How many takes do you do during portrait photosession?

[SadChi]

Hello,

During photoshooting with small formats (i.e MF and 35mm) people tend to do many takes and choose the best one after. But it seems that LF photography needs other aproach: fewer number of takes. But when i look at Avedons photogs i see emotions, composition. Does it mean that Avedon make good photo from the first attempt? Or he shot many takes as MF photographers do?

How many takes do you do during portrait photosession with 4x5, 8x10 ?

Thanks.

[eddie]

i shoot 2-6 with my 8x10.

i made a mistake the other day. i thought i had it all worked out. i shot 4 sheets. 2 at f8 and two at f11 with my 11.5 verito. we it turns out i was blind that day! i seemed to have focused behind them a bit so it is soft! yeah yeah! i know the verito is soft already but the hay wagon behind them is nice and "crisp" so some parts of the photo are "crisp" enough to be distracting. i should have teken a bit more time between shots on this particular shoot. i was very rushed. most of the other shoots work out a bit better. i am usually more concerned with my "hat shutter" than the focus.....i guess i need to be much more careful.

i plan to try and print it with a piece of this tissue paper or scratched up clear substrate to try and diffuse the sharper parts.

eddie

[Walter Calahan]

Who counts, as many as needed, or until I fire the person whose posing. HA!

[Jan Nieuwenhuysen]

If interested in Avedon's working methods see Laura Wilson's book Avedon at work.
An on-line introduction here: http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0406/wilson.html

Avedon worked fast, intense, 'like 35 mm' according to Wilson

I myself shoot between 1 and 2 grafmatics/subject in 4x5 for portraits on average. Could be as much as 4 grafmatics or as little as just one exposure in rare cases.

[Matt_Bigwood]

I read somewhere that Avedon shot something like 19,000 sheets of 10x8 film for that 'In the American West' project.

Matt

[Frank Petronio]

Yeah they showed a photo of his workroom once and he had at least 100 8x10 holders, I guess a couple of assistants just fed the camera and Dick stood in front with the cable release.

With 4x5 I would do between 2-6 sheets per pose/situation, and maybe find 4 to 6 situations in the course of a shoot. I'd also shoot quite a bit of digitial to warm up, and sometimes some 35mm.

With the 8x10 I am more cost conservative but will still do 18-20 sheets in a session.

[SadChi]

Thanks to everyone. Your answers are apreciated.

[Miguel Curbelo]

I shoot portraits with an 11x14 camera. I limit myself to 2 shots -because of the expense and in order to force myself to pay attention to what I am doing. For some reason, it is always the first shot that works out OK.

[David A. Goldfarb]

4-10 usually.

[Ash]

16 on 5x4 yesterday. Halfway through processing the sheets.