Some examples only (put together for a teaching program for Valeria Ragoo to use with the multi moduled handouts))
No agenda, just examples until my web-site review completed; I have chopped them about a bit here to refer to some of the techniques with more examples in the Modules I have sent you. You can have a look at the other 'pages' here using the same password. You should look at portraits - I've used mostly people you know! For any risque subjects I have already contacted your mum to ensure they're OK to send! There are more examples and tricks and techniques in the notes
No prizes for this one. Paris, 24th July 2011
Every problem here! Mixed lighting sources, perspective, large depth of field from the close metro sign to beyond the moulin au vent voiles, bright neon light, dark street, and don't forget this was hand held, so slow shutter speed!
Nikon D850, 60mm
Ilia, Knighton Studio, very basic set-up: two lights and a sheet drop, no M.U.A. (Make Up Artist)
Jacket: Charity shop, Llandrindod Wells 24hrs previously. Feb 2022
'Beauty is like a rich stone, best set plain' (not mine - Francis Bacon)
Nikon D850, Minolta Rokkor 100mm (80 to 105 is best focal length for portraits. Shorter is OK - it depends upon how far away from the subject you place the camera.)
See 'Use of Filters' for the 'David Bailey-Twiggy' look of whiter face, no zits, and shadowy eyes with dark lips - very popular even now after 60yrs! Though this pic is only a year old! (Yes, all right, this WASN'T a true example because I didn't use a red filter - if I had, in black and white the lips would appear lighter, requiring darkening how?)
Ilia, Knighton, 2022
Nikon D850, Zeiss Biotar (1952/5 Red T pre-set) 58mm (less than 80-100 I know but it depends upon how close you are and whether there are feet or hands (or cigarettes) closer and thus out of focus and perspective.
Nikon D850, 60mm macro
Colours you can check out from your art teacher, but gold and mauve always look good. Sometimes sunglasses will flare, though here it's not too bad. A polarizer filter might remove this, or a dulling spray, but the filter will require mor light, and ? And a slower shutter or wider aperture that you may not want.
Authentic kimono and belt, cardboard mask!
Nikon D850, Pentax 200mm
See Perspective and Depth of Field
This was a studio job, and with such a long telephoto lens I was sitting on a swivel-stool almost outside the studio so I could whizz to and from the model with instructions !
The jacket was too wide, the slacks too long, so I asked Chloe to 'just drape 'em!'
Nikon D850, Zeiss Tessar 1955/8 50mm f2.8 uncoated And the perspective? I just stood further away and then enlarged and cropped the frame. Why does this work? See lenses, field of view, Depth of field and Perspective
See Composition and style re colours and mood
'The Ghost Train', All Souls' Southport Dramatic, Lord Ronnie Fearn production. 1968
Praktica lV, Meyer 135mm, flash'bulbs', digitized from Agfachrome negative
There are ways to shoot flash indoors or out without shadows or shiny highlights - even in 1968!
See 'Using Flash and Studio Flash' with longer lenses
Be ready for that surprise opportunity
I used the wind machine, I remember she got goose-bumps!
Rembrandt lighting here, very nearly. With blond hair, white silk scarf, black jacket - it's necessary to get the contrast right!
See 'Your camera, your brain and your eye'
and ask an old English lady what 'goose-bumps' means! (I think you say 'avoir la chair de poule')
Athens, Plaka, 2012
We used to shout 'pins, label', and, in less PC and WOKE times: 't----, t---, tummy,' but I don't remember 'price tag'!
You'll have to ask an English lady about 50yrs old to explain this one!
Ilia practicing for Audrey Hepburn shoot. (Yes, but in mono, auburn is black!)
(Cigarette? It's false before you ask!)
And yes, you should check out 'Depth of Field' - we want the cigarette end AND her eyes and ears in focus!
No alcohol for you two!
Just thought you'ld like a laugh with this one!
Nikon D850, 60mm macro, and I admit, auto everything
Nikon D850, Pentax 200mm from a stool almost back into the street!
Perspective fine, but the cost of this at 200mm is the shortening of depth of field (that which in focus). However, because studio lamps are so powerful, a small aperture of f11 or less could be used to lengthen the depth of field.
Check this out in 'Perspective and lenses'
Two regulars at 'Les Deux Moulins', Montmartre, rue Lepic. 24th July 2011
Nikon D700, Cosina 100mm
Wow! Different coloured lighting, telephoto depth of field, multiple subject material. Check out Extras: "Using what you have learned", where this technique is explained. Yes I chose the film poster as the important (and therefore sharpest focus - and my 100mm lens wouldn't have coped with both - compromises eh!
Chloe, untypically pensive. Between sessions, Henfield, November 2020
Nikon D850, Zeiss Tessar (1955/8 uncoated) 50mm f2.8
Check out Composition 'Rabattement', and 'Depth of Field' devices - and always be ready for the unexpected shot!
Anyone can do these - just need to get the lighting right - doesn't always look good. Here two honeycombs (softish lighting panels either side were used) The trick is to get detail lighted in the fron areas but not too much, giving a rounded but highlighted subject.
Minolta SRT 101, Rokkor 100mm. Digitized from FP4 in Tetenal (new formula, not the fine grain 80s solution!)
Athens,
Seine, Paris
Metro, Paris
Check out Composition devices 'Depth of Field', and 'Diagonals & Thirds', and 'Colours'. The eyes are all on one of the diagonals, and the colours match or contrast
Elbows, fingers, top, scarf, glasses, eyes, shoulder, hairs all in focus, background a little out. Great. This also hides any dust finger marks or holes in the background sheet. Focus and Lenses section will explain.
Hellifield Station, Midland Railway
Posing, even when she's not! Chloe, Henfield Studio.
Not quite Rembrandt lighting - Check out this in Composition
Natural light, Lakeside Station, Cumbria
Check out 'Use of Lenses and Perspective'
Nikon D850, Zeiss Biotar (1952/5 Red T pre-set) 58mm. A bit to short a focal length and too close, but for a 'thinker' shot, this is what we expect to see and doesn't look wrong
See the Depth of Field and Composition notes
Hampshire, July 2021
Chloe channelling Amelia Earhart
Not quite Rembrandt lighting - See Composition
All I said was: 'stand there and wave at the train . . . .' where do they learn it all!
Check out 'Focusing and Depth of Field as a Composition effect'
and also what's wrong? Look at the hand holding the elbow - too big. It's the stretch effect or incorrect perspective -
see Composition and lenses
This is more of an homage or copy shot of old photographers' classic shots, but would make a nice project.
My only 'Marylin' shot! Paris 2011; don't write in, that's both juniors' mum leading, they were all part of my group! Unfortunately mum had advanced a little before the train 'blew' with a little less gusto than in New York in 1954!
The legendary subway-vent shot from "The Seven Year Itch" 1955, was first attempted at 01:00 a.m on location at corner of Lexington & 52nd in Manhattan, 15th September 1954. Although a publicity stunt for the film, 14 takes and 3hrs later they couldn't get it right - there was a crowd of thousands cheering and 100 photographer's! The scene was eventually shot on the lot in Hollywood, though publicity stills from the Lexington location were however used. When you see the movie scene you may wonder what the fuss was about(but this was 1955). Like many things, the resulting mystique and the still pics by studio and others at the Lexington shoot make more of an impact! Official photographer was Sam Shaw (see WEB sites) who had help launch Monroe's career; most of the pics you will see are his work. It was all Shaw's idea from a previous shoot! (should you be wondering!). You should learn what you can from these old guys and the great shots they took on film sometimes without rangefinders or through the less or auto focussing!
Further up on the Rochechouart crossroads near Blanche, there's a raised subway vent where tourists try all day to repeat the Marylin shot (even though some of them probably don't know why! And if you don't, check out the many web sites: Shaw, Marylin, subway, Itch!)
Gerona, Old town 20
One good idea, two major mistakes!
What? The light at the end is too bright, the closest wall is out of focus. The auto camera probably read the light required from the dark passage, and focused on whatever its target was fixed upon. Prob? Well the 'range' from bright to dark was to much for the camera system, and the camera guessed that the dark areas should all look 'normal' i.e., not dark - but you wanted dark and moody! And if possible most (at least as far as the couple) in focus. The colours are not too important, indeed black and white would be OK. In short, the decision must be yours as must the adjustments. and not by the camera innocently trying to balance everything.
Check out 'Focusing and Depth of Field'
Hellifield 2019
Check out 'Diagonals', 'Contrasting and matching colours'
Outside no. 6, ave Charles Floquet, near Tour Eiffel , Paris
Check out 'Composition - Diagonals' and 'Controlling Light - Contrast;]
Chloe channelling, well, Chloe!
Sisters, Corfe Castle 2021
Check out 'Composition - 'Rabattement'
She could giggle, but she couldn't smile!
Don't ask them to, they won't! Say something naughty and they'll giggle!
She got the bottle, I remember
Sometimes you just have to keep going until you get the one your looking for!
see Extras or Answers Explained (I think!) Anyway the 'Gritty girl and wind machine' for how to get this effect - You could simply use a hair dryer (not as cold!) or ask the model to lay down with hair dangling to look as though windswept.
(Yes all right, you would have to turn the camera through 90 degs!)
Check out 'Extras Rembrandt Lighting'
Feet and hands pointed, not like bunches of bananas (as my old dancing teacher used to say!)
I know, I know, but this was 1968, two and a half months after the end of steam when 4472 was the only steam loco permitted on BR, courtesy of an astute Alan Pegler's loco purchase contract. 'The Moorlands' enthusiasts' special departing Skipton. Too pricey for me then: I took the Ribble Bus from Southport. 26th October 1968.
Check-out the section on 'Depth of Field and telephoto lenses' for close and distant focusing in the same picture: "The 'Hyperfocal Distance' and how to use it" section. You will see here, whilst it's not a bad shot, that the background (300-1000 metres), the loco (150 meters) and the lamp and the weeds are all in different focus planes. On this dark day the wide aperture and corresponding faster shutter required for this moving subject would have caused this . If stationary, you could use a tripod (or a box!) and a slower shutter and thus smaller aperture so that the depth of field stretches over (apparently) the major parts. It's not possible to get everything in focus whatever trick you use (really, it's not) but it is possible for it to appear to be in focus. The focus modules explain why and how.
Viewed from Skipton Midland closed platform, courtesy of a kind porter (remember either?) and his key! The classic backdrop is all but destroyed, replaced by featureless business park construction; behind it Millstone Hill and Skipton Moor haven't come under attack - yet. The station remains secure under a preservation order.
Praktica lV, Meyer 135 2.8, FP4.
Sometimes the less obvious parts of a scene or more interesting
There's always one!
But you have to be quick!
She hates that dress!
Mixed lighting that even my far-eastern gadget-with-lens couldn't correct!
Check out 'The Colour of Light' and 'Colour Correction' and 'White Balance' Here the colour of the light source was daylight (bluish) from large windows, but mostly from tungsten yellowy and some flourescent greeny lamps. You will see the colour change as the light moves from the back (shoulder and hood) to the cheek. Your eye spots this, knows there is yellowy light about and lets you see a pic that's not too yellow (which you camera sees) but just enough to remind you that you are actually indoors with yellow lights. Your camera need s help!
Damp patch, marble top, tiles, and . . . . . tablet! Normandy, 2015
This was just with natural light from three small windows giving all round soft light without and expensive fancy reflectors! It would have been slightly blue and required 'balancing' with a yellowy brown filter (digital is the same, just uses electronics to achieve the balance). Your eye does this bit it's very lengthy explanation - see and Check out colour correction and 'Composition Tramlines and thirds/diagonals'
21st Birthday girl, The 1960s, Southport
My assistant manager's sister: Maureen Halton
Praktica lV, Ludwig 50mm triplet, and a very bright flashbulb! FP4
Flash can be softened so it doesn't look like a Press photo as this does!
See Extras - Using Flash and studio flash with reflectors, and even your handkerchief
Hellifield 2021
Here the 'faults' are used to advantage as a device to separate and soften
Chloe doing her Suzi Wong. The black lips were for mono R25a shots (see Exercise - 'Understanding Filters'). Afterwards Chloe called softly from the changing room 'these (make-up) wipes are good'. I said 'you can have the wipes or the dre . . . . ' Before I'd finished she'd shouted 'the dress!' Second hand ebay, I didn't mind!
Grandma being typically . . . grandma!