TOMÁS Karmelo Amaya
NATIVE LOVE STORIES
Born for the A:shiwi, Rarámuri, and Yoeme tribes, creative Tomás Karmelo Amaya focuses his work on creating opportunities of healing and meaningful reflection by embracing intentionality and Indigenous teachings in all manner of expression. Growing up around storytellers and traditional healers in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, Tomás’ upbringing in a vibrant community has heavily influenced the visual language of his photography, film directing and writing. In his ongoing series Native Love Stories, Tomás illustrates the abundance of Indigenous circles, including love, service to others, community strength, and the ability to thrive.
Tomás’s wife Siera Amaya and their baby Haseya
Tomas, wife Siera Amaya and their baby Haseya
Together, in collaboration with each person photographed, we are showing what Indigenous self-determination looks and feels like. We are restoring, rebuilding, and reclaiming narratives that have been threatened for far too long.
Siera Amaya nursing their baby Haseya in the desert
Using the H6D-100c took the technical aspect of my visual storytelling to another level. I have been blessed to work with community members and on projects that have such powerful stories. I was searching for a high-performing camera to honor those stories in great detail and found a solid solution in the H6D-100c. Knowing that the camera is hefty, I loved the challenge of working to its strengths much like dancers do. There was something viscerally rewarding about achieving evocative and light-footed images that display movement and emotive energy with such a robust tool.
Dancer Ty Lodgepole in his Prairie Chicken Dance regalia
Weaver, style icon, and skateboarder Naiomi Glasses
In addition to using natural light, one of the techniques I’ve developed the most is how to effectively shape light with one monolight. In most of the images featured here I used a Broncolor Siros 800L with a 175cm Elinchrom Rotalux Octabox or a comparably sized 150cm Broncolor Octabox. The key is to use the two internal diffusion elements when possible to achieve a softer light source.
Dancer Ty Lodgepole in his Prairie Chicken Dance regalia
I’ve noticed incredible color accuracy in the H6D-100c when working with .3fr files, especially in skin tones. I’ve been in challenging lighting situations, for example with Ty the dancer in the red rock formation landscapes. Once I brought the photos in for editing, I was happy to find that I was able to carefully render colors with buttery smoothness. The 16 bit files are gorgeous. Knowing that I have the latitude in terms of dynamic range and color accuracy, I’m more confident to spend time on other elements of expression.
Hoop Dancer Jorge Gonzalez-Zuniga Jr.
Hoop Dancer Jorge Gonzalez-Zuniga Jr.
ABOUT TOMÁS KARMELO AMAYA
Born and raised in West Phoenix, Arizona on the ancestral homelands of the O’odham, Maricopa, Yavapai, and Yoeme tribes, Tomás Karmelo Amaya is a multi-disciplined creative, working as a photographer, film director and writer. He is highly recognized for his striking, emotional and cinematic visual style that is rooted in deeper topics. “When I create images, I like to bring the same care, attention to detail, lyricism, and depth that I bring to writing poetry and songs. Every frame is intentional, meaningful, and connected to a larger conversation of Indigenous self-determination, sovereignty, healing ways, and love letters to our future,” says Tomás. See more of his work here.
CAPTURE COLOURS AND SKIN TONES 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.