How to shoot like Richard Avedon.

<p>I am wondering if anyone knows how he fully illuminates his subjects while keeping any highlights out of their eyes. The following is my theory as to how many of his images were captured. Please let me know what you think as well as how you would improve or experiment.</p>

<p>1) White backdrop<br>

2) White reflectors on the sides as well as above to fully illuminate the subject.<br>

3) taken outdoors<br>

4) large format camera</p>

<p>I know he has done some of his classic images with lighting but many just appear illuminated. I dont have a ton of experience with this and so any help would be most appreciated. The project i am working would mimic his style which is why i want to reproduce it.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>-nathan</p>

<p>From what I see of his work, I assume he has built a big tent that his subjects can walk into. I doubt he used reflectors. Yes, I sense they were taken outdoors. And yes he used a large format camera: 4x5 or larger I don't know. We made one of these tents in photo school, with easily assembled plastic PVC tubing and sewn white fabric. He then metered for the subjects, and the fabric just fell off the top of the scale into white world.</p>

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<p>Well, there have been several books written about Avedon which go through his working method and even show "behind the scenes" photos of his set up and him at work. Why don't you do the research and find out exactly what he did instead of speculating? </p>

<p>I'll start you out, find a copy of "Avedon at Work: In the American West" by Wilson and McMurtry. Amazing what you can find if you just look. </p>

 

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<p>Keep in mind, too, that what also impresses about Avedon's work is the exquisite printing. Check out his marked-up proofs that appear in some of the printed collections.</p>

<p>Gary is right. Avedon's work is heavily post-processed. There is far more local adjustment than most images that have been through Photoshop. When I saw the "American West" exhibit, I was amazed at what had gone into them. Some of them appear to have local bleaching in the eyes, which helps contribute to their look.</p>

<p>Also, you should point to some specific examples. Avedon worked in many environments with many different styles. If you are talking about the "American West" style, then Allen Friday's book recommendation is quite worthwhile.</p>

<p>"Why don't you do the research and find out exactly what he did instead of speculating?"</p>

<p>thats what im doing. I am working in rural north dakota and so i have to do all of this online. It isnt too difficult to analyze his work and discover how it is that he created his images which is why i am asking a community of photographers.</p>

<p>I have seen some of his work in a gallery setting but i am mostly looking for lighting technique which i think has been discussed with the building of a tent. I think im going to build one out of pvc pipe and fabric and give it a try. Im not sure of the dimensions but i am going to see if i can find some of the behind the scenes images. His post processing is phenominal and so i guess mine will have to be great as well. I plan on scanning the 4x5 images in because i have no other way of printing from the sheet film.</p>

<p>I never have seen an exhibit of this show. I didn't realize what work went into post processing. I had just thought the film was pushed one or two stops. I would be interested to see what a two zone push would look like under such soft lighting.</p>

<p>His work is so varied......there is no one way he does any shot.....except perhaps if you consider GREAT being a process. The American West was wide open skies with a white backdrop....I don't think he even used artificial light on them. His fashion photography runs the gamut from very controlled studio lighting to pure natural light to natural mixed with artificial. and as others have said.....his post work on the print drove his printers crazy. I have a video of him and in it he has what most would consider a final 4x6 foot print, and he wants it redone because one little area needs to be locally burned or dodge. The man was only satisfied, when it was the way he wanted it....and rightly so. i recently saw his work at The ICP in NYC....................drop dead gorgeous prints. EVERY single one of them was a masterpiece. Nothing was printed just so so. It was an amazing show.</p>

<p>He doesnt put out a bad image. He probably has a team of printers to work with and a budget beyond most. I shouldve been more specific as i wanted results closer to his images of the american west with a white background and well illuminated subject.</p>

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<p>I am working in rural north dakota and so i have to do all of this online.</p>

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<p><br /> Can't you get an Amazon book delivered in North Dakota?<br /></p>

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<p>He probably has a team of printers to work with</p>

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<p>He's dead, so he doesn't have anything these days. I believe most of his show work was done by one printer.</p>

<p>Nathan,</p>

<p>Asking a question on a general forum is not doing research, it is going to give you a lot of opinions and misinformation. A case in point is the first answer you received from Chris, who used the following in his answer: "I assume", "I doubt", "I sense" and "I don't know." </p>

<p>Research is actually reading the books, which will be generally authoritative, have been edited for content and clarity. Research is actually doing a search and reading the sites. I googled "avedon working method lights" and came up with numerous sites discussing his actual methods. It took about 30 seconds. I also did a quick search of the archives here on photonet, and guess what, this has been discussed before. The first one that came up contained a reference to digitaljournalist.org issue 406 which contains video clips from the author of the book referenced above. The third clip is entitled "On How Avedon Works." Again, it took about thirty seconds. </p>

<p>Living in rural North Dakota is not really an excuse. I live in rural Iowa (a town of 7000 people). It took me a couple of minutes with minimal effort to find the exact answer to your question. Amazon delivers to North Dakota. Google Books contains excerpts of many books which you can read for free. I went to books.google and searched "avedon west", a preview of the referenced book came up. Guess what, the first few pages show his camera and set up for taking the photos. Another 30 seconds of my life I will not get back. </p>

<p>I guess my ultimate point is that you should make at least a minimum effort to find an answer instead of relying on us to do all your work for you. </p>

<p>Hi Nathan,<br>

I spent many hours with his works at the Art Institute in Chicago years ago and later saw pictures of Avedon shooting. What I can offer is this....<br>

<br />He used a large format camera (8 x 10) in the pictures that I saw of him working and it is my understanding that he did so with regularity.<br>

He used extremely large white backdrops under natural sunlight with an assistant holding an extremely large reflector. The subject was at least 15 feet in front of the white backdrop. Given the shadows, if my memory is correct, it appeared to be early morning light.<br>

His printing was stunning and I believe done by someone else. (This is common)<br>

I too love his work. I really appreciate that he shoots common people and shows that they are interesting.<br>

Best to you, Doug</p>

<p>Somewhere, I have a list of all of Avedon's published works and related writings. At one time I studied everything I could find about Avedon. Of all the reading I did one quote always stuck in my head. He said something to the effect of "the camera is really very much in the way". I thought about that over and over and it's an amazing thought he relays to us. The list I got was from a local college library that did an inter-library search for me and helped me get books through inter-library loan. I suggest this means of gathering info also.</p>

<p>Nathan, You are correct in most of your theory about his lighting. In her book, <strong>Avedon at Work in the American West</strong> Laura Wilson goes into great detail about working with Avedon during his trips out West. It would be well worth the investment if you want to know how he worked; she was his primary location/subject scout for that project. There are a lot of "behind-the-scenes" photos in the book and tons of info about his working methods. The basic answer to your question is that he photographed his subjects in the shade against a white backdrop so the open sky was his primary light source; large and diffuse. One of his two assistants handled a reflector to bounce light back onto the subject while the other cocked the shutter and loaded the film holders. There are actually highlights in the eyes but they are large and diffuse. He used an 8x10 Deardorff. Other responders are correct in that his processing printing was exquisite. I saw the American West work a few years ago; the prints were huge (some as large as 50"x60") and they shimmered. Good luck with your project!</p>

<p>Start with an 8x10 Deardorff, which is what he used for most of his career. Then learn to use it without cropping. That, which could take several years, is the beginning.</p>

<p>"Start with an 8x10 Deardorff, which is what he used for most of his career."</p>

<p>What about his early fashion and celeb portrait work that established his career? Funny but I've seen him friendly with a Rollei TLR in shots from the 50s and 60s--not an 8x10, Bruce. Any self-interest in play 8^)?</p>

<p>Nope. He started with a Rolleiflex, or at least the early work was done with a Rollei. Then he switched to a Deardorff and stayed with it. No self interest at all. We no longer stock Deardorffs or other used cameras except Ebony. Avedon was known to have used a Dorff for most of his work. When they had his retrospective at the Met you could see the film around the frames. That is how you can tell which format he used. Avedon always left the black around the prints, and may have started that trend. Avedon was an impeccable craftsman, and if you know he used an 8x10 it makes you appreciate his efforts more.</p>

<p>Avedon was shooting the Kennedys with a Rollei in the 60s and Twiggy with a Rollei in the 70s. Given that he was shooting in the 40s, this is hardly "early work."</p>

<p>i agree with Allen. great book. i saw his American West exhibition in Stanford university. it humbled me as a photographer and as a printer. </p>

<p>Check this out: http://assistingavedon.typepad.com/</p>

<p>Hey thanks for the tips and information. I have a place to start and we will see how it goes!</p>

<p>another link, to the "avedon at work" book.<br>

<a href="http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0406/av_intro.html">http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0406/av_intro.html</a><br>

there is a lot of informations in the videos.<br>

I had the opportunity to visit the Avedon exhibition in Paris one year ago. Being in a dark room surrounded by ten portraits of this serie was a very emotionnal experience.</p>

<p>If any of you guys are in the San Francisco area, there is an <a href="http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/384">Avedon exhibition</a> at the SF-MOMA.</p>

<p>You can still see pictures of Exhibition Richard Avedon - Photographs 1946 - 2004 - Foam in Amsterdam (earlier this year): <br /> <a href="http://www.panoramsterdam.com/panos-flash/keizersgracht-609-foam-1.html">http://www.panoramsterdam.com/panos-flash/keizersgracht-609-foam-1.html<br /></a><a href="http://www.panoramsterdam.com/panos-flash/keizersgracht-609-foam-2.html">http://www.panoramsterdam.com/panos-flash/keizersgracht-609-foam-2.html<br /></a><a href="http://www.panoramsterdam.com/panos-flash/keizersgracht-609-foam-1.html"><a href="http://www.panoramsterdam.com/panos-flash/keizersgracht-609-foam-3.html">http://www.panoramsterdam.com/panos-flash/keizersgracht-609-foam-3.html</a><br /></a>and<br /><a href="http://www.panoramsterdam.com/panos-flash/keizersgracht-609-foam-4.html">http://www.panoramsterdam.com/panos-flash/keizersgracht-609-foam-4.html</a><br />Just enjoy...</p>