rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I still have that frame and stocking material in my darkroom.
--Bob

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

The advantage of the fairer sex is looks. Men's advantage is brawn. You go with your strength.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

There are some "men" who are trying to change that.
--Bob

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Photographically, it kind of balances out. Flatter the women, do what ever you want to the men.

Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

Rediculous mannequin!
Soften the wrimkles. Don't remove them.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

For god's sake...., have you at least WASHED the stockings!!!
SS

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

It's not just a matter of wrinkles. It's been over Portrait Professionalized. Look at the size of the forehead in relation to the chin in each photo. Portrait Professional specializes in this type of re-shaping.

AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio

If You think Housewives have a lot of free time to do anything, then it is obvious You have never tried it. It is an eye opening experience trying to do all the things a Housewife has to do. Yes, I have first hand experience before My Wife passed away with cancer.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

This technique is often used in television and film with older women to tale out fine lines in the skin.
I believe it is not soft focus; it is either physical (filter, etc.) diffusion in front of the lens or diffusion applied digitally.
Defocusing doesn't work. I just looks defocused.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Real, properly executed fine soft focus portraiture is probably one on the most misunderstood concepts in contemporary portrait photography. There are a few so-called tricks, short-cuts, darkroom and editing applications that pass for authentic soft focus work, some of which works to some extent but it ain't the real deal. If a portrait that is supposedly a soft-focus images seems out of focus, flat, mushy, or muddy it was probably produced with the wrong equipment, and or with no real insight knowledge into the proper techniques involved. There are so many “old wives tales”, myths and misconceptions about this style and that's too bad because when done properly, some outstanding and exemplary portraiture can be produced. Soft focus techniques are a time-honored methodology that was used by master portraitists for decades- it's old school for sure but it has many contemporary practitioners. Of course it's not for every kind of portrait, it's not only applicable to feminine subjects, it does not replace retouching, and it has other applications besides cosmetic correction.

The first equipment prerequisite for the best results is a prime soft focus lens- not a filter over a general purpose lens. The classic soft-focus lens that still may be in current manufacture is the Rodenstock Imagon- it comes in various focal lengths, mainly for large and medium format usage. A close runner-up is the Mamiya Sekor 150mm SF lens that is part of the Mamiya RB and RZ systems (which can be digitized). For Canon DSLR users the is a Canon 135mm soft focus lens which is still available on the used market as are some of the aforementioned large and medium form glass. Simply stated, theses lenses are designed with uncorrected spherical aberrations which in a zone at the outer periphery of the lens. Special aperture disks are used to vary the degree of softness by blocking off the outer zones to different extents as the openings are decreased in size. The latter model works differently with the use of floating elements which are adjusted to vary the effect.

Here's he big difference, most diffusion filters will cause a certain degree of softness but most of them simply degrade the image. There is some softening but the image quality deteriorates with greater degrees of enlargement and this precludes the production of larger display portraits. The specialized prime lenses will produce a sharp image with a secondary soft image kinda offset and superimposed over the sharper one. The image will retain some texture, contrast and zonal sharpness with a soft ethereal quality. Theses lenses also subdue certain skin irregularities by bleeding the highlights into the shadows. This blending reduces contrast so a higher ratio lighting with more contrast and strong specular highlights works best. If the lighting is too soft or flat, the resulting image may be too flat or mushy.

There are many post processing diffusion and blur applications but the can not match the quality of images made, in camera, with theses specialized lenses. In the analog darkroom, diffusion procedures that are introduced during enlarging by placing a diffusion filter or scrim in the light path will soften an image but this, as opposed to in- camera diffusion, blends the shadows into the highlights and usually results in somewhat muddy prints.

Soft focus techniques will not necessarily remedy blemishes such as acne and other kinds of rashes. In the olden days, that reacquired negative retouching to add density to dark areas on the negative or to neutralize the color of the blemishes with dies. Nowadays it is accomplished with skin healing and cloning applications in our editing programs. If any of theses procedures are over done, a plastic unnatural kind of Barbie doll skin texture results. The best expert retouchers know when to stop retouching and what not to retouch.

If anyone is interested in seriously adding soft focus techniques to their portrait photography repertoire, the purchase and adaptation of a prime soft focus lens would be an incredibly useful asset. For those who would like to improvise there are some other alternatives. There are some very effective soft focus filters that come close to the prime lenses. The are not cheap but the work surprisingly well. My favorite is the Zeiss Softar. They come in 3 strengths and work well at all f/stops. They also come very close to that secondary superimposed image and will nicely spread the highlights into the shadows. There may be a similar kind of filter marketed by B+W. There is another filter that was made by Zeiss and marketed through Rolleiflex and Hasselbald. It consisted of a clear optic glass filter with concentric circles etched into its surface. With this filter, the rated of softness decreases as the lens is stopped down- it works best at apertures of f/5.6 and larger. Many of theses filters are still available on the used market as well.

An outstanding portrait is a good likeness and an artistic interpretation of the subject. You are the photographer and therefore the artist and it is up to each of you to decide on the best treatment for each of you subjects . Not all feminine portraits need to be soft nor must every male be very harsh or detailed. You must also take into consideration what you subject or clients would like to see in their finished portraits. Many children have perfect complexions but oftentimes soft focus can help create a lovely angelic interpretation of a child, a group pf children or an outstanding mother or parents and child image. Soft focus can add a very special romantic mood to engagement or wedding portraits both in studio or out of doors. A soft touch can be kind to senior high school grads and senior citizens as well. There is no reason why character can not be retained in a image that is gently softened.

I can write a book about all the material I stuck in front of my lenses- black netting, tulle fabric, stretched swatches of nylon stocking fabric and old filters coated with clear nail polish. Here's a sobering thought; the feature film Fiddler of the Roof was filmed through a part of pantyhose stretched across the matte box of the Panavision camera. Think about that- Tiffen, Harrison and Harrison, the cinematography filter gurus of that era could not come up with a suitable filter- it had to be improvised!

Please see my next post for some images with the lenses described herein and a shot of some of the gear. I am not in my office and theses images are stored in my i-phone.

Thanks

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Soft focus stuff.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Although it does not hide all the facial flaws, it gives a smoother texture and, if shot right, what appears to some slight glow. It comes down to if it is believable to the customer. Who wants to make themselves look uglier instead of better. Sort of like putting your best foot forward.

DMGill Loc: Colorado

Over the last year of done many portraits where women have been wanting substantially less retouching on business headshots than they have in previous years. At first it surprised me, but I’m beginning to wonder if it’s a trend.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

More soft focus stuff.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

the historical significance for this stems from portrait photography, when the artists commissioned by the the nobility for their portrait understood the need to portray their subjects in the most flattering way. the pathetic upshot of this was the centerfolds of playboy magazines. usually shot with a 5x4 or 8x10 view camera and then "sprayed" to eliminate any wrinkle or flaw in the skin. we used to, as a laugh, try and find a skin pore in the subject photographed.

i am a firm believer in photographing my subjects as they are. all human beings are different, as reflected in their faces, based on their life experiences. i have no time for "glamour" or "soft core porn". this is fantasy photography and degrades the human subject.