This image started life as a frame of medium format black and white film. I walked into the house one afternoon and Ben was sitting at the dining room table working on something. I had a Hasselblad 501CM over one shoulder with an 80mm Planar lens on it. I opened the lens up, set the shutter speed at 1/60th of a second and snapped a few frames.
When I got the developed film back from the lab I stuck this frame into the desktop scanner and did a fairly neutral and flat scan at 10 by 10 inches @300 dpi. I scan images a little flat in order to get the longest range possible and to preserve detail in the highlights and shadows which can be more finely controlled in PhotoShop and other programs.
I "spotted" the file using the healing tool in PS before I resized the file and dragged it into SnapSeed where I banged on it for a little while. I wanted soft skin tones but I wanted good, inky shadows and most of all I wanted a nice patina of grain. I played with the slider controls till I got what I wanted and then I saved a few versions.
The conceit on the web is that everything right out of the cameras of professionals is absolutely perfect and ready to run across two pages in a glossy magazine. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.
Here's what the file looked like right out of the scan with no PP work:
This is exactly how I would expect an enlarger print of the negative to look on #2 graded paper from a well exposed negative. Like a negative a good digital file is the starting point for a photographer's interpretation. I like deep shadows more than I like high key presentations so the first thing I reach for is the curves control, or in Snapseed, a combination of brightness and contrast controls.
Once I have the tonal scale right I work on sharpening. Then I work on adding grain and vignettes to drive viewers' eyes to the right quandrants. When it seems a bit edgy and handmade I let go and save a version.
It helps sometimes to go over the top. I played around with a more colorful "vintage" look and saved a few versions of that as well.
While I would have denounced such experimentation just a few years ago I'm working hard to understand and implement relevant modifications to my images that may, in fact, enhance them. When we stop experimenting with our personal point of view and denounce every new invention and shift of cultural fashion we might as well hang it up and go somewhere to teach "how we used to do it in the old days."
Why did I start with film? The ability to hold good highlights and the wonderful fall off of focus from a sharp core here to a soft and diffused, shadowy rendition of a chair in the right side and edge of the frame. The larger format adds a sense of increased dimensionality that I find gives the image more weight and a sense of complexity.
Can I do this with digital? Sure, but I'm privileged in that I don't have to.
A quick blog note on Ben: He's going to start working for the rest of the Summer at Zachary Scott Theatre. He presented a demo reel of video work that was well received and he handled himself very professionally as my grip and sound man for a recent TV commercial shoot we did together. They've asked him to come on board to shoot behind the scenes videos for the shows, construction documentation and to help edit in Final Cut Pro X for the theater's extensive online showcases.
He'll be using one of the VSL's Sony a57's (good video, great phase detection AF during video and focus peaking for decisive manual focusing- where appropriate.) He'll be using the 18-55mm kit lens, a 50mm 1.4, and he'll have access to the studio inventory if he needs something in a specialty lens. He's got his own Gitzo tripod with a fluid head that he picked up last year and he'll be recording sound with a Rode shotgun microphone. With FCPX on a recent 15 inch i7 MacBook Pro he's pretty much set to go as a one person ENG team. We should start seeing his work online shortly.
I'll keep you posted and, if you are interested in video adventures, I might even persuade him to write a brief blog about his experiences as a 16 year old media producer.
Proud father but quick to remind him that the graphic arts are not what I have in mind for a good career.....
Fun Summer Moment: We discussed various video formats and some sound recording techniques after my swim practice and his cross country run this morning at a favorite breakfast dive. The family that nerds out together..........
Great update on Ben - congrats to him for his hard work and to you for your support. Awesome teamwork!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely awesome, you can be a VERY proud dad ! Please keep us posted about his work.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if Ben also has passion for photography like his well known Dad.
ReplyDeleteHe likes to make movies and videos and as far as I can tell has never had the inclination to shoot a single still photograph. He's also smarter than his dad so I'm relieved that he doesn't have any interest in the business of photography either...
DeleteI'm curious if not the graphic arts, what sort of career path did you advise Ben to take?
ReplyDeleteI applaud how Ben, surely because of your influence has taken to a form of visual communication. I believe that an ability to communicate effectively via some form of media is necessary in the future workplace. There surely will be all sorts of methods to get across and the accompanying preponderance of noise compared to clear signals and an ability to get an idea understood using written or spoken words, still or motion pictures, design or symbols will be a very useful skill to have.
Ben's got his eye on management. He's watched two parents struggle through the ups and downs of the art markets over the years he's too smart to follow our path. He's a good writer, a good mathematician and a ready entrepreneur. He'll do just fine.
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