Kyle Hoffmann

I am Kyle Hoffmann, an artist using photographic processes to create archival pigment-based and platinum palladium prints.

I am currently working and living in Sydney, Australia.

My work is inspired by the natural world and fundamental hidden phenomena that shape our human experience.

I am fascinated by these mechanisms, the movements of deep time, and how they influence our perceived reality. Which is then transformed by different cultural contexts and shaped by the viewer’s personal history and experience.

My work has been exhibited in Australia, the United States, and the UK. My work has also been collected by the National Archives in Washington DC and is held in corporate and private collections.

I have finished my third book, III / K.H, comprised of ten years of working with film. The first edition has two hundred fifty copies, each signed and numbered.

My art practice started with painting; my grandfather is a watercolour artist.

I was very lucky that he taught me about composition and the art of looking from a very early age. Even today, I think about him when composing and concentrating on what I’m trying to capture.

Then, at fourteen, I had my first chance to try a “proper” camera. The local photojournalist who worked for our local newspaper volunteered his time for young kids interested in trying photography but who wouldn’t otherwise be given the opportunity.

I remember all of us students being terrified to break these cameras. However, he told us, “Don’t worry, I have the highest insurance coverage”.

So off we went, and I am sure our parents were terrified to see what we could do with these cameras. This was the moment that changed my life and where I became addicted to trying to capture something.

My mentor, Charles Vallone, used to call me “Manuel” since you would find me manually focusing all my shots every moment. Being a stubborn kid, I remember him going through a whole roll of films and saying they were all soft. I still blame the wind.

Also, thankfully, the cost to process a roll of film was much less in those days, even though my mother wasn’t always so cheery about the number of rolls I wanted to have developed.

For the past twelve years, I have mainly been shooting in film.

I enjoy the whole process of creating a tangible photographic object. I like that it is a physical thing, and I can return to another moment, almost like a time capsule.

I remember seeing a waist-level viewfinder camera and thinking, what is this magic?

With a few months to a year of research, I decided that if I was going to do it, I was going all in.

My first medium format camera was a Hasselblad 500 C/M, which came with a Hasselblad 80mm f/2.8 Planar CF T. I enjoy this camera’s mechanical nature and how you are fully responsible for everything in making the image you are after.

If things go wrong, you are also the only one to blame, but it is also a great teacher, especially since I didn’t have much money to invest.

I would calculate how many coffees I could go without or walk instead of taking transport since that would get me another roll of film. I was doing it if there was a way to save a bit more money to get a few more rolls of film.

So now, when I’m looking at or thinking about an image, I already know how to make it. Shooting film these past twelve years has made me hugely selective in what I capture so much so that I would go for more than a month without finishing a roll that only had a dozen shots.

When creating or hunting for images, depending on the setting, my whole mission is to create a print.

When I’m composing, and it is not something that has one hundred per cent potential, I won’t take the shot; perhaps I missed my coffee too much. However, I will return to the exact location repeatedly, bringing a different lens or waiting for the sun’s shadow to fall in a particular place.

It is this grand battle for me; however, when I get the image and see it in large print, the feeling of the struggle and sacrifice is all worth it.

I use the Hasselblad V series lenses, and choosing which one depends on the project or the idea I have in mind and what I think will give the best results.

SWC/M 38mm f/4.5 Biogon (integrated lens)

Hasselblad Zeiss Distagon T* 50mm f/4 CF

Hasselblad Zeiss Distagon T* 60mm f/3.5 CF Distagon – is my go-to lens for most of my work as it provides minimal distortion.

ZEISS Planar T* 80mm f/2.8 

ZEISS Planar T* 100mm f/3.5 CF

ZEISS Planar T* 120mm f/4 CF – another of my go-to lenses known for its incredibly sharp images up close. I pair this with the bellows system for work, which requires me to get up even closer.

Hasselblad Zeiss Sonnar 150mm f/4 C

Hasselblad Zeiss Sonnar 180mm f/4 CF

Hasselblad Zeiss Sonar 250mm f/5.6

Hasselblad XCD 45mm f/4 P – I also wanted to try a more modern lens, and this little setup is fantastic! For its small size and lightweight, it produces incredibly sharp images.

A new addition is the Hasselblad 100c Digital Back, which was a recommendation from a close art friend.

I can easily use this digital back with all my V series camera bodies and lenses. It has been an exciting process of relearning digital from shooting film for so long. The colours that it produces are incredible.

At first, I did not know what to think about shooting digitally; however, it complements my art practice, and having such large files allows me to create large prints.

To develop the film at home, I mostly use a Paterson or Jobo development tank and load the film using a dark bag.

I use mostly Pancro 400, Ilford HP5 and Kodak TriX 400.

Developers are either Rodinal, Kodak Xtol or Pyro 510, depending on the image and final result I am after.

I like this part of the process of working with film, where I do feel a bit like a mad scientist.

I then scan my negatives with an Epson V850 using Silverfast.

I use Adobe Lightroom to handle my files. I have been using this program since my first digital camera. I find it intuitive but also very helpful with organizing images. With my bookmaking, I enjoy this aspect; it helps me with sequencing and going through my archive.

Most photographers have their favourite bags, and I use bags by Ona; the one I use the most is the ONA Bowery Camera Bag. It’s more lightweight, and that’s a genuine concern for me since I usually walk around with a camera most days.

I need more room for photography trips, so I use my ONA Prince Street Camera Bag.

Both bags are cognac leather, which I like because they look aged. It creates this very worn patina, making them look unlike a camera bag. They don’t generate a lot of attention, and I prefer the more low-key profile when travelling.

I picked up a Mefoto Carbon Fibre Tripod a long time ago, which I also paired with a Hasselblad quick-release plate. This has been a great thing, as it’s easy to swap cameras if needed or when you need to use the tripod quickly. Also, it doesn’t take up any more space compared to a traditional tripod base plate.

With my use of photography, I am always thinking about how to make the photographic object.

There is something about when you hold that print in your hands or when I put it on my studio walls to see if I keep returning to it.

Does it still hold my attention after that first rush of endorphins?

I say printmaking is a bit like a first date; sometimes, it takes a while for you to see the faults.

I have to sit on my work until I show them, and some of my series have taken years to complete.

Suppose anyone is looking for some advice on learning photography. I highly recommend you go through the process of making prints.

It opens your mind to seeing but also what you want to reveal.

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