Jeff Bridges Comedy/Tragedy Widelux Photos

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gdi

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I know everyone is familiar with these, but does anyone know how he accomplishes these shots? I assume he uses a slow shutter speed and quickly shifts the camera to one side to reframe the same subject again. Sounds simple, but I have not been successful in my attempts.

Anyone tried this?
 
He uses the slow shutter speed and has the subject move laterally during a single shot. I saw his explanation a few years back on his Widelux website. I have a Widelux but have yet to try something like this!
 
Looks like a twist on the old panoramic photo trick, with the same person appearing on both sides of the large group photo.
IIRC we had one like this of my grandfather, taken 75 years ago or more, probably at a Cities Service Oil Company picnic etc.

Chris
 
gdi said:
I know everyone is familiar with these, but does anyone know how he accomplishes these shots? I assume he uses a slow shutter speed and quickly shifts the camera to one side to reframe the same subject again. Sounds simple, but I have not been successful in my attempts.

Anyone tried this?
Click to expand...

I think you are right as the background stays the same. He has to time the swing for exposure to but it seems doable. Tripod with pano head might help.
 
He actually handholds the camera and only the subject(s) move. Because the lens rotates within the camera giving a wide field, there is no need to swing the camera. Both locations will be in the field of view, which is larger than an Xpan produces.

Also, because exposure is sequential in vertical strips of film, exposure time remains constant at each point and the image remains sharp despite the rotation of the lens. So handholding is the norm and no tripod is required for sharp images.

Only the subject has to move quickly, faster than the lens rotates! You can try this by having your subject sit in one chair or on a bench, then move over when you say go, right after pressing the shutter. You will have your subject show up twice in the image. Identical twins if the subject doesn't put on a mask when he or she changes position!
 
My father used to tell me stories of his school photos... they would have teachers standing behind the rows of seats to make sure boys on one end didn't peel off, and run around the back, trying to get on both ends of the image.
 
The subject stays in the same location, he just changes the direction the camera is pointing at slightly at midpoint of the exposure.
 
brbo said:
The subject stays in the same location, he just changes the direction the camera is pointing at slightly at midpoint of the exposure.
Click to expand...

I think this is the case because the background is the same except for slight parallax shift. He must just be very good at shifting the camera because he only distorts a small and consistent band that is usually pleasantly placed in the middle. That would take practice to get the timing and framing right.

I have taken some slightly interesting/weird verticals of a person spinning slowly during exposure Doisneau-like.
 
Indeed cool guy ...
med_U6650I1411863638.SEQ.2.jpg
 
gdi said:
I think this is the case because the background is the same except for slight parallax shift. He must just be very good at shifting the camera because he only distorts a small and consistent band that is usually pleasantly placed in the middle. That would take practice to get the timing and framing right.

I have taken some slightly interesting/weird verticals of a person spinning slowly during exposure Doisneau-like.
Click to expand...

According to his Widelux tips it takes about 2.5 sec for the lens to travel at the slow speed (1/15) which is actually pretty long. You can sometimes see the ghost of the subject in the blurred section in the center.

Here are some examples:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Tragoedia/Comoedia+jeff+bridges&tbm=isch
 
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