Portrait Photographers, How long does your session last?

[Jim Jones]

Just two minutes were budgeted for Yousef Karsh's 1941 portrait of Winston Churchill. The photographer had arranged camera, lights, and background beforehand. Only three sheets of 8x10 film were exposed. This is the first (and most famous) one. Perhaps never has one photograph given so many people hope, inspiration, and determination in such terrible times.

[Ulophot]

I use only B&W film, all wet process. I left the studio behind years ago and now shoot on location, aspiring to make images with only natural light when possible, interior or exterior, with 4x5 or 645. Because the idea is to make the setting reflect the subject in some way, the challenge is considerable and the set up involves arrangement, less or more as circumstance dictate. I do my best to prepare my subjects (I'm not photographing professionally at present), and let them know what I am trying to do, and that it will take some time. I try to ensure that my subject is comfortable. So far, so good on that front; I just need to get better at what I am doing. Sessions are running an hour to an hour and a half or so, for 12-14 sheets or a rolls or two.

[Tin Can]

I have a book of Karsh portraits printed in the 50's, amazing find in a hipster bookstore

No need to yell at me again

Just two minutes were budgeted for Yousef Karsh's 1941 portrait of Winston Churchill. The photographer had arranged camera, lights, and background beforehand. Only three sheets of 8x10 film were exposed. This is the first (and most famous) one. Perhaps never has one photograph given so many people hope, inspiration, and determination in such terrible times.

[Dave Sh]

Tin Can,

Curios as to the title of the Karsh portrait book you found in the hipster store? I enjoy viewing the tangible version of master portraits, vs. viewing them online.

Thanks,
Dave

[jp]

There was a big traveling exhibit of Karsh work maybe 2009; I'm guessing this book was sort of the catalog that went along with that? If so, it's a very high quality book.

[Tin Can]

Similar to this but from the 50's with excellent paper, good enough to frame each page. Almost perfect


https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Boo...dp&ref_=o_3_ii

Tin Can,

Curios as to the title of the Karsh portrait book you found in the hipster store? I enjoy viewing the tangible version of master portraits, vs. viewing them online.

Thanks,
Dave

[Tin Can]

I may as well confess again!

I used 4x5 LF film to copy 4 images from my book, and printed a bit bigger as exercise to see if I could make a great copy

NO DIGI None sold

That was over 10 years ago and they still hang in MY DAMN home

[Jim Jones]

Tin Can - Your link shows the cover of the fine Thomas Nelson & Sons edition of this fine book. The asking price in that ad shows how admired the book is among photographers and connoisseurs of fine book printing. The first printing of 14,500 books sold out even before the official publication. Fortunately, a second printing of 16,000 soon followed. My copies of earlier and later books of Karsh photographs appear to be routinely printed with ordinary half-tone processes, and fall far short of the sheet-fed gravure of the Nelson edition. That printer in Holland used especially formulated inks to best replicate the photographer's originals. The 9.4x11.9 inch pages were edge mounted so they can be cleanly removed. In the past I've seen individual pages for sale on ebay. Portraits of Greatness has been subsequently copied and reprinted, but fortunately I haven't seen how much they butchered the quality of the original.

[Tin Can]

Mine must be second edition in very very good, barely opened

I paid $10 and seller specialized in expensive Art Books under lock and key

I knew right off it was special, but knew nothing of Gravure

I enlarged to 11X14 framed under glass

I picked the young queen E , Ivo Livi, Joan of Arc by Ingrid Bergman and Heminway a favorite writer

I like the sword one best

[Maris Rusis]

A while back I shot six full face portraits with a Tachihara 810HD view camera and the process went smoothly because almost all the work had been done before the sitter arrived.

I used a stand-in seated in a posing chair to set exact focus. Then I ran a string ending in a small bead from the camera to the stand-in. String length was adjusted so that when the bead was between the subjects eyes and the string was taut the subjects eyes are in exact focus. Camera focus was then locked down because the string and bead would guarantee image focus and I would not have to look again at the ground glass or get under a focussing cloth.

Then I checked light meter readings, adjusted for bellows extension, set the aperture, the shutter speed, and cocked the shutter. Since the session was only going to take a few minutes and my sunny-day light wasn't going to change I would not have to meter again.

Next a film holder was put into the camera and the darkslide was pulled.

Finally the sitter arrived, took their place in the chair, did the bead and string routine, held their head still, dropped the bead, turned their eyes to the lens, and I fired the shutter with a long cable release.

The fastest portrait in photography comes from a preset view camera with a big sheet of film waiting in the darkness behind the lens - but only for the first shot!

After that there is a bit of work: changing film holders, cocking and firing the shutter, and bantering with the sitter until the end of the session. I'm in control because the string and bead delivers focus, the light is constant, the sitter's chair stops them wandering out of frame, and the long cable release lets me fire the shutter with my hand behind my back. The sitter doesn't know when to flinch.