自然との調和

Töve first picked up a camera nearly 40 years ago and started his interest in nature photography soon after.  He published his first book in 1996 entitled, ‘The Reflection ‘, which he describes as a mixture of what he loved to photograph at that time. He had previously, won Foto magazine’s ‘Scandinavian Photographer of the Year’ in 1995 and was the runner-up in the 1992, BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, as well as being accepted into the prestigious ‘Nature Photographers’ Association of Sweden’.

It was back in 1988 that Töve first started using a Mamiya 645 after previously shooting 35mm. Unusually, he chose this medium format camera to capture all his images including fast moving wildlife subject matter like birds. This preference for the medium/large format is because image quality is paramount for this photographer and, because of his considered approach to his subject where he is willing to wait for the right shot. “I’m not an action photographer,” Töve clarifies.

Jan Töve was as equally measured and discerning when he switched to digital and was not the first to jump on the bandwagon. “The first digital camera I used was an 11 megapixel Canon DSLR and I wasn’t satisfied with how the image looked. There was something digital about it… It screamed digital”. Töve kept an eye on subsequent new Canons and Nikons, but remained skeptical – that was, until he tried the Phase One P 25 (digital back). “The dynamic range, a 3D character, it was film-like and I said, ‘Wow, now we’re talking’, this is how it should look. I borrowed a P 25, tried it and loved it from the first moment I used it”.

Digital workhorse

It is now over a year since Töve bought a Phase One 645 and a P 25+ digital back, as well as a new 45mm lens, to add to his Mamiya collection. His initial plan was to shoot 50% of his images with his new digital investment and continue to use his large format 8x10 analogue gear when necessary. However, he soon discovered that this 50/50 split changed to 90/10 using the Phase One gear to shoot the majority share of his work. “I’m so satisfied with the equipment and the camera,” Töve enthuses as he explains, “The quality is fantastic and I can work slowly or fast with the Phase One gear, whereas with 8x10 format you can never be fast”.

But this Swedish freelancer is not one to stand still in his career or in his choice of photographic gear. After his first book was completed, he switched from shooting animals to capturing landscapes because, in his words, “I didn’t want to spend anymore time sitting in hides – I needed a new challenge”. One creative benefit he found when using the P 25+ when shooting his recent land and seascapes is its Xpose+ technology. “Sometimes I want to let the wind blow or make the sea look calm and you can do this with these long exposures… I can’t say I’ve used the P 25+ for an hour exposure but I’ve used it for up to 6 or 7 minutes and there’s no noise, it’s fantastic”.

Easy upgrade

In his career Töve has demonstrated his versatility by producing books on his personal work, by shooting for Getty images and by regularly working on assignments for specialist and general interest magazines. Recent commissions include photographing an entire motor biking family and capturing reportage images for a food themed article where he traveled Sweden looking at everything from vineyards to the Country’s fish industry. He has recently also made the decision to buy Phase One’s flagship digital back, “I’ve tried the P 65+ and it is wonderful,” Töve explains, and he admits this digital back will just about signal the end of his time shooting film as he states he is likely to use it “99.5% of the time”.