Just adding to the trivia, Hurrell used a Cooke Knuckler, as well as the Verito and Celor. He usually used the Verito closed down enough to subdue its softness, and I usually don't see much difference in Hurrell's results from these three potentially very different lenses.
"I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."
I'll have to agree with Jac, and add there was a dress code back then too.Originally Posted by Randy Moe
I'm sure the carpenters and prop makers got away with dungaree's and t shirts, but if you're interacting with celebs
I don't think casual/work attire will cut muster with studio heads.
Try a piece of panty hose stretched over the lens.
This seems to be a good advise, but I need to add couple of things to it. Many Holly DP's used the panty hose (during production) attached to the rear of the lens. Also, it had to be TRUE Dior type, to make sure the eyelets were highly consistent. By the way, good luck finding those. Some of the lenses were biting sharp; therefore, a softer lens was used on purpose + the 'hose' to soften the lines. Some of the cinematographers had the technique so so perfect, that a particular actor would request this person to be filmed. I'd like to try this, as well.
Les
Don't forget film :-) Yes, most "Hollywood look" require a lot of lighting and retouching. They would have loved Photoshop - oh wait, they do!
(*do you know that they have routinely used the movie version of photoshop to touch up actors in the past decade, on top of the lighting and makeup etc.?*)
Apparently you've never seen a show of Karsh prints.
Wilhelm (Sarasota)
I once spent a couple of afternoons a with fellow who said he worked for Hurrell for a period of time. He said that Hurrell preferred to work with sharper lens. He mentioned the Cooke Series II, Heliar, and commercial Ektar. I was told his style had a lot to do with complicated lighting scenarios often consisting of up to 8 lights. Lighting would be customized to a persons personality and face. This fellow sent me neat lighting guide entitled "Classic Noir Portrait Lighting" but unfortunately I don't have the rights to share it. I'm sure that similar guides exist.
Oh and yes the negatives were retouched on an adams retouching machine.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
If he shared it with you, you can share it with us. Upload it to a Dropbox or someplace.
Signature deleted as to not offend certain people
there used to be a photographer in LA named mark wangerin ( not a long time ago but within the last 10? years )
he had a website and a message board that a lot of people interested in this sort of photography used to frequent.
mr wangerin became a master of the "hollywoodland lighting technique" using a verito portrait lenses.
he even had people on his messageboard who worked with hurell ( retoucher? printer? i can't remember anymore ) who shed light on some of the techniques used.
mr wangerin used fresnel lights and a long lens ... i don't think he used more than a few lights, certainly not 8...
maybe david goldfarb remembers i remember seeing him on the message board .. my memory is terrible.
his website might be accessible ( and his message board ) through the way back machine ....
i do remember that i worked for someone who made portraits like karsh. she used the classic key, fill, background and hair light and that is it
exposed all her 5x7 negatives at around f11,5 and if she wanted diffusion she had me use cellophane when i printed it ...
i processed it all in dk50 in hangers ... we retouched the film on an adams desk ( we used tri x ortho of men and regular old tri x for women )
we blended and smoothed the skin a lot filled in crows feet and laugh lines for women a little bit and that was it men not so much the same but lesser.
when i worked in the coffee trade a russian friend came up to me and told me the trick of making russian tea .. he said " you add just-enough water"
the same goes for retouching with leads, using cellophane or photoshop .. you do it "just enough" too much is like watery tea .. bad
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