brian_keller Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 Hello: I'd be interested in knowing the experiences of anyone doing large format portraiture (specifically 8x10 portraits). I've been reading about Hurrell and Hollywood glamour of the 1930's and see that he used an 8x10 view camera with a Verito lens. Can someone tell me the cost of such a camera system and if lighting is difficult because I assume these aren't fast lenses. Also, is it enjoyable using such a large format? And I assume contact prints are made in the printing process? Thanks for any input or advice on this. Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug_mcgoldrick2 Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 I use large format all the time for portraits, check out www.dougphoto.com all of the portraits in the special projects section are 4x5 or 8x10 and many of the portraits in the big kids section are too. As far as lighting goes if you want any depth of field you need a lot of light here is what I use profoto 2400 pack, profoto 600wt mono head and a dynalite 1000 pack I don't use them all all the time but it's nice to have them with. I like largeformat for portraits because when you shoot your not looking through the camera but right at the subject. The danger is your subject has to understand the proccess so the stay still through out the process especially if like me you like very short depth of field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dick roadnight cotswolds Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 Do you want to use a view camera or a Large Format camera, and why? LF portraiture tends to be less spontaneous than MF MD, due to the cost of film, and the delay between shots. Do you want large originals for hi res and low grain? Do you want to do some creative portraiture/glamour for which you need movements? A very small proportion of photographs are taken with movements, but movements can be applied to almost all types of photography. I tried to photograph a seated lady with my cat on her knees, with a 120 macro-planar and there was not enough DOF � I do not think I had my Flexbody at the time. Some people are daft enough to put an MD MF on the back of a Sinar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_beal___richmond_hts. Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 Hurrell worked with thousands of watts of hot lights. Unless you have the wiring for it (and your models have the patience for it), you should use good strobes instead (it would take 20 KW of hot lights to equal the rate of energy release of a 200 w/s strobe in 1/100 sec.) There is a book by John Hicks which gives tips on how to come close to "the Hurrell look." Also, View Camera magazine had an article on Hurrell a couple of years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 Lots of folks are still using LF cameras for portraiture. When MTV recently showed a biography of musician Warren Zevon's final year of life before succumbing to cancer they showed a photo shoot for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Sure 'nuff, an 8x10 camera was used. I was a bit surprised, expecting that MF would have been good enough for today's downsized RS (it was a larger paper and, later, magazine during my youth). The only difference is that nowadays studio flash has generally replaced hot lights and digital backs might be used instead of film, at least for previewing the setup instead of using Polaroids. Also last I heard LF remains the standard for Playboy's centerfold shoots. According to interviews with Playboy photographers they use *tons* of lighting (well, maybe only hundreds of pounds, but probably nearly a ton), mostly flash, some hot lights for adding warm light to certain areas for a very 3-dimensional lighting effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_photo Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 <html> <p>I remember seeing a business card where someone operates a studio in Hurrell's home with Hurrell's camera in Hurrell's style. I checked and found a couple of links. The first one doesn't work but I think it's the one I'm thinking of. Maybe they could give you advice.</p> <a href="http://www.hurrellphotography.com/">http://www.hurrellphotography.com</a><br> <a href="http://www.hurrellshollywood.com/">http://www.hurrellshollywood.com/</a><br> </html> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william_whitaker1 Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 Actually the Verito at f/4 wide open <I>is</I> a fast lens by large format standards (as are many other "portrait" lenses). The dreamy soft-focus effect for which it is known occurs at the faster apertures and becomes progressively sharper as you stop down. Portraiture with a lens that fast is going to be a bit tricky due to the somewhat limited depth of field (depending, too, upon the focal length of the lens). A subject which is not fairly stationary may present a bit of a challenge. And out-of-focus is not the same as soft-focus.<P> As an exercise I took a series of Polaroids using an 8 3/4" Verito at different apertures to explore how the image changed with the aperture. You can see the results at <A HREF=http://wfwhitaker.com/verito.htm>http://wfwhitaker.com/verito.htm</A>. No real conclusions are drawn, but it is interesting to see the change in the image beyond the increased depth of field.<P> The larger Verito's are fairly large lenses physically and would be cramped on a six-inch lens board. The requirement for the camera is not great; you won't need a lot of movements. But you do need stability and some reasonable bellows length. Decent used view cameras abound at reasonable prices. A good Verito will run these days in the $300 - $500 range, sometimes more, sometimes less. And, as with anything it depends on where you shop. Check old ads in past issues of <I>View Camera</I> magazine to get a feel for the market in addition to checking the usual internet suspects.<P> Large format work of any kind, portrait or not, is something of a labor of love. It can be hard enough photographing static dead things. When you add a living subject who may move before you get your film holder inserted, it can get frustrating. However, there are photographers who do it and do it amazingly well. It really depends on what you want and to what level you're willing to go. Large format negatives offer the possibility of alternative processes which have an altogether different look from silver. If you're truly motivated, the rewards can be great.<P> Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnanian Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 hi brian: i also do lf portraiture 4x5 & 5x7. i use a verito, vitax and veritar lenses depending on what i am looking to do. one thing to remember is that the verito lenses were either a barrel ( no shutter) or in a studio shutter which goes at about 1/10sec. huge amounts of light are not needed when shooting wide open - 1/10s or slower - i use the modeling lights for 300ws strobes in soft boxes. the veritar lenses are coated, come in modern alphax shutters ( bi-post - sync'ed) f6 is as fast as they go. if using b&w is your thing, and shooting with the old portrait lenses too, you might look into getting a kit with ross lowel's "lowel lights" ( i think they are called l-lights now?) i have found them on ebay to be very inexpensive and plentiful. and if you are really-lucky, you might find a 14" verito for a few hundred dollars :) i found mine for less than $200 - shipped ;) http://www.nanianphoto.com/portraiture.html the bottom 2 are done with a vitax ( f3.8). -good luck! -john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob fowler Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 I use 4X5 and 5X7 cameras regularly for portraiture. I prefer strobes over hot lights as I don't like to cook my subjects. :-) Working with large format is a whole different mindset that using MF gear - especially when shooting people.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick_albano Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 Lots of portrait work is still done with large format. Consider Anne Geddes and Jock Sturges as just two who readily come to mind. Also, if you are interested in retouching photos, the larger the negative, the easier it is to work on. While I can't comment on Mr. Hurrell's work, most of the older glamour shots invovled a lot of retouching. Enjoy, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_de_fehr Posted September 24, 2003 Share Posted September 24, 2003 Hi Brian. I use a 14 1/2" Verito with my Deardorff 8x10 for portraits in available light and my problem more often than not has been too much light. As J. Nanian and others have noted, these lenses are not shuttered in the truest sense of the word, and the wide apertures and long exposures call for a slower film than I use with other shuttered lenses. Of course my working methods are nearly diammetrically opposed to Hurrell's, save for the lens. I enjoy working with this equipment very much and the freedom of technique it allows me. I don't test film or even meter most often. I develop by inspection, so a timer and thermometer are not required, and I contact print, so an enlarger isn't even necessary. The most technical aspect of my photography has become mixing my chemistry, which interferes very little with my creativity. The best part is that I'm enjoying the process more than ever, and it shows in my work. I'm sure that my methods are not to everyone's liking, but I've never been happier. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmw__ Posted September 24, 2003 Share Posted September 24, 2003 also c.f. Richard Avedon, Sally Mann, Tina Barney, Irving Penn, among many others. the first three did plenty of large format portraiture using available light, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodolfo_carlos Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 anyone know any sites for posing in 1930's photoshoots? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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