Trying to describe the "vintage look" reminds me of the story of the Supreme Court justice who was asked to define "pornography." He famously replied,"I can't tell you exactly what it is, but I sure know it when I see it." Certainly vintage props like a cloche or fedora hat, a chemise, a long string of pearls, a double-breasted suit with a vest, antique furniture and furnishings, classic poses, dark lipstick, Hollywood lighting etc. can all contribute to the vintage look of an image. So can adding effects in post production including sepia tones, visible grain, darkened corners (vignetting) and distressing the image to give the look of an old print that's been stored for decades in a shoebox. However what we're talking about here is the "vintage look" captured or imparted by the lens itself. In such images the lens renders people, objects, and scenery with a rounded, natural, 3-dimensional feeling that seems to make the subjects "live" in the space they occupy--they called this "plasticity" or "luminosity" back in the day. Vintage look images also have smooth tonal gradation, pleasing bokeh where any out-of-focus objects in the foreground and background of the main subjects retain their original shapes. Vintage look images can be soft and dreamy, but they can also be exquisitely sharp. Indeed, vintage look images often combine exceptional detail with relatively low contrast, especially if they've been shot with uncoated lenses. Yes, all these descriptions and impressions are inherently subjective, but that's the beauty of describing what you see and expressing your reactions rather than taking the analytical approach which results in MTF graphs and resolution readouts that are commendably accurate but totally devoid of emotion.
Uncoated Shadow Detail by Steve, on Flickr
