Those intense Cklassic Black and White Portraits
Dec 3, 2023 22:55:59 #
User ID wrote:
The OP calls it film noire in speaking of a tonal ... (show quote)
Could be! Maybe he won't read it all. Perhaps he'll be inspired and create a masterpiece. Small chance he'll read my "tome", find it useless and ignore it, or become overwhelmed and toss his camera in the garbage and forget about photography.
An AI-generated pizza "baked" in a 3-D printer will probably taste better than the piece of cardboard and glue the local greasy spoon sent over the other night. I think the driver got a parking ticket.
I'm certain our OP will derive a great deal of inspiration and knowledge from your post. Good to know someone is reading my stuff- I just do it for typing practice. Thanks for the "book review". My next tome will be entitled "Don't Drop this Book on Your Foot (serious injury may result)!
Dec 4, 2023 00:00:55 #
Depending on the camera body you have, you might also check the menu options to see if any stylized black and white settings are available that result in the look you are seeking.
Dec 4, 2023 01:22:12 #
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
"Film noir" is a Cinematic term as expla... (show quote)
I'm guessing but I get the impression that out of all your suggestions, what the OP is looking for is Rembrandt lighting, probably with an approximate 50:50 split of light and dark, which would require a single bright light source (high and to the subject's right) and with ambient light being kept to a minimum.
Dec 4, 2023 02:01:10 #
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
Could be! Maybe he won't read it all. Perhaps he'... (show quote)
I appreciate your informative posts. The time and effort you take to share your knowledge and experience help to elevate photography and make Ugly Hedgehog worth reading. Nice burn on the vacuous troll with attitude, whom I have yet to see contribute a bit of useable knowledge, let alone a whit of wit! Thank you for your continuing educational contributions - again - deeply appreciated!Dec 4, 2023 03:40:53 #
NorCal Bohemian wrote:
vacuous troll with attitude, whom I have yet to see contribute a bit of useable knowledge, let alone a whit of wit!
NoCalBo made coffee shoot outa my nose !
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Dec 4, 2023 07:51:05 #
MJPerini wrote:
Ellen 101 br This is a great project! However you ... (show quote)
THANK YOU for aLL THAT WONDERFUL INFO
Dec 4, 2023 10:01:30 #
Ellen101 wrote:
I am taking black and whte portraits of merchants (local) for a photo show I am having in January.
Question: how do I get that film noir look, the intense balck and white on a print?
Please
Thank you
Question: how do I get that film noir look, the intense balck and white on a print?
Please
Thank you
It comes from controlling your lighting. And sometimes using several lights of various strengths.
Work in a dim area, so yoh control the lighting.
Use a darker background.
Use direct light on the subject, and reflectors or additional lights to provide just enough light to get details in the shadows.
Reflectors can he cheap cardboard, and are very effective for the price.
Often the light will come from the side or even behind the subject. You would have a silhouette without reflecting some of the overspill back onto your subject.
The term ‘high contrast’ can be confusing. Ay the extreme, a high contrast photo would have just white and black images. All highlight areas go to pure white, and anything darker than a midtone goes pure black. That is fine for printing plates, but not portraits. I think what you want is a portrait which has rich details in the darker midtones, leading to a rich black in total shadows. A longer tonal range would be a lower contrast image. You are looking for shadow details, where others want highlights.
Dec 4, 2023 11:09:53 #
Ellen101 wrote:
I am taking black and whte portraits of merchants (local) for a photo show I am having in January.
Question: how do I get that film noir look, the intense balck and white on a print?
Please
Thank you
Question: how do I get that film noir look, the intense balck and white on a print?
Please
Thank you
Finish editing in Nik Silver Efex Pro. It has a film Noir preset.
Dec 4, 2023 13:41:46 #
jaymatt wrote:
Finish editing in Nik Silver Efex Pro. It has a film Noir preset.
A *stills* photo preset named "Film Noir" ?
Well, aint that a hit of fresh air ! Guess the Dictionary Dictators must have been looking the other way that day. Or maybe they just went out to the movies .
Dec 4, 2023 19:48:17 #
Just a few remarks for those who are interested.
I never got into cinematography. I love good moves but shooting films and video is not my thing. I have shot still on 17 motion picture sets for major productions. I can tell you, unequivocally, that these directors of photography or cinematographers know the onions, especially when it comes to lighting. The collaboration with directors, writers, and other key staff produces the look or mood of the screenplay to perfection.
The nomenclature, gear, and some of the terminology are different in some cases but the light, in many cases, correlates very closely to classic portraiture. Of course, it is easier to create a precise lighting form in a still image of a single subject- like a portrait.
"Noir" translates to "Black in France. I don't think the OP wants images that simply have intense black tones just dark or contrasty. I guess he is referring to dramatic or dynamic low-key portraits of his intended subjects or clients. So, for the record, this is what a low-key portrait is all about- technically!
For purists, the best subjects have dark hair and eyes, and darker skin tones although anyone can be effectively photographed in low-key. Clothing and background should be dark but not necessarily black. The shadows should be somewhat dense but not entirely vacant of detail. The concept is that the diffused and specula highlights on the face of the subject should be the brightest tone in the image, in the composition therefore leading the viewers' eyes to the motif of the image- the subject.
That is the densitometry part! If the OP wants dramatic, moody, and dynamic results as if extracted from a good mystery movie- that will be up to his ability in posing, direction, eliciting expressions, and composition. He still needs to get his lighting down pat!
Rembrandt Lighting. Interestingly enough, Mr. Rembrandt, himself, the great painter did not always pose his subjects in the same light. Many of his works exhibit the classic feature that a photographer would call short lighting with the familiar triangular highlight in the shadow side of the face. His works were classic examples of the Currocrusso effect- the use of highlights and shadows to create dimensionality.
The low-key effect in photographic portraiture can be, in part, accomplished in various kinds of lighting conditions Istudio or studio-like) with artificial lighting, natural light, available light, and a wide range of equipment from very elaborate studio setups, a simple single light source and a reflector, or even window light or a candle as long as you know the theory. how to expose and establish a ratio. Applied methods such as feathering will provide control over the rendition of texture and intensity of specular highlights.
By the way- we do have a specialized and underutilized portrait section here on UHH. If anyone wants to have a serious conversation about this kinda stuff, drop in and post.
I never got into cinematography. I love good moves but shooting films and video is not my thing. I have shot still on 17 motion picture sets for major productions. I can tell you, unequivocally, that these directors of photography or cinematographers know the onions, especially when it comes to lighting. The collaboration with directors, writers, and other key staff produces the look or mood of the screenplay to perfection.
The nomenclature, gear, and some of the terminology are different in some cases but the light, in many cases, correlates very closely to classic portraiture. Of course, it is easier to create a precise lighting form in a still image of a single subject- like a portrait.
"Noir" translates to "Black in France. I don't think the OP wants images that simply have intense black tones just dark or contrasty. I guess he is referring to dramatic or dynamic low-key portraits of his intended subjects or clients. So, for the record, this is what a low-key portrait is all about- technically!
For purists, the best subjects have dark hair and eyes, and darker skin tones although anyone can be effectively photographed in low-key. Clothing and background should be dark but not necessarily black. The shadows should be somewhat dense but not entirely vacant of detail. The concept is that the diffused and specula highlights on the face of the subject should be the brightest tone in the image, in the composition therefore leading the viewers' eyes to the motif of the image- the subject.
That is the densitometry part! If the OP wants dramatic, moody, and dynamic results as if extracted from a good mystery movie- that will be up to his ability in posing, direction, eliciting expressions, and composition. He still needs to get his lighting down pat!
Rembrandt Lighting. Interestingly enough, Mr. Rembrandt, himself, the great painter did not always pose his subjects in the same light. Many of his works exhibit the classic feature that a photographer would call short lighting with the familiar triangular highlight in the shadow side of the face. His works were classic examples of the Currocrusso effect- the use of highlights and shadows to create dimensionality.
The low-key effect in photographic portraiture can be, in part, accomplished in various kinds of lighting conditions Istudio or studio-like) with artificial lighting, natural light, available light, and a wide range of equipment from very elaborate studio setups, a simple single light source and a reflector, or even window light or a candle as long as you know the theory. how to expose and establish a ratio. Applied methods such as feathering will provide control over the rendition of texture and intensity of specular highlights.
By the way- we do have a specialized and underutilized portrait section here on UHH. If anyone wants to have a serious conversation about this kinda stuff, drop in and post.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.