Portrait technique - advice needed

[matt.bigwood]

I shot some portrait pictures the other day using my MPP camera and Kodak

203mm Ektar and maximum aperture f7.7.

 

Deoth of field was tiny and it occurred to me, what is the best way to shoot

in this situation - I focussed on the subject's eye, closed the shutter,

cocked the shutter, loaded the darkslide, took out the sheath and shot the

picture.

 

During that time there's a high possibility the subject may have moved even a

couple of inches, meaning the neg will be out of focus.

 

What tips can anyone recommend to minimise that risk?

 

Cheers

 

Matt

[ronald_moravec1]

Arm rests wil minimise movement. A backless, armless stool allows them to wander all over

[brucecahn]

Explain to the model why it is absolutely important not to move, and rehearse the model before shooting film. This works most of the time.

[rnt]

I've done very little LF portrait work but I've also wondered about dealing with the time lapse between focusing and shutter release.

 

How about a low-tech solution- tie a string to the front of the camera, focus, stretch the string to the tip the subjects nose (for example) to measure the distance, do the shutter, film, darkslide thing, make sure the end of the string and the benchmark on the subject still match (no, don't tie the string to the subject), and expose.

 

Those who -really- know what they're talking about can now chime in!

[felix_ackermann]

just a historical note:

 

the early portrait photographers, with incredible long exposure times - had chairs with hidden support for the head. The models were instructed to press their head back against them...

[ralph_jensen]

You can see behind the seated man in this cartoon the device Felix is talking about:

 

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/DSfarmercartoon.jpg

[steve_feldman3]

Freezer.

 

Works for me.

[harry_kaufmann]

You can take a lightstand and attach something like a pencil or

ruler horizontally at the top.

Then align the tip of the pencil with the corner of the subjects eye.

The subject can use the tip as a reference point to hold

the pose and realign if necessary and then push the lightstand out

of frame just before you make the exposure. I used this

for self portraits and it worked fine.

[jon_wilson]

A string tied onto the camera which reaches the subjects chin. Focus and then the subject can drop the string before the shot is taken. I have not tried this approach, but have read about using it as a "tool" in portrait work.

[gnashings]

Felix, that explains a great deal about the appearance of many of the subjects in those early photos!

I have been trying to overcome the same quandry myself, and admittedly, failed miserably the first time. My plan now, as a advised by a much more experienced friend, is to use a tri pod or a light stand as a reference, and use a looooong cable release to so that you can be right next to the subject (but out of frame, of course) and judge the location of your subject in relation to your reference from there. I have tried... and finally told my wife to lean against a wall :) Mind you, I am sadly lacking in the cable release department - so perhaps my insecurity got in the way :) Jokes aside, I was not able to have enough freedom to really carry out the advised procedure properly with the cable release at my disposal - but it does seem like a great way to do it. I also went for slightly more DOF at first. Still, it is one of the more challanging photographic endevours I have encountered.

[gnashings]

I wish I could edit the posts! I forgot to add, I am a rank beginner in LF, so I am just passing on advice given to me - please keep that in mind when wieghing the validity of my points:)

[leica ron]

If your subject is sitting on a stool, have a short light-stand with a rod of some sort sticking

out parallel to the ground. Have this directly behind them. Set the pose, bring the stand

close to the subject (behind them so the camera can't see the stand) until it touches the back

of their head. Now they can be sure that their head won't move during the exposure.

 

The 203 Ektar is a sweet lens ...

[matt.bigwood]

Thanks for the responses - the pictures worked out technically, but my friend says he'd prefer a picture of his wife where she's smiling!

 

Matt<div></div>