just about a week before our scheduled shoot date, a friend and co-worker of mine, Lindsey, asked if I’d like to do the photo shoot at her new house. This absolutely thrilled me, because Lindsey is a gifted decorator with a flair for using vintage and repurposed decor. It also just so happened that Esi has a flair for 60’s and 70’s fashion and style, which is how this idea of doing a retro-styled photo shoot finally came to be!
Analog cameras and films used: Hasselblad 500CM (Find at KEH Camera with code SIWF21 for 5% off or on eBay) | Cinestill 800T (Find on Amazon)
Connect with Courtney: Website | Instagram
Model: Esi
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Blog Comments
Mundy
May 22, 2021 at 1:12 am
Hi Courtney,
Very nice pictures, especially if you hand held your 500C/M. Did you use any fill-in flash, or where all shots avaiable light? Enjoy your Hassie. I purchased mine in 1987 with the same lens you have, Zeiss Planar 2.8/80mm T*. One reason I like the camera, other than the obvious, is it is lite in weight.
Thank you and enjoy your Hassie. 500C/M and I enjoyed your work.
Mundy
Courtney Bell
June 2, 2021 at 10:48 am
Hi, Mundy!
Thank you for the kind words. I believe I used a tripod for most of these photos due to the low light. The room was lit by indirect natural light coming from one large window, but there were also a couple of lamps in the room that I turned on to add little pops of ambient light here and there. As mentioned in the article, this was my first proper shoot with the Hassie, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since! I am absolutely mesmerized by the waist level viewfinder, and I agree about the light weight of the camera being very nice. I’ve shot many handheld photos since this session, and I’m constantly impressed with how sharp they turn out. 🙂 Thank you, again, for taking the time to comment!
Courtney Bell
Mundy
June 7, 2021 at 9:28 pm
Hi Courtney,
Thank you for your reply. I love your work. I look forward to more of your pictures, so please post your work.
Enjoy!
Mundy