Pushing the Limits: Running on Film with the Hasselblad XPan

A photographer set out to capture a running sequence on the Hasselblad XPan, a slow and deliberate film camera, to create an editorial story in just a few frames. The subject, Maud, a sports model, was chosen to align with her career and add strong, story-driven images to her portfolio. The shoot took place at the Barbican in London, UK, chosen for its hard geometry and concrete surfaces that contrast with the fluidity of movement. The photographer used Kodak Portra 400 film, two lenses (45mm f/4 and 90mm f/4), and metered for bright sunlight to achieve a cinematic look. Only twenty frames were shot, with three key images forming the backbone of the series: a wide contextual frame, a mid-distance image, and a close-up. The project served as both a technical test for a recently repaired XPan and a creative step toward context-driven editorial work. The photographer learned the value of location scouting and the need to explore motion blur in future projects.