Peter Lindberg Portrait Style Help

[KingDeane]

I'm trying to learn by emulating this portrait style of Peter Lindberg (see pic) and wondering if anyone can help me understand how he achieved this look.

I think the film is Tri-X (or Poss HP5?) but what else should I be doing to obtain this dark and moody kind of portrait on film?

Can anyone help a B&W film noob out here?

Thanks RF folks! 🙂

 

[PKR]

I'm trying to learn by emulating this portrait style of Peter Lindberg (see pic) and wondering if anyone can help me understand how he achieved this look.

I think the film is Tri-X (or Poss HP5?) but what else should I be doing to obtain this dark and moody kind of portrait on film?

Can anyone help a B&W film noob out here?

Thanks RF folks! 🙂

I don't know about the film. It looks like a toned print (or Agfa Portriga) and most important, I think, lit with window light. Maybe, a normal lens for the format.

Could be wrong, just a guess.

 

[aizan]

I searched for "peter lindbergh" "contact sheet" and got this:

https://www.photogpedia.com/peter-l...photography/#Peter_Lindbergh’s_Contact_Sheets

You can barely make out that he has shot with Kodak PX (Plus-X) and TX (Tri-X) and 160NC.

I'd generally agree that it's all in the printing. Toned, dark shadows, dodged and burned. The white edge looks like a reflection off a curved page, but not sure. Start with a good, standard negative.

 

[KingDeane]

Thanks for this aizan. You're 100% correct about the reflection off the curved page - I shot the page from a Lindberg book on my phone to make a note for a mood board I'm constructing around this theme.

Thanks also for the direction on this coming up in the printing stage, this is incredibly helpful, and something of a relief - I couldn't understand how he'd get a negative to look like this - but printing it this way makes a lot more sense now. If this is something that happens in a darkroom I can brush up on my DR technique -> so long as I have a decent neg as you've spec'd.

Thanks all for you quick responses - this has been really helpful.

Best

 

[KingDeane]

Thanks PKR

 

[retinax]

I see nothing extraordinary in terms of photo technique. It's about the model, the photographer's interaction with her and the make-up.

 

[DominikDUK]

Lindbergh used Kodak PX125 pulled to ISO50 as well as Tri-X and sometimes Polaroid B/W Slide Film.

The first was stated in an interview he gave. Lindbergh preferred HMI and Tungsten lighting to Strobes. A lot changed when whe went digital unfortunately not for the best.

This Portrait owes a lot to the makeup he might have used Natural daylight and some sort of diffuser. See the making off Lindberghs Pirelli calendar on youtube.

 

[KingDeane]

Thanks DominikDUK, I'll definitely check it out. I'm slowly working my way through a Peter Lindberg" search on YT.

From what the forum is saying, this be as simple as a slower speed film (e.g. FP4 pulled to 80) coupled with a low / diffused light source, shot wide open, probs f2.8, or f4?

Also, in developing I think I need to give it a good shake to try to encourage the grain.

This sound about right?

 

[KingDeane]

I see nothing extraordinary in terms of photo technique. It's about the model, the photographer's interaction with her and the make-up.

Thanks, I agree. From what I've seen the models loved him, seems like he was able to really get the best tout of them.

 

[Dante_Stella]

Plus-X, drugs, and hypnotism.

Dante

 

[KingDeane]

LOL! 😱 🙂

 

[Nokton48]

Plus-X, drugs, and hypnotism.

Dante

LOL And wide angle/normal lens up close. And something to me that looks like maybe a big wide horizontal "scoop" light? Look at the horizontal band along the top of the iris. Some type of beauty hot light?

Amazing makeup and model attitude. I like it

 

[znapper]

Based on the skin-tones and lip-tones, I'd say he shot that with a green-filter or a light blue-filter.
- But, they may have put green lipstick on the model for all we know.

I think it is shot in open shade, backlit/glare.
(look at the reflection in her eyes, this is natural light, outdoors with some open/bright area in front of the model, while she is in the shade.

Printed and toned brown.

Because we are looking at at print, we really have no idea what type of film he used here.
But, I would either go with a slower film with a bit higher contrast, push it 0.5 stop and use a green/light blue filter, or.....use a monochromatic film, like Rollei Ortho and overexpose/pull development, to get a lower contrast result and better shadow-detail in the red/dark areas.(because that film is very contrasty)

For the rest, we have scan and lightroom/photoshop I guess.

 

[Dogman]

It depends on the point in Lindbergh's career he made this particular photo. He shot a lot of Tri-X as well as other B&W film, from what I've read. But he later switched to digital and had his pictures printed to the same look he liked. The fact is any film could have produced this look. Or digital process. The photographer and the model and the light are what created the look. Lindbergh was a master of getting the best from all those factors.