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  #1  
Old 23rd July 2013, 03:27 PM
RajP RajP is offline
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Default How to achieve this ___ colour look

Hi

I'm not sure if this is in the right forum, its about technique but i'm too visually illiterate to verbalise what look it is that i actually want to achieve in my portraits.

The best examples are in the works of Nicola Kuperus
http://www.nicolakuperus.com/code/photographs.htm
and some of Aline Smithson's portraits
http://alinesmithson.com/portfolios/hollywood-at-home/

Content aside, to get that flatness* (?) in the colours, is it just an issue of choosing the right film stock? I know Kuperus shoots and prints her own work, and from what i've seen doesn't use any additional lighting. Or is it just a simple combination of film emulsion and props. Could someone describe the colour effect in more technical terms?

*where colours seem both bright and dull at the same time, or is this just me?

cheers
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Old 23rd July 2013, 04:47 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Nicola Kupercus even calls one of the prints "Flat Color Print" or is that "Flat" - Color Print

OK I think that Flat here refers to what we call a puncture.

You might want to try Kodak Portra 160 or 400 film to see how close you can get. I too like the desaturated more natural look

Agfa Vista came close to this and it is still made but now I suspect it is by Fuji and the colour palette may bear little ressemblance to the original Agfa Vista.

I'd certainly avoid Fuji Superia which has a lot of warmth and is much more saturated. With Superia everybody is permanently tanned like that famous Hollywood minor star who always played dodgy gigolo types but whose name escapes me( George Hamilton?)

Mike
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Old 23rd July 2013, 07:09 PM
JohnArt JohnArt is offline
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Just looked at your 'man in garden' image - what's missing from that to give you the affect you are looking for?

John
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  #4  
Old 23rd July 2013, 08:40 PM
RajP RajP is offline
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Cheers guys
Mike - I will give Portra another go, last time i had some i wasted it shooting roads for some reason.
John - I don't think i've scanned it well but the print is quite saturated, in that particular shot its what i wanted (about the only time i have achieved an effect i've wanted I think that was on Fuji Reala 100

lol i was hung up about using the term "flat", lest some expert cut me down. Whatever it is, i like the way it makes the whole thing look totally detached. Do you know if there's any way of adjusting the contrast at the print stage, other than using a different paper?
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Old 24th July 2013, 06:23 PM
JohnArt JohnArt is offline
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I would email the artists and ask them what materials/equipment/processing methods they use to get the affect in their images - nothing wrong in asking!

Quote:
Originally Posted by RajP View Post
Do you know if there's any way of adjusting the contrast at the print stage, other than using a different paper?
At the print stage it might not be so easy - choice of film/camera lens/paper would be more affective.

You could experiment with the colour balance and placing soft focus and/or ND filters between the enlarger lens and paper.

John
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Old 24th July 2013, 08:22 PM
Michael Michael is offline
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I've a feeling that an uncoated lens would be a start, coupled with maybe Reala or son-of-NPH (the ISO 400 print film).

Maybe overexpose? - but that's a very uninformed suggestion.
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Old 25th July 2013, 12:29 AM
MarcAeonDELETED MarcAeonDELETED is offline
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Default Eyes

I would expect that, looking at the lack on veins in the eyes of the photographs from Nicola Kuperus, that extensive Photoshop has taken place.
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