A relative who uses 8x10 for people and portraits switched from slower glass to bigger, heavier f/5.6 300mm lens for the brighter ground glass. Says his eyes aren't what they used to be and the brighter screen made a difference.
In studio he uses a Kodak slide projector to put a slice of light right on the side of the head where the eyes are. He uses Strobes for the portraits and can stand off to the side and tell when the sitter is in perfect position for sharpness on the eyes by seeing the slice of light position. Most sitters move back and forth a bit and this enables him to trip the shutter when they are in the right spot. He shoots fairly wide open and says it does make a difference for sharpness in the eyes for his studio portraits.
” Never attribute to inspiration that which can be adequately explained by delusion”.
Disfarmer doesn’t strike me as someone who cared to know the person and who worked really hard with people.... and yet he seemingly “captured the real souls” of many of his customers.
I mean this with some sarcasm and with a lot of respect for those who do work hard for their clients :-)
Some of you are making the unwarranted assumption that because the OP doesn't know 8x10 he doesn't know portrait.
Thanks, but I'd rather just watch:
Large format: http://flickr.com/michaeldarnton
Mostly 35mm: http://flickr.com/mdarnton
You want digital, color, etc?: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stradofear
Well, it’s supposed to cover everything in the optical domain. If so, it’s not that expensive.
The intrepid camera folks have a nice new 8x10. They've made a light source/film holder/enlarger adapter back for their 4x5. Something similar could be done for 8x10 to make enlargements that wouldn't have to be moved with chains and a gantry. That said, contact prints are pretty cool.
Tailboard cameras are prefered for Portrait http://www.vintagephoto.tv/shoulder.shtml
at least 2 reasons
1. the front standard can hold up almost any lens and doesn't need to move
2. rear focus is better at keeping 'Head' size constant while focusing
A 'modern' metal camera that is basically a full movement tailboard is the very strong Calumet C Series 8 X 10: a review right here in the forum
https://www.largeformatphotography.i...umetc8x10.html
Tin Can
Apparently his customers had souls.
I will recommend a book, not a camera or lens. Long out of print, Professional Portrait Lightings by Charles Abel from 1947. There's one starting at the auction site for $40. It's an 80 or 90 dollar book. 8X10 was still in full stride when it was done. A lot to learn from the guys who were just making a living. Our reasons to do it now are different, but the equipment they used is still around and honestly, not worth very much.
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