B&W portraits with green filters

[Ed Brock]

I have read that green filters can improve skin tone in b&w portraits. I am wondering what "improve" means. Questions for those of you who have experience in this: When do you use them? Which of the green filters do you use? Could you share any examples? Many thanks.

[Lachlan 717]

I find the green supresses red-toned skin blemishes, giving smoother-looking skin. Filters further towards blue end up giving you vampires with white skin and lips.

Red-toned filters can end up making even slightly freckled subjects look as though they've been through a sh#t-storm without an umbrella...

[Gem Singer]

I have read that too, Ed.

In Ansel Adams,"The Negative", he recommends the use of a green filter for

photographing men using panchromatic film, in sunlight.

I think it has to do with suppressing a man's more ruddy facial features.

[Drew Wiley]

You can get something analogous with unfilitered orthopan film, though true ortho film or a dark green filter on pan can be a bit too much at times. I liked using a mild yellow-green filter (Hoya XO) with TMax100 for portraits. Old-time portrait studios
often used ortho film for portraits of older men to give them more "character".
But it all depends on the light source you're using too. One needs to experiment.

[Joe Smigiel]

I find the green supresses red-toned skin blemishes, giving smoother-looking skin. Filters further towards blue end up giving you vampires with white skin and lips.

Red-toned filters can end up making even slightly freckled subjects look as though they've been through a sh#t-storm without an umbrella...

I would suspect exactly the opposite would occur. Green filters should absorb red causing relative underexposure of those areas (e.g., zits, freckles, lips, etc.) on the negative and thus darker reproduction on prints. Likewise, red filters will pass longer wavelengths readily while absorbing shorter (bluer) wavelengths and thus lightening the red end of the spectrum through relative greater exposure causing paler skin and lips in the final print.

So, green filters are typically used to increase ruddiness and skin texture in portraits (usually in male portraiture) while red filters smooth the complexions (usually used for portraits of female sitters).

In wetplate collodion, which is only UV and blue-sensitive and blind to the wavelengths from around cyan through red, freckled individuals have that condition enhanced by the spectral sensitivity while their blue eyes absolutely radiate in the final reproduction. Reds get underexposed, blues get overexposed.

[cjbroadbent]

Joe has it right.
Try out a digital portrait in Photoshop B&W conversion. Use the red and green sliders to see just what the filters do.
Then do it on LF. I use orange for girls and cc30 green for men.

[Gem Singer]

I re-read what Ansel Adams had to say about using green filters with B&W film for portraiture of men in sunlight.

I was wrong in stating that it would suppress a man's ruddy facial features. Actually, it will increase a man's ruddy facial features (I knew it had something to do with ruddy facial features).

In his book, "The Negative", AA says: " The use of a greenish filter (#11 or #13) will tend to give more vigorous flesh tones, most noticeable in the lips and ruddy or sunburned skin".

[charleshenryosborne@netxe]

I have read that too, Ed.

In Ansel Adams,"The Negative", he recommends the use of a green filter for

photographing men using panchromatic film, in sunlight.

I think it has to do with suppressing a man's more ruddy facial features.

Adams showed samples--the green filter made the men more swarthy--rugged and dark skinned. The texture and pores are stronger for the outdoorsman. If you like swarthy women, try it on the ladies.

[Jay DeFehr]

I find the green supresses red-toned skin blemishes, giving smoother-looking skin. Filters further towards blue end up giving you vampires with white skin and lips.

Red-toned filters can end up making even slightly freckled subjects look as though they've been through a sh#t-storm without an umbrella...

Lachlan,

are you sure you've got that right? Wouldn't a red-ish filter lighten red tones? And, aren't freckles red-ish?

In my experience shooting Ortho films greatly increases the appearance of freckles, while films with extended red sensitivity, like TP, tend to diminish the appearance of freckles.

Green = minus red, so a green filter should render red tones (freckles) darker, and foliage lighter.

[Lachlan 717]

Lachlan,

are you sure you've got that right? Wouldn't a red-ish filter lighten red tones? And, aren't freckles red-ish?

In my experience shooting Ortho films greatly increases the appearance of freckles, while films with extended red sensitivity, like TP, tend to diminish the appearance of freckles.

Green = minus red, so a green filter should render red tones (freckles) darker, and foliage lighter.

I'm sure, Jay… sure that I got it all over the shop!

It was too late when I thought through this and saw that I'd stuffed it up to delete it.

Mind you, I don't get too far past the first page of the Ishihara test, so I guess red and green appear the same to me...

[Glenn Thoreson]

Green filters were popular for portraits in the day of "ordinary", i.e. color blind film. The information doesn't fit the same with today's films. Green will indeed make a more ruddy looking portrait.The lighting plays a major role for effectiveness. If you want to be attacked and beaten with a large camera, just shoot a woman's portrait with a red filter. It makes 'em look like they're dead. A good old yellow filter will suffice in most situations.

[Jay DeFehr]

I'm sure, Jay… sure that I got it all over the shop!

It was too late when I thought through this and saw that I'd stuffed it up to delete it.

Mind you, I don't get too far past the first page of the Ishihara test, so I guess red and green appear the same to me...

I'm never sure I'm not the one who is confused about these things, so thanks for clarifying.

[Lachlan 717]

I'm never sure I'm not the one who is confused about these things, so thanks for clarifying.

I keep needing to say it, Jay, "I'm not too smart, but I can lift heavy things"...

[Jay DeFehr]

If only I could lift heavy things...........