Jump to content

LF Film choice for portraits and scanning


steve_johnston2

Recommended Posts

I'm fairly new to the world of large format portraits, having previously used LF for still life and landscapes.

I'd now like to try out some LF portraits in the style of Robert Wilson (particularly his color portraits).

 

http://www.robertjwilson.com/base_content.html

 

Can anyone advise on the type of film used in his work i.e. would it be negative or transparency? I would

also be scanning the film for post production work in Photoshop using an Imacon 949. I have previosly

scanned 54 transparencies but have not had much experience in scanning 54 negative films. Are there any

films to avoid in this area (was initially thinking of Kodak 160NC/VC). Any tips on scanning would be

appreciated.

 

I realise a lot of film testing will be involved before I start but would greatly appreciated any film

recommendations to get me going.

 

Thanks & regards

 

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm hearing that the CN world is rapidly collapsing due to lack of use by both amateurs and professionals, and LF films are the worst, with even 4x5 CN now hard to get developed by labs.

 

Chromes seem to remain the best bet for color work although IF you can find a lab to process your CN sheets then it certainly has advantages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a look on Wilsons work and I must say that I like it. Some one pointed out that there is some PS work involved. And I understand that. It seams to me that he boost the saturation of the eyes. But what more does he do beyond that obvios thing?

 

Short DOF? Is that because of LF? Maybe possible to obtain the same with a 85 mm f1,2 on my 5D? And how does he get that structure on the skin? Boosted contrast? Lightning? Or clever use of USM in photoshop?

 

Any ideas would be interestnig to hear.

Regards

Peter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...