What is this Photographic Technique Called?

Donamai · #1 05-25-2009, 07:36 PM

Hi, I found these images just a few days ago. I think Most of them were shot by Annie Leibovitz.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 7

I'm curious as if the photographer herself created the look or if it was already created before. Somewhere online it said the photographer created the look for the Vanity Fair Magazine.

Questions:

What would the technique be called?
Would it "Selective Bleach Bypass" smoother version of Bleach bypass as I have read online?

Are there techniques already discussed about in thes forum?

All info on this technique is an amazing source.

I'm mostly interested in Bleach Bypass for now but they all got my attention because in some of the images there is a lot of contrast yet the color still burned and in muted fullness.

Most of the images have the "movie-film look" I'm trying to master without plugins. Except for the lack of (noise) grain and selective degradation of color.

Sweetlight · #2 05-25-2009, 07:48 PM

Hi Don,

First you must know that Liebowitz is an amazing talent and I would almost have to say that the majority of the "movie like" technique is due to a fantastic lighting talent. She has always had the ability to light things in a way that makes you scratch your head. She uses a lot of direct lighting on seperate subjects adding 1/2 stops less or more to each one so some appear to glow. When I knew her best there was no digital but she was not making her own prints they were hired out under close supervision. I don't know now the process being used for her prints and the ones you showed look a little different from each other. I am gonna look and find out for you if I can.

c

Flashtones · #3 05-25-2009, 08:05 PM

It's just lighting and/or dodging and burning.

Photographers and artists have long known that the eye is draw to the lighter parts if the image, so by whatever means necessary one uses light to draw the eye to the important points of the shot, which in portraiture is typically the face and eyes.

For me, asking for a "film" look means nothing. I'm a photographer, I've shot a lot of film, I look at a lot of photographers websites; for the most part, aside from the occasional film grain vs digital noise, you really can't tell film from digital apart.

However, if one uses the term "cinematic", it evokes the strong foreground vs background lighting that was the mainstay of Hollywood for decades (until fast films released cinematographers from having to pour large, direct lights onto slow films).

Watch some old films on Turner Classic, you'll see lot of dramatic, cinematic lighting.

And all these filmmakers and photographers are merely trying to replicate the work of the great dutch master painters.

Donamai · #4 05-25-2009, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Photographers and artists have long known that the eye is draw to the lighter parts if the image, so by whatever means necessary one uses light to draw the eye to the important points of the shot, which in portraiture is typically the face and eyes.

I always say that in to adjust images you have to have a good knowledge of how light works most of all and where you want to emphasize your important or interesting parts.

Quote:

And all these filmmakers and photographers are merely trying to replicate the work of the great dutch master painters.

Well said. In my art history class, the teacher keeps saying that some of the filmmakers have tried, tried and still try to discover the way light was used or replicated by some our greatest painters. Of course some of the Photographers in my class can't distinguish between use of light and how to "manipulate" it to accomplish the message desired. I'm not a photographer so but I don't count me out.

Photo 1

Photo 2

robvanberkel · #5 05-26-2009, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flashtones

It's just lighting and/or dodging and burning.
And all these filmmakers and photographers are merely trying to replicate the work of the great dutch master painters.

that's very true as far as I'm concerned... check this image, called "a little Chiaroscuro" - where I try to mimic the Chiaroscuro-effect the old masters like Rembrandt and Caravaggio used:

PHOTO 1

No dodging and burning was done here - apart from a tinytiny bit of cross-processing to add tonality the image is straight - the (natural) light from a window was modelled with dark curtains and clothes to have it lit the scene exactly as I wanted. Vaseline on the lens did the blur-effect.

cheers,
Rob

Quantum3Studio · #6 05-26-2009, 07:47 AM

The images in color are just pictures with almost nothing of satration and distorted color balance. Te setting in camera is WB Cloudy (to achieved a little yellow along the shot), saturation = 0 or which is less and lot of contrast and brightness. A Nikon D700 is great for this. If shoting in BW, lot of sharpeness will give the feel, and after the shot, ading more contrast will make the deal. They also can be achieved by using the channel mixer with low opacities, like 25% in color mode and also selective color, in color mode blend. These ones can be together as well...

Check my photos as examples (btw, I always use ambient light, no money for flashes yet. nor I don't have enough room):

Renaissance-Like: http://mart1980.deviantart.com/art/D...tait-121395091

Cinemascope-Like: http://mart1980.deviantart.com/art/F...rame-121201664

Sick Contrast: http://mart1980.deviantart.com/art/H...Love-118686616

FLash Light Nude Essay: http://mart1980.deviantart.com/art/Let-me-go-96256671

There are more in my gallery if you like.

Sincerely, I cannot draw a map of what I have done inthese pictures since I take diferent ways with each photo but most of the job is done in Lightroom, or anyother raw wditor, then in PS, adjusting just a few things, but the deal is in the Raw Editor

lurch · #7 05-26-2009, 09:45 AM

Um, Quantum - the photos in your links all show up blank . . .

Quantum3Studio · #8 05-26-2009, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurch

Um, Quantum - the photos in your links all show up blank . . .

I cannot understand why they show up blank... I click on the links and I can see them... This is weird... Any suggestion?

domididom · #9 05-26-2009, 11:01 AM

WOW!!
http://mart1980.deviantart.com/art/F...rame-121201664
How did you get that game animation/movie feel in this photo?

mcntsh · #10 05-26-2009, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quantum3Studio

I cannot understand why they show up blank... I click on the links and I can see them... This is weird... Any suggestion?

On a Mac, Safari 3.2.1 isn't rendering the picture. Firefox 3.0.1 does

Quantum3Studio · #11 05-26-2009, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcntsh

On a Mac, Safari 3.2.1 isn't rendering the picture. Firefox 3.0.1 does

That's even weirder! Why Safari doesn't render the picture? I have Safari, don't know the version but I have seen it doesn't render all my pictures in my gallery...

Quantum3Studio · #12 05-26-2009, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by domididom

WOW!!
http://mart1980.deviantart.com/art/F...rame-121201664
How did you get that game animation/movie feel in this photo?

I certainly don't know the steps but, after enhacing the pic in lightroom, in PS the thing is playing with curves by channel, selective colors and channel mixer. All those adjustment layers in color mode and in that order. The sharpeness is given by the lens, a prime lens of 50mm and also enhanced by using an unsharp mask. Ah! And a layer (below the adjustment layers) in multiply and I think another one but above in screen. Surely, some masking in those layers must be. Try with that, it's quite funny.

Mart

domididom · #13 05-27-2009, 06:43 AM

Ok, Thanks

richardnyc · #14 05-27-2009, 08:30 PM

Its a strobe outside... You can't really duplicate that in PS. There is a main source and a shadow that comes from that source.. you would have to dodge the subject but also make shadows that emulate light falling... There are some videos of her shooting online if you goolge them. you can see her light set ups

>

crex · #15 05-30-2009, 11:41 PM

I love this thread

Donamai · #16 05-31-2009, 12:43 PM

Thank you Crex.

Those pictures are astonish.

Nasturtium · #17 04-27-2010, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crex

I love this thread

me too. She doesn't show EXIF data. Anybody want to guess as to camera and lens that could be used to get this perspective and dreamy detail?

ezprod · #18 04-28-2010, 11:15 AM

If I remember correctly she has always used Hasselblad and I am guessing she is now primarily shooting H3D50.

freds_ · #19 05-26-2010, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flashtones

It's just lighting and/or dodging and burning.

Photographers and artists have long known that the eye is draw to the lighter parts if the image, so by whatever means necessary one uses light to draw the eye to the important points of the shot, which in portraiture is typically the face and eyes.

For me, asking for a "film" look means nothing. I'm a photographer, I've shot a lot of film, I look at a lot of photographers websites; for the most part, aside from the occasional film grain vs digital noise, you really can't tell film from digital apart.

However, if one uses the term "cinematic", it evokes the strong foreground vs background lighting that was the mainstay of Hollywood for decades (until fast films released cinematographers from having to pour large, direct lights onto slow films).

Watch some old films on Turner Classic, you'll see lot of dramatic, cinematic lighting.

And all these filmmakers and photographers are merely trying to replicate the work of the great dutch master painters.

SPOT ON!! Annie studied art at the art institute of San-Francisco in 1967 before she decided to take on photography. I think it is obvious that she has taken a great deal of inspiration from the great master painters, it just took someone to point it out – Flashtones, thanks!

freds_ · #20 05-26-2010, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezprod

If I remember correctly she has always used Hasselblad and I am guessing she is now primarily shooting H3D50.

she uses predominantly a Minolta SR-T 101 when shooting medium format, she does use a Hasselblad H yes, along with a Canon MK III - all digital (with digital backs on the medium formats). She uses a leica for her day to day 'documenting' however she used to use Nikon gear when she started out for rolling stone.

Nasturtium - Dont think though that you can go out and buy a medium format and you'll be getting images like hers however. Medium format is a complete different ball game - 35mm hides allot of the detail and lets you get away with being murder compared to the larger formats which pick up EVERYTHING!! the two are chalk and cheese..

I have mad respect for Anne Leibovitz - i will probably be shot for saying this but i think she is where she is today predominantly on luck. she's one of these people who was just in the right place at the right time. Dont get me wrong - im not saying she isnt talented but she's just had opportunities that no other photographer will ever get.
She broke into the industry when people (celebs) were carefree and didnt give a shit about their 'public image'.. I mean - could you imagine Amy Winehouse allowing her tour photographer to snap a shot whilst shes passed out head first on the floor in a hotel room floor??!! i guess we have the pap for this..
It also wasn't all bad that she was breaking into the industry, photography as a medium of reportage was taking off and becoming prominent over simply having a text article. She grew with a changing industry - and bloody hell she did well!

i love her work - and would give anything to spend a day in 'the box' with Pascal Dangin to figure out how her shots are edited..

anyway - until then...

Nasturtium · #21 05-26-2010, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freds_

I have mad respect for Anne Leibovitz - i will probably be shot for saying this but i think she is where she is today predominantly on luck. she's one of these people who was just in the right place at the right time. Dont get me wrong - im not saying she isnt talented but she's just had opportunities that no other photographer will ever get.

Martikson doesn't remind me of anything like Liebovitz. I'm sorry but I don't get the connection.

Thanks for the advice Freds. I'm lucky enough to be able to play with DH's SLR. I'm working my way through the various lenses. I'm truly shocked how different the world looks through the viewfinder with each one.

freds_ · #22 05-27-2010, 03:50 AM

* "away with ~~being~~ murder" - Sorry typo

Martikson - This is not Annie's work. However i do see the connection to Annie's inspiration taken from the master painters use of light which is what this photographer is trying to recreate, photographs that look like paintings..

What sets Annie apart is that she manages to keep her photos - photos, if you get what i mean.. They're surreal but 'digitally' surreal with lighting thats very similar to that of a painters lighting. she's merged modern photography techniques with vintage principals.

Some of the photos are very beautiful though - have a scroll through their page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07

i'd be interested to know how some of the editing here was done to give a vintage/painted feel, namely:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07/4583405193/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07/4311539030/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07/4276628668/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07/4541431528/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07/4229366574/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07/4031311583/

i think u get the point.. what are the colour adjustments made - anyone?
thanks

Nasturtium · #23 05-27-2010, 04:55 AM

How did I miss this one;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07/4311539030/

I guess I was mesmerized by this one;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07/4390102245/

which is why I asked what lens...the foreground has very little distortion

How's your Polish?

http://plfoto.com/159006/autor.html

fwiw I got this effect with color correction by the numbers, that Hasselblad action on the adobe site and a color balance layer

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/mem...eselfie53k.jpg

creativeretouch · #24 05-27-2010, 06:22 AM

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@N07/4311539030/

This image reminds me work of czech photographer Jan Saudek.

http://www.saudek.com

crex · #25 01-05-2011, 06:28 PM

I love it

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/mem...eselfie53k.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by nasturtium

how did i miss this one;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@n07/4311539030/

i guess i was mesmerized by this one;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9382058@n07/4390102245/

which is why i asked what lens...the foreground has very little distortion

how's your polish? :d

http://plfoto.com/159006/autor.html

fwiw i got this effect with color correction by the numbers, that hasselblad action on the adobe site and a color balance layer

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/mem...eselfie53k.jpg

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