I have searched around for some threads on this but haven't come across any answers. So, here goes: I am interested in exploring more b&w portraiture with Kodak 400CN as I found, for an amateur like myself, the "real" b&w films and their development to be too expensive. Not to mention I have only a little darkroom experience, which means typically exorbitant prices for "custom" prints. Anyway...

I'd like to take some pictures of my male friends and achieve that pseudo-Hurrell, Herb Ritts look -- you know, swarthy skin tones and all. I'm satisfied using a green filter on the ladies. I was wondering, before I take the plunge and buy a 72mm Tiffen #47 dark blue, if anyone had any experience with the filter, specifically in shooting these type of portraits. Is there a better B+W filter?

-- Matt Keller (matt_keller@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000

Answers

Try here Matt. Not exactly what you are asking, but similar:

http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl?msg_id=000ptM&topic_id=&topic=

Hope it helps. P.S. I've noticed Pro 100 with regular black and white paper, using high filtration (75-150cc's of magenta...) does a fair job too.

shawn

-- shawn gibson (seeinsideforever@yahoo.com), April 28, 2000.

I can't for the life of me get the whole URL to show up. It's a photo.net post, under my name (click on my name wherever you find it?); the post is entitled "How to achieve dark skin tones from caucasion/Asian skin in BW"

sorry my boss is here. ciao

-- shawn (seeinsideforever@yahoo.com), April 28, 2000.

Try this:

http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000ptM&topic_id=& topic=

Thanks, Shawn. This is just the sort of discussion I was looking around for. Of course, it brings up a lot of questions about gel filters that I didn't previously have, but that seems to be the way things on these boards go! A question leads to more questions leads to a great deal more money sunk into this hobby -- oh well, it's cheaper than therapy, as my first photography teacher liked to say.

Did you end up shooting models with any of these suggestions? I am very interested in the Wratten #44 effect specifically, as this sounds like just the effect I'm going for -- that old Hollywood, manly-man look. I wasn't aware those shots were originally captured using ortho film, which I now will read up on.

-- Matt Keller (matt_keller@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.

oh and you'll need a theatrical spot...access to a soundstage and props....some chimera lanterns powered by god knows what kind of flood....a 8x10 view camera with a imagon/verito portrait lens...6 refrig.-style air conditioners...fire insurance...one of those 'vi-bo-rate'in neg retouchers by adams.....and a girl like Joan Crawford or a fella like Clark Gable...shouldn't be difficult at all...

-- Trib (linhof6@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.

"Response to Tiffen Dark Blue #47 - Any Experiences?" from Trib

Well, Glib... er, Trib... I was actually using a type of visual shorthand meant to evoke the ruddy skintone of those portraits. I'm well aware of the unmatched expertise that went into Hurrell's photography (including the not-entirely-believable assertion that Hurrell photographed Crawford without make-up and "applied" the make-up through retouching later), but I don't really want much interest in dressing my friends up in Adrian gowns and having them crawl across divans like latter day Norma Shearers. Thanks for the help, though.

-- Matt Keller (matt_keller@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.

so shoot ortho and then print it on a silver-rich fiber-based paper! and drop the descriptives...and the shitty film... you know that tcn neg is gonna last about 10 years don't ya? and if you don't make a good archival print soon you'll be sorry....p.s I'm an amateur too.

-- Trib (linhof6@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.

Thanks, but...

Trib, you're missing the point of my question (i.e., not interested in spending a fortune on ortho film and its subsequent printing on silver-rich fiber-base archival paper). I have the information I need through Shawn's help. Thus, your two cents are currently overvalued.

-- Matt Keller (matt_keller@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.

I have both the Tiffen 47 and 47B filters. I used them outdoors when I want a white sky and good shadow detail. Both will darken skin tones. B+W makes a medium blue filter, but it is not that strong, with a filter factor of 2x. B+W also makes a special-order blue-green filter, which I have. The number is 470 and the filter factor is 2x. It absorbs almost all red light. Use it to simulate ortho film.

-- William Marderness (wmarderness@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.

Mat, --if you can find it anywhere, give kodak b/w+ a try. (if you havent already). its also a c-41 "black and white" film. seems a little more smooth in its gradations compared to cn.

-- Jerry Hazard (hazard01@earthlink.net), April 29, 2000.