Thanks for posting this. A really fantastic profile on Testino.
Where did you see the 1/30 info? I'm only half through the documentary, and saving the rest for later, but...
• I never got sharp results from the Pentax 67. Not sure why. Others can do 1/30, and i couldn't. Maybe i have Avian Bone Syndrome — hollow bones? Not enough structure and stability? Either way, 1/30 should not be a prescription for 'sharpness.' He shoots a large volume of film, so it's easier to choose the few acceptably sharp shots from a session. And, sometimes he 'engineers' the blur and softness, for a lively/action feel. Like he was doing with Sigourney Weaver, indoors, at the window/door. He was in motion, as was she, and the result was soft and blurred. A lot of his published, famous shots are not critically sharp. But, there's 'feel' and life in that. Sometimes. I'm sure there are thousands of similar shots that were discarded because they didn't work and looked like accidents.
• He doesn't always shoot handheld. Lots of video of him shooting on very heavy tripods. So, we can't look at individual images and assume his style is typically accomplished handheld. Plus, lots with flash, or with high-output HMI... Blazing Rio sun, etc....
But, whatever — great video so far. It presents him and the work in an even better 'light' than i've ever seen before, and i've been a fan since the 80s.
Funny, kind of, how they were basically trashing his early work, but to me it all looked pretty fantastic, polished, and professional. Not the style into which he evolved, but good nevertheless.
Funny, also, to see him flying in a jacket and french cuffs. A beautiful thing, in contrast to how the rest of the world seems to have devolved into shorts and flip-flops. I wish elegance would return, but i know it cannot.
