21/04/2010 Join Hasselblad and Resource Magazine for an exciting day of hands-on photography with the new H4D-40, presentations, networking and a cocktail party to celebrate the launch of the latest Hasselblad communities.

It all started in New York with the first HassyUSA photo community - HassyNYC - and a Three Stage Tour event that rocked the city with more than 2,000 photographers in attendance. The road trip continued on to Los Angeles to launch HassyLA, with Chicago next up on April 22, then San Francisco on May 6, and with other cities to follow. All photographers, whether they're shooting medium format or 35mm, are encouraged to attend a Three Stage Tour event and to join their local Hasselblad community. Go to http://threestagetour.com/about.html to see if the Three Stage Tour is coming to a city near you. Be sure to register early!

The Three Stage event features a trio of active shooting sets with demonstrations and the opportunity for photographers to have hands-on time with the latest Hasselblad medium format DSLR, the H4D and its groundbreaking True Focus technology. Hassy users will want to check out the latest and greatest from Hasselblad by photographing models in a studio set-up. A live, hand-on shoot is also a great way for 35mm shooters to see what working with a medium format DSLR is all about. After the shoot, images will be processed with Phocus 2.5, Hasselblad's powerful, but easy-to-use, imaging software. In between there's plenty of time to speak with Hasselblad photographers and experts, as well as representatives of other photo manufacturers. This exhilarating, action-packed day wraps up with a cocktail party and the official launch of the local Hassy community.

HassyUSA communities were developed to bring photographers together to share images, information and provide an open forum for discussion, regardless of type of camera used. But Hasselblad takes the concept of photo community beyond a common love of photography. A team of professionals, along with the community, will vote for a feature photographer each month. The monthly winner will receive an H4D to shoot with for 30 days and share his or her images and experiences on the local Hassy site! At the end of the nine-month competition period, community members will decide which member of their community will compete in "The Battle of the Hassys" to win an H4D camera.

The Three Stage Tour event and membership in the local Hassy communities are free of charge and offer exciting and engaging ways of experiencing the best of photography - a role that Hasselblad has maintained for more than 60 years.

For more information on Hassy communities visit: www.hassyusa.com