I have been using the amazing Hasselblad Xpan panoramic camera for almost 7 years now but I have rarely used it for weddings. I have mainly used this rangefinder for my documentary photography in Oaxaca.
I always wondered: Can I use the Hasselblad Xpan for wedding photography?
This camera is great but demands light. The lenses’ maximum aperture is f4, which makes it tricky to use in indoor locations. So I mostly use this camera for my travel photography.
At the end of 2020, Marc, the amazing groom featured in this series, asked me to bring my Hasselblad to capture some film photos of his and Shannon’s small outdoor wedding ceremony at the Pittsburgh Botanical Garden. Perhaps out of boredom of having been in quarantine for so long or because I have always fantasized with the idea of documenting weddings just with the Xpan, I immediately accepted the challenge.
So, I brought the Xpan with the 45mm f4 lens and a bunch of Kodak Tri-X and a couple of expired canisters of positive film I had in the fridge to photograph the event.
One thing I really love about film photography is that it slows you down. Everything is done manually, from the speed and aperture settings to focusing. So, in the hour I was with Marc and Shannon, I was only able to finish two rolls of film (40 pictures).
These are some of my favorite photos from the event. I have to say I love these photos. Hasselblad lenses are absolutely sharp and the images produced have an incredible amount of detail and texture. This was a really fun experiment!
Here is a complete list of the wedding photography equipment I’m using in 2022.
