How do you achieve something like this?

Gast · 2005-09-05T22:26:50+00:00

Hallo, wie bekommt man von so einem so kontrastlosen Motiv eine so herrliche Aufnahme, die weder steil noch flau ist? Ich bin darauf gestoßen, weil ich auf...

Gast

Hello, How do you manage to get such a wonderful shot from a subject with so little contrast – one that’s neither too harsh nor too flat? I came across this because I picked up an old Polish Foton Fotopan F at a flea market and did a bit of Googling about it; this image was one of the results. It can’t be down to the film alone – mine is going in the display cabinet anyway. My Polish isn’t good enough to read the text. What ideas do you have? Colour filters, soft-focus filters? Perhaps someone here speaks the language? http://plfoto.com/zdjecie.php?author=18414&nast_aut=288753 Best regards, Otto

Gast

It actually just looks like soft lighting, a slightly longer focal length with a short shooting distance (macro); the aperture isn’t fully open, as the flower in the foreground still shows some depth of field. If anything, a green filter has been used to brighten the green of the leaves. The contrast doesn’t seem to be particularly complicated either. Still, a lovely picture. Regards Martin

Gast

The leaves are quite dark, aren't they? I'd guess it's a different colour filter. Depending on the colour of the flower, perhaps blue?

Dennis

Hi Otto! Thanks for the link to the photo. I’ve had a quick look through the text (one of my other hobbies besides photography has been learning Polish for several years now. I’m from the border region.) There is no mention of technical details, apart from "Zenit E, Fotopan F, samodzielne wywołanie negatywu" where the latter means <DEVELOPING the negative yourself>. The author has responded to the comments: "I took them 25 years ago in the mountains and I admit I like them. The viburnum still grows in the garden of my family home, but it no longer has such pretty flowers. When I look at this photo, I gain some perspective on what things are like today." <I took them [the photographs] 25 years ago from above and admit that I like them. Kalina [that’s what he calls the plant, others refer to hydrangeas] still grows in the little garden of my parents’ house, but no longer blooms as beautifully. When I [the photographer] look at the picture, I take a step back from what things are like today.> With the last sentence, he is referring to a previous comment, the gist of which is that with modern cameras, it is easier to take good photos. Dear Otto, that’s all from my translation service.... Thank you for the morning brain exercise of reading Polish. The photo itself doesn’t quite suit my taste, ultimately. It lacks black. For my viewing habits, the contrast would need to be considerably greater, and I would have bin-ed a photo like this and tried again with two or three more gradients of exposure. But tastes differ, after all... Best regards and good light Dennis from Berlin

Gast

Hello! Many thanks for the tips, and a special thanks to you, Dennis, for the translation – it’s a lovely hobby you’ve got going with the Polish language. I’ll have a go at creating a picture like this using all sorts of filters and lenses. Otto PS: Perhaps we could set up a gallery here at FOTOIMPEX for black-and-white images from real film – with the solemn promise that only paper prints will be scanned – and that this stage won’t be skipped.