Vintage Look/Style

[Trooper]

My wife loves Anthropologie. I love their catalog.

The photography has a distinct style, which is beginning to be imitated by a few others. I know for a fact that the imitators are using digital SLR's, and most likely Photoshop actions. I highly suspect, based on what little I can learn about their photographers, Anthropologie uses large format film. I have also noticed that when I shoot Fuji Astia in natural light, during the golden hours, with a backlit subject and white reflectors I can get a similar look as what I see in Anthropologie. I struggle with digital.

Shooting film isn't cost effective anymore, but I still like that look. So, how would you describe the photo below, and how would you get a similar look with digital and minimal work with Photoshop, i.e. curves and saturation? I find it to have muted tones, yet with enough saturation to highlight the garment.

To make it clear, I have no interest in shooting film anymore. So, please don't suggest, "If you want it to look like film, shoot film." Nor is it my intent to imitate a style, but to avoid the sterile look of digital images and learn a new process.

From the Spring 2011 Anthropologie catalog

 

[ZeissFan]

I think nearly all fashion photos (which include this one) are heavily reworked in Photoshop. So if you want the film look but don't want to shoot film, you have to really know Photoshop front to back.

And I think that you'll also have to pick up a plug-in that mimics film.

To get muted colors, you desaturate the image.

 

[PatrickONeill]

lots of photoshop indeed. I spent some time as a photo-retoucher, and some images would have 8+ hours into them. (high end fashion shoots are nearly all shot with medium format gear, some still shoot film, with all of them using portra c-41, but the digital shooters shoot digital 'blads or stick a phaseone back on a MF film camera)

but, if you want to get 80% there with that look, try colorefx pro.

 

[Ranchu]

Just looks like a really big, 15 x 30 or so foot white reflector to me. Maybe even a large white building by the shore. Capture one low-sat profile. My feeling is a flat curve, that this is mainly lighting, but I don't do much retouching.

 

[gavinlg]

This sort of look is really quite easy to achieve in PP.

Look for luminance, saturation and selective hue adjustments.
Curve adjustments.

-Mix these with layer effects like soft light and overlay, and mask bits you don't want.
-Experiment with 50% grey layers on soft light with a bit of grain added, and then gaussian blur it.
-Experiment with gamma adjustments to give a slight 'washed out' look to it.
-Purple layers on soft light with masking adjustments at low opacity give them a very slightly 'older' or expired feel.
-Split toning style adjustments - shadows blueish on low opacity, highlights yellowish on low opacity.

etc etc.

 

[Trooper]

lots of photoshop indeed.

'Twas my fear. So there isn't any way to do this straight from the digital camera?

 

[gavinlg]

'Twas my fear. So there isn't any way to do this straight from the digital camera?

The photo you posted in the original post wasn't edited much at all - probably just a big reflector on the right side of the photographer and not much else - could easily be done straight out of camera.

The shots on the website do have a bit of adjustments on them though.

 

[GSNfan]

Alien Skin exposure 3

 

[Trooper]

Alien Skin exposure 3

Seems to go against minimal Photoshop, though.

 

[jan normandale]

"To make it clear, I have no interest in shooting film anymore. So, please don't suggest, "If you want it to look like film, shoot film"

Take a photoshop class and use photoshop on digital images you take

 

[andredossantos]

Seems to go against minimal Photoshop, though.

Not entirely. It's really easy to use. You open the photo in PS then start the alien skin plugin. Then, you simply pick from a list of "films" and it applies that look to your photo. You save and you're done.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Forget about Photoshop, which i did many moons ago. Get an Epson rangefinder camera and a Voigtlander lens and you'll get close enough.

 

[Trooper]

Forget about Photoshop, which i did many moons ago. Get an Epson rangefinder camera and a Voigtlander lens and you'll get close enough.

You might be on to something...

 

[BlackCamera~S.Smyth]

Photographer or PS technician? Is there a difference anymore. Lines seemed blurred. Wonder what HCB would say. I agree that a rangefinder camera and a Voigtlander lens etc are the best way to avoid that common sterile look of digital images. Iconic , vintage appeal is making a come back. Hell someone pass me a polaroid.

 

[Keith]

I thought Leica Tom would be in here for sure! 😀

 

[Neare]

This is something simple to do in photoshop that just requires a bit of reworking. However, you have to really know colour well to make it work. To many people fail at these methods because they take the colours to far to a point where they look stupid, being subtle is the key.

Play with curves and levels, raise the black point and lower the white point just slightly as well (you don't want any harsh details). Desaturate (-10 to -25 points is the usual amount it is done) a little before editing the colour. Start with colour balance and then fine tune in selective colour. The first rule it to always keep the skin tones natural though. Generally everything is made to look creamy ish - especially the blues.

Experiment these steps with layers, you can target certain areas of the photo rather than retouch the whole thing at once. Remember these are fashion shoots, single photos usually undergo a lot of reworking. Just keep playing until your happy, don't be afraid to take a number of steps back if you've headed in the wrong direction though!

Just keep everything soft, warm and fuzzy.

 

[Out to Lunch]

What I forgot to add...for the tweaking consinder ACDSee Pro, an inexpensive program which is intuitive, easy to use and affordable, at least the last time I downloaded the package. Cheers, Peter

 

[Trooper]

I experimented this weekend with backlighting and a gold reflector. Photoshop was limited to curves and -15 desaturation. How does this look?

Nikon D200, Nikkor 85mm f/1.8

 

[Clancycoop]

I want to give the same disclaimer you mentioned, that I really believe you can't mimic with digital how Portra renders colors. Here is how you can try though:

The only options for straight out of camera are:
Set to lowest contrast
Set to lowest saturation level (usually isn't very drastic)
Over expose a little

The EP series of cameras come with a "pale colors" type special setting as well.

I recommend photoshop though:
Lower contrast
lower saturation
raise brightness
make it a little warmer

Hope this helps.

 

[haempe]

Photographer or PS technician? Is there a difference anymore. Lines seemed blurred. Wonder what HCB would say.

Come on, also in HCBs times the most photographers have done their own darkroom work. Today it is digital PP but I don't see a essential difference...