Hollywood Lighting ....

Hollywood portraits - In this workshop we were focusing on replicating the tungsten lit portraits of the 'golden age' of hollywood during spanning the 1920's, 30's and 40's.
There was no social networking or any form of online media so the printed image was of great importance to the publicity of the aspiring actor/actress. At that time you'd have had too take your photographs to interviews and auditions as a way of being remembered after you left and as a part of your portfolio as everything was done on paper. 

Lighting ...

-High contrast 
-Dramatic
-Mood - the lighting was often used to convey the mood of the character in the image.
-Sharp Shadows
-Sculpting the subject with the light was a popular technique
-You would need to think about how to minimise the flaws of the subject and accentuate the good features of the subject with the use of light as there was no photoshop and limited postproduction. 

Cameras ...

-8x10 large format cameras where often used as they would pick up ever tiny fin detail well e.g. really realistic looking eyes. 
-They also create a really effective shallow depth of field- blurring out the background of the image
-they produced extremely high quality negatives so the actor/actress could blow up the images to be printed any size.

Posing ...

-there was little direct eye contact used in these style images
-the subject is often gazing into the distance
-they often used different/interesting angles to create different dynamics and effects. 
-the poses were also often very comfortable for the subject or at least easy for them to hold because when they were using large format blurring could occur easily if the subject moved.

Equipment ...

-Fresnel Lights were usually used in these hollywood portraits and in filming.
-really hot/powerful lights
-they didn't produce light that was even or predictable as the lighting we use today
-they are tungsten lights which will mean in colour the images will have an orangey colour cast on them, but as they shot on black and white it meant they would be more contrasted. 
-the lights would have 'barn-doors' on them and this is how the photographer would direct the light over their subject. 
-They would also use diffusers on these lights to soften the light especially on female subjects. 
-We wont be using the Fresnel lights because they are too unpredictable and dangerous to use in the college. We will be using 'Red heads' instead which are just as bright and get really hot too so you still need to consider the health and safety aspects of the lighting.

I then researched different photographers of that time and created a mood board of possible inspiration for poses and lighting - 

-from this then I decide which images I would like to try and replicate in my own work...

Never come back with nothing...

The brief for this image was for a close up of a wooden bench with room left on the arm for it to accommodate text and it also be at a slight angle. The images that I collected on the 'recce' needed to be shot that these things could be achieved. In order to achieve the correct close up and angle  I had to use the far side of the bench this meant it was the wrong way around. however I was able to correct this in photoshop by flipping it vertically. 



the requirements for this image were that the chimney must be brick and have four pots. Also that it must be free from ariels and sat-alight dishes (however they can be re touched out if there was no alternative). I was able to find a chimney that did not have any dishes and only one ariel attached to it that I was able to re move. The angle is not quite correct however it was difficult to get that angle as it was on privet property and fenced off.



I found this image the most challenging to replicate because of the restricted time scale that I had to find the images in. It was difficult to find a tree that was on its own and that also didn't have too much of crowded background. This is the best one that I was able to find, however if i had a longer time period to go and find another location I may have found a better match to the original image.



Although the brief was for a 'scary' looking door this is the best that I could find. I think that the scratched texture and peeling paint on do help to make it feel a little more sinister. If I had longer to source locations I think that I would have used a more sinister looking door way to help achieve the effect that the client wanted. However it would be possible to create the effect they wanted with this door in post production. 

From this workshop I have learnt that carrying out a 'recce' can be very useful when trying to match an exact idea for a client. Also that it is extremely important to look closely at their ideas and always keep them in mind, and constantly refer back to your brief so your images reflect their ideas clearly and effectively. 
I feel that I could have found more closely matched images to the briefs if i had of had a little more time to visit different locations and try different places.