Portrait Photographers, How long does your session last?

[dikaiosune01]

I am curious about what your process is like.
How do you conduct a LF portrait shoot differently than one made on a digital camera?

[Tin Can]

I prepare for days in advance

Even use mannequins as stand in's, very handy with a good head, hair and eyes

I set up lighting, have a chair, maybe a head rest

I learned to never mix DIGI with film in the same shoot

We chat first and discuss what we both want

We calm down, me especially

I try to open my door, and done in 20 minutes calmly

Shoot 4 8X10 film max

Then we may have a glass a wine to end session

DIGI is similar, but I fire off 100 shots in the same time

I use Paul C Buff strobes for both

[jp]

My LF portraits have mostly been my children. They are certainly more challenging with LF than an adult, but I am happy with the results.
I generally setup camera, tripod, lights, compose, setup a person or prop for focusing and metering. When I'm convinced I'm ready, I am then ready to start.
Bribe or convince child to pose, fine tune the focus, shoot a few sheets, and it's all over as kids are good for just a couple minutes of posing if I'm lucky.


For adults/teens I have done digital in some cases to meet their needs for the photo they have in mind and/or warm up and try things. Then finish up with film for creative/experimental purposes. I wouldn't take 100 digital photos just because it's unpleasant to sort through that many; I can probably get as many keepers in 40-50 digital photos.

https://live.staticflickr.com/7244/7308691974_b807446f51_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/c8QXuA)
img523 (https://flic.kr/p/c8QXuA) by Jason Philbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/13759696@N02/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/1706/24745290692_fc70d29f09_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DGE5NY)
img794 (https://flic.kr/p/DGE5NY) by Jason Philbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/13759696@N02/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/8503/8311820995_250e352361_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/dEufNx)
img904 (https://flic.kr/p/dEufNx) by Jason Philbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/13759696@N02/), on Flickr

[Mark Sampson]

When I worked as a high-school senior portrait photographer, c.1980, the studio's rule was "5 poses in 5 minutes, or 10 poses in 10 minutes".
I haven't done commercial portraiture since those days, but when I make a portrait now, it takes a little longer.

[ericantonio]

I worked as an assistant back in the day and when we did 8x10 portraits with models that costs $$$$ per hour, we literally have everything set up. Lights, meter, camera, lens, film holders. I would sit-in for polaroid shots. I have a bunch of 4x5's and 8x10 of me in weird poses. So basically the model comes in, stylist does their thing, they do the shot in minutes, and out the door.

Previsualization is important. I think with LF, you need to do that, with digital, meh, not really, just keep shooting and eventually you'll get the shot you want.

[Pieter]

I rarely shoot posed portraits, and few of those are large format, but here is my methodology. If I am shooting in a studio space, I set everything up and test with an assistant or volunteer first. On location, I arrive early and set up and test before the subject's arrival or calling them over for the session. I always shoot test exposures with a digital camera since Polaroid film is pretty much non-existent today.

The session itself really depends on the purpose of the shoot and the time the subject is willing to give you. It can range from about an hour with some subjects to 10 minutes with someone who shows up pretty much prepared to be on camera (or dogs!). You can take all day with several wardrobe changes and moving around a location, be it an interior like and office or house or outdoors or a combination of both.

Also, I have no idea why everyone insists on shooting digital differently than film. Unless I am shooting action or a fashion shot, there is no need to "machine-gun" hundreds of shots just because you can. You only wind up with the headaches of editing, thoughtless shots and the inevitable compositing of elements of one shot into another. I treat digital pretty much like film. The advantage is I get instant feedback, I can show something right away to the subject(s) to put them at ease but I don't chimp and I don't machine-gun. Besides, shooting unit you get the shot you want inevitably wears out the subject.

[Rick A]

When I worked as a high-school senior portrait photographer, c.1980, the studio's rule was "5 poses in 5 minutes, or 10 poses in 10 minutes".
I haven't done commercial portraiture since those days, but when I make a portrait now, it takes a little longer.

I worked for Olan Mills in the early 7-'s, five poses in three minutes for a single subject, seven poses in ten minutes for a group. I routinely shot between 500 and 550 portrait sessions a week on the road. I abhor photographing people.

[Tin Can]

I should add when shooting DIGI portrait, I ask the sitter to move constantly

And often I fire the shutter faster than strobe recycle

Which adds serendipity and surprising results

HS machine portrait were never LF, or if they were it was a slider with many on one sheet

I have the gear as evidence

I show these as DIGI of sitter combing out her hair at her speed!

A great idea she agreed to, no stopping

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52675321644_ea6ef04ab2_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ofJMWL)Hair (https://flic.kr/p/2ofJMWL) by TIN CAN COLLEGE (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52551856709_8204ea35ef_o.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/tincancollege/m10MB2933W)Erin D750 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/tincancollege/m10MB2933W) by TIN CAN COLLEGE (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

[Duolab123]

I should add when shooting DIGI portrait, I ask the sitter to move constantly

And often I fire the shutter faster than strobe recycle

Which adds serendipity and surprising results

HS machine portrait were never LF, or if they were it was a slider with many on one sheet

I have the gear as evidence

I show these as DIGI of sitter combing out her hair at her speed!

A great idea she agreed to, no stopping

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52675321644_ea6ef04ab2_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ofJMWL)Hair (https://flic.kr/p/2ofJMWL) by TIN CAN COLLEGE (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52551856709_8204ea35ef_o.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/tincancollege/m10MB2933W)Erin D750 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/tincancollege/m10MB2933W) by TIN CAN COLLEGE (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

Nice, I LOVE Afro haircuts. Starting to come back. Do you use digital to set up lights before film sessions? Nice looking lady!

[Tin Can]

One more as Soft Focus 11X14 film

Designed as Homage of Josephine Baker

Different day

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52600667179_958a4047e7_o.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/tincancollege/4R89u593U6)A Tribute to Josphene Baker (https://www.flickr.com/gp/tincancollege/4R89u593U6) by TIN CAN COLLEGE (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

[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.238431

[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.238431

[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/BookDetailsPL?bi=31418811226&cm_sp=rec-_-o_3_ii-_-bdp&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.

[ericantonio]

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.


Yes!! That core memory coming back. String Theory is real and you should use it!! I remember I worked with a guy who did that for portraits. We had other methods too cause we sometimes had to move cameras on tripods to another set. A lot of measuring and tape on the floor to get it back to 99.9% the way it was later in the afternoon.

[Tin Can]

Also works for LF selfies

[Daniel Unkefer]

Short or long as it takes. With Kids they will cooperate for about a minute, then you have to chase 'em around :) Best to do with medium format; I favor Mamyaflexes for that

Last time I did an 8x10 B&W session, I studied the glass for at least half an hour, making a lot of tiny micro changes. Subject was relaxed and comfortable and totally cooperative. Think I exposed eight sheets of 8x10 HP5 on that one, last ones were with my olde 420 barrel Imagon. Everybody loved the results. Great shoot.

I used string theory for the lighting tuning up, and another for camera focus. Some subjects can hold a pose for a long time without straining, depends on the situation

[Jim Cole]

I have a question about the Karsh book under discussion. Does any body know if the 2nd (1960) and 3rd (1961) printing of the 1st edition are of the same quality as the 1st printing (1959)?

Thanks,
Jim

[Dave Sh]

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


https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31418811226&cm_sp=rec-_-o_3_ii-_-bdp&ref_=o_3_ii

Ahh...thank you very much for the specific edition too!

[Jim Cole]

I have a question about the Karsh book under discussion. Does any body know if the 2nd (1960) and 3rd (1961) printing of the 1st edition are of the same quality as the 1st printing (1959)?

Thanks,
Jim

I'll answer my own question. I just received a 1st ed, 3rd printing in Near Fine condition. The answer is yes, the printing is outstanding, portraits are on matte paper and positively glow.