Tom Oldham

The Last of the Crooners

London-based portrait photographer Tom Oldham won’t rest until he has photographed all the faces on the planet. In his series entitled The Last of the Crooners, Tom features a group of jazz musicians right at his local pub, The Palm Tree, in East London. Using his H6D-100c in combination with the HC 2,8/80 and HC 2,2/100 Lenses, The Last of the Crooners was recognised by the World Photography Awards as the winner of the portrait category in their 2018 competition.

DOCUMENTING A FLEETING MOMENT

A long-time regular at The Palm Tree, Tom had been prepping for this shoot unknowingly for almost 20 years. Despite the neighbourhood’s gentrification and other changes that London has seen, the pub’s charm, with its red velvet drapes, gold-patterned wallpaper, and jazz tunes, has always remained a constant. For Tom, the weekend performances of the live jazz band set a melancholic tone that invoked nostalgic sentiments, creating an appreciation for the present despite the inevitable changes of life looming in the distance. Tom was aware that life wouldn’t always look like this, so he felt it was important to document this scene in all its glory before it was overcome by its many years.

With the best of intentions, and even as a regular at the pub, Tom had to approach the project sensitively. With trust in place, the landlord and landlady gave their permission easily and helped to encourage the musicians, but it took Tom multiple visits, ensuring everyone that his intentions were genuine before he succeeded in capturing these portraits. With a lot of preparation, including lighting and posing the subjects very deliberately, the shoot itself only took two days.

This project demanded quality and a timeless feel, so I used the H6D-100c and mostly either the HC 2,8/80 or the HC 2,2/100, the latter being one of the most world class lenses available. The tonal capabilities of these files enable the images to withstand a lot of flexibility, especially since they were deliberately under lit. We got the shape right and then lifted the files in post, as though the subjects were emerging from the dimly lit shadows. Retouchers love Hasselblad files!

Hasselblad Lenses are next level, which allow the files to have a latitude and tonal range that enable portrait photographers to use light in a far more advanced way. These are the elements that make for competition quality imagery.

ABOUT TOM OLDHAM

British portrait photographer Tom Oldham has photographed "all sorts of talented folk" around the world. Finding his calling at the ripe age of 21, some of Tom's biggest works includes Eldmodur, featuring Icelandic crossfit athletes; The Herder Boys of Lesotho, his proudest series; The Longest Day, where Tom stayed awake for 40 hours and shot one portrait per hour. Check out his compelling portraits here.

Capture textures, skin tones, and details like never before

More Hasselblad stories

All stories

Ottavio Giannella

THE EARTH AWAKENS

Photographer Ottavio Giannella flies with his X1D II 50C from Italy to Frankfurt and then on to Keflavík Airport in Iceland. He makes a 40-minute drive to the valley of the Reykjavík peninsula and a two-hour walk to his destination, the Fagradalsfjall eruption site.

Dayanita Singh

Books, Boxes, and Museums - Exhibits Reconstructed

On the 15th of October, Dayanita Singh was presented with the 2022 Hasselblad Award by the Hasselblad Foundation. Often referred to as "the Nobel Prize" in photography, the Hasselblad Award celebrates one artist's pioneering achievements in the photographic arts and their impact on the next generation of photographers. The Hasselblad Foundation highlights Singh's unique archival work, that not only documents the lives of archives but brings about a new way to interact and experience the art of photography.

Ali Rajabi

Pausing New York With the X2D

Every photographer knows about the Hasselblad brand, whether they're an amateur, enthusiast, or professional because the history of photography is on the shoulders of Hasselblad. For me, it's an investment in my career, to move to the next level. It's always important to have the right tools in the right moments to make great photographs.

Hans Strand

Iceland in Mesmerising 100MP Detail

For me as a photographer, the X2D is what a Stradivarius violin might be for a violinist. It's the ultimate camera.

Flora Borsi

Magical Realism With The X2D

The X2D is like a camera for painters. The pictures have the taste and technical background of a painting. I almost couldn't differentiate the two because it's just so perfect. This camera produces all the data I could ever use to convey the tales I want to tell with my pictures.

Heath Holden

Disappearing Doha

Discovering his new home of Doha, Qatar through the lens of street photography, Heath Holden explored the older and more traditional neighborhoods of the historical city.