Quote Originally Posted by jnantz View Post
it has nothing to do with control and ratios between ambient light and other light sources and yes
having done commercial assignment work since the 80s i am well versed in that, but its fake/ an illusion like everything else.

Are you nuts?

Basing an exposure with supplemental lighting to properly expose the subject and the background is not fake or an illusion. Nor is basing the exposure so the background goes darker or lighter then the subject fake or an illusion. It is control!

hi cdavis324

when i make a portrait or use a camera
that i can control the shutter speed, i do my best to
make long exposures rather than short ones. IDK... i find
strobe+flashbulb work, instantaneous images &c to be just a veneer
not really what i want to photograph.
i'd rather show things breathing ..
if you poke around newtonian physics a little bit
you know that every object is in motion
i'd rather show things as they are .. alive, in motion, not static
some love it, but to me static/instantaneous,
like sharp modern lenses its all too clinical ...
with regards the the exact shutter speed
it depends sometimes i count to 4 or 10 slowly and sometimes a little faster.
( i've taken 45 second portraits before ) sorry if i skirted your question ...
my advice with your slow film / paper or whatever you are using
is still available light wide open or 1-2 stops closed down
( or if you have a junque f 5.6 / 6 RR put it on ) and a (softboxed )
hot light fill if you need it, bulb/time and count to 5-6... bracket a little bit to get used to it...
then use a slow working developer like caffenolc with a splash of print developer in it
and see how you like your negatives
you might like life in the slow lane.. i try to take backroads as much as i can

good luck !
john

ps my post was not to slight anyone who likes instantaneous portraits/photography,
sharp modern lenses, fresh film and d76 &c &c. i hope people who do that sort of thing
have a blast, and enjoy themselves to the fullest
and it helps them get to where they want to be at...
(YMMV )