Jack Guy is appointed as Hassleblad Master photographer for January 2006

Press Release:
Each year Hasselblad appoints twelve new photographers as Hasselblad Masters. The selected photographers represent both documented and well-established photographers as well as imaginative, ambitious photographers at the beginning of their careers. The selection is based on factors such as level of ambition, wealth of ideas, and photographic technical skill and respects both the traditions of photography and the need for renewal. One prerequisite is that the photographer must have used a Hasselblad camera to take the selected images.

The Hasselblad Masters represent photography at its finest; at its most inspired, most communicative, most beautiful. They are young, old, western, eastern, classical, experimental, traditional, modern, and futuristic. They have perhaps one thing in common though: they are masters at conveying an instant, an emotion, with images. Masters of the art and craft that is photography.

To showcase the new Hasselblad Masters, a calendar is produced each year. Each month features images from one of the twelve participants. The Hasselblad Master photographer for January is Jack Guy.

Jack Guy had been a model for fifteen years. He was standing in front of a camera in Montana, USA modelling for a shoot for Esquire magazine. When the photographer peeled apart the Polaroid and showed Jack, something clicked. That was the defining moment, quite simply. From that day on, interest grew. He took a camera with him on modelling assignments and started to photograph the other models, just for fun and practice. It was a golden opportunity being able to shoot professional models in beautiful locations.

He eventually decided to go professional and took the step behind the camera instead on a permanent basis. Fashion was the natural area for him to begin with as that was the world he had been involved with. But he had a certain style that drew attention from entertainment magazine editors. He had been producing a kind of movie portrait and fashion mix that they liked. This style then paved the way for him to become a celebrity photographer, which is what he is today.

He never studied photography at college level, as art and architecture were his subjects. On the other hand he had the great advantage of working alongside very experienced photographers who helped him and showed him how it was done. Today he looks back, is grateful for the help he received, and is now in his turn willing to help young photographers make their way as well.

He has an attractive outfit at his disposal: a Hasselblad H1 complete with 80mm, 100mm, 120mm, 150mm, and 50-110mm zoom lenses. Efficiency and reliability are the characteristics he chooses to sum up his affection for Hasselblad. He also adds the word freedom though. By this he means the freedom he experiences resulting from superior image quality and autofocus. Time restrictions while shooting actors create a stressful environment. But the H1 can be relied upon to keep up with the rapid action and produce the goods. Jack says. I need to be able to shoot as much as possible in as little amount of time possible. The H1 is the best camera for the job so far. He has used other formats of course but he believes the medium format provides the perfect middle ground for his kind of work. He shoots both film and digital pointing out that apart from the usual list of pros and cons for both sides he discerns a difference in overall appearance which he likens to the difference between a movie shot on film and high definition video − a certain visual quality or impression. He likes film but knows that commercially at least, it is a digital solution that will eventually win the race.

As a contrast perhaps his leisure activities reflect an interest in a less glamorous though no less exiting life that
also offer alternative opportunities for photography and relaxation. Apart from skydiving, riding his motorcycle up and down the canyons, hiking and his general sports interests he has a few other ideas to try out. Firstly he is going to trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and then go on safari in Tanzania, which he hopes will result in a show and a book. Log onto www.jackguy.com for a selection of his recent work.

David Jeffery