Tips for making photography look more vintage??

landsknechte

landsknechte

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One of my other big hobbies is WW2 reenacting, and one of my quests is to try to make the photography that I do in conjunction with that look as appropriately 1930's-1940's vintage as possible. Think W. Eugene Smith and Robert Capa.

So far, I'm doing the following:
1. Trying to use films, such as Fomapan 200, that have an older style emulsion.
2. Hyperfocal focusing as much as possible.
3. Shooting with vintage uncoated lenses.

I've come across a few references that mention using a blue filter to replicate the color response of ortho film, but haven't tried it yet. Are there any other tips that anyone is aware of that I ought to be trying? Are there any other films that I should be experimenting with?

--Chris
 
You'll get better luck with Foma 100 rather than 200 as, IIUC, it's a T-grain style of film like T-Max or Delta. Pretty much the opposite of what you're looking for :eek: Efke 50 or 25 is even more likely to have the look you desire. Use one of the old classic developers like D-76.

Your other two techniques should work quite well, especially uncoated lenses.

Good luck!

William
 
get a speed graphic. use a yellow filter. print on single weight glossy fiber paper & ferrotype the prints. Find an old typewriter for writing the captions and cut them out and paste them on the back of the prints.
 
If you want an ortho look, why not use an ortho film. ADOX Ortho 25 developed in Rodinal 1+50 (5-6 mins) ought to give you just the look you're, erm, looking for (it might still be sold under the Efke brand where you are).
 
I found out that sending B&W film for automated developing at a lab that I would hesitate calling a custom lab, gave me very vintage looking images. They used TMAX developer with any B&W film. Try it out.

Raid
 
wlewisiii said:
You'll get better luck with Foma 100 rather than 200 as, IIUC, it's a T-grain style of film like T-Max or Delta. Pretty much the opposite of what you're looking for :eek: Efke 50 or 25 is even more likely to have the look you desire. Use one of the old classic developers like D-76.
Click to expand...
I thought it was the other way around (Foma 100 vs. Foma 200), but I'm not sure.

Pablito said:
get a speed graphic. use a yellow filter. print on single weight glossy fiber paper & ferrotype the prints. Find an old typewriter for writing the captions and cut them out and paste them on the back of the prints.
Click to expand...
Already got the captions taken care of, I've got a reproduction of the form linked to below as a PDF, and my great-aunt's old Corona typewriter.

http://www.ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/query/1?uf=uia_uHYcIo

The Speed Graphic is on the shopping list, but I'll be running with 35mm for the forseeable future. WW2 vintage US Army Speed Graphics tend to cost about triple what a civilian equivalent goes for.

charjohncarter said:
You might try to emulate George Hurrell. I tried and no go. Here is a website that will show his portraits. http://www.hurrellphotos.com/default.asp?id=4&param=Photographer&data=George%20Hurrell&sort=Subject&ResultsPerPage=10&pagenum=1

When you can do a 'Dorthy Lamour' on page three you will be there.
Click to expand...
I'm aiming for this look, more than the studio look:

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/smith/smith_canteen_full.html
 
charjohncarter said:
You might try to emulate George Hurrell. I tried and no go. Here is a website that will show his portraits. http://www.hurrellphotos.com/default.asp?id=4&param=Photographer&data=George%20Hurrell&sort=Subject&ResultsPerPage=10&pagenum=1


When you can do a 'Dorthy Lamour' on page three you will be there.
Click to expand...

I doubt he wants to carry around an 8 x 10 camera

Something a little easier to find, Polaroid Land Cameras like a Model 250

and Polaroid film has a very old looking emulsion

but with 35mm

maybe find an uncoated lens and possible using Foma or maybe Kodak XX
 
I'm not very computer competent, but I have always wondered why: With 100, 200 1000 different FONTS on a Word Processor don't they have 'old typewriters.' If anyone has seen this, let me know. I loved that typewriter site you posted.

Carter
 
IGManwell, 8X10 is a little hard to work with BUT............ if you want vintage image,you have to make some concessions. The shopping list for a Speed Graphic is a good start.

landknectch, I read that a 'blue filter' is great for taking away skin blemishes, maybe Kodak did this with their C-41 400CN. But I would still try a blue filter.
 
I took this yesterday on Polaroid Type 56 4x5 film; if you get the Speed Graphic you might do well to pick up some of this stock. I think this particular batch has seen a bit more heat than is good for it, as it's gone rather yellow (it's often more brown). I also used a Wollensak Verito lens, which is too big to fit in a Speed Graphic lensboard; its variable soft focus effect creates a nice vintage look.

 
I know what he is saying ... look he wants

Something like this?

SmithEugeneSaipan.jpg


I have always wondered how one can get the look of old Kodachrome

with today's film or even digital; that muted but saturated look
 
Pete, you nailed it! That's exactly what I'm aiming for.

FWIW, here's the stuff that I took at the last event I was at (my first real attempt):

http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa4/leicanthrope/FHL-May07/

One gallery was taken with an easily concealable digital camera, converted to black and white in post processing. The other was taken with a Leica IIIc with an uncoated 1937 Elmar 50/3.5. I had only just received the IIIc a couple of days before the event, and the digital came along as "insurance". I've since picked up a couple more appropriate vintage 35mm cameras that I can choose from as back up cameras.

I would love to have a Speed Graphic, even if I reserved it for the "living history" side of things instead of bringing it out in the field. There were plenty of 35mm and 120 cameras in use by U.S. Army Signal Corps photographers, but the official issue camera was an olive drab 4x5 Speed Graphic.

01.jpg
 
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I can understand wanting to wait. My Speed is an US Navy Anniversary model from WWII courtesy of Brian Sweeney. My hope is to, eventually, completely restore it to it's origional state.

In the meantime I've got a hacked up crown to play with ;)

re: Fomapan. I was pretty sure that 200 was T-grain but what I find online is that it's more like Acros than T-Max. Still more modern than the emulsion on the 100 film so even though I'm not quite right, I think you'll still have better luck with the 100 film. I like it, though, so I may be a bit biased :D

William
 
I know that W. Eugene Smith used a 4x5 speed graphic, Contax rangefinder, Ikoflex or rolleiflex

but film wise I know most was a slow Kodak Plus-X or XX
 
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