When you see a large format portrait, how do you appreciate and comment it?
When you see a large format portrait, how do you appreciate and comment it?
I have seen very few LF portraits in person, mostly at ARTIC
I buy books, my Karsh book is magnificent and I found it cheap in a Chicago hipster bookstore
Every page a portrait that could be framed
https://karsh.org/bibliography/faces-of-destiny/
I look for an expression that defines the person, I do better with DSLR than LF
Tin Can
I tend to think of E.W. and his "No retouching".
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
Like this story
https://pcnw.org/files/Weston-on-portraiture.pdf
Tin Can
I probably see actual prints primarily in museum or gallery shows. I don’t pay much attention to the format, since what gets my attention is the expression on the subject’s face. By that I mean a show of emotion, rather than a straight-ahead “say cheese” smile. The exception might be “environmental portraiture” such as the famous image of Stravinsky (?) at his grand piano, where his face is not the sole center of attention. IIRC, many of Penn’s famous portraits were taken with a Rollei (medium format).
In 1959 Karsh published Portraits of Greatness, a giant step forward in reproduction of fine photographs. Karsh closely monitored the publication to ensure the best possible quality. The printing was done in the Netherlands and is far better than any other book of that time that I've seen. The pages measure about 9.4x12 inches, and can easily be removed for framing. They are sheet fed gravure with a delicate matte finish. The first edition is still occasionally available online for a wide range of prices. I don't know if subsequent reprints have retained such quality.
Just to be honest, a phrase I hate as it usually is a lie
I have posted before about Karsh portraits, even admitting I copied 4 from my personal Karsh Gravure book
The copies hang on my walls, to study, never to be sold, no digital images of the CRIME were made
I learned from this forum I had committed a huge CRIME and was thrashed for admitting it even though I did not POST any images
Thought Crime
My LF goal was personal learning
Learning how to make an excellent COPY on 4X5 film
Learning how to ENLARGE them to 11X14 on archival FB paper with mounting
I am not REPENTANT as what I do in my hovel is private
and learning what a good portrait looks like
no retouching required in any way
Last edited by Tin Can; 15-Jan-2021 at 06:13. Reason: SP
Tin Can
ya step back n say... not bad, not bad at all.
I don't follow portraiture, I think the 20x24 Polaroid stuff is all I can recall off hand seeing in person. On the internet, everything looks to be digitally manipulated so I usually think 'what is the point, why not just ray-trace the whole thing from the start and do away with the film.'
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