Marc Lagrange

[Rust]

Hi, recently i came over photographer Marc Lagrange.
I was especially intrigued by his black and white pictures like:

http://www.lagrange.be/studio-portraits/blackorchid/

http://www.lagrange.be/studio-portraits/ingrid-p/

http://www.lagrange.be/studio-portraits/valerie-flower/

http://www.lagrange.be/studio-portraits/sonja-p/

I am interested i creating this kind of tonality and look in bw pictures. They are all high contrast with warm tone.
As for the blur, maybe i can apply a combination of lens and small amounts of motion blur+ noise selectively??
I also see some kind of paper texture overlay that also contribute to the overall effect But further i have problem analyzing all the elements and how to re-create them.
Any thoughts on the process?

[Pics2]

Re: Marc Lagrange

These are probably large format photography (wet plate collodion process). The texture you see is probably actual print surface that was copied for digital output.
Something like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmDkVBiBuVg
If not, it's exceptionally good digital manipulation.

[Rust]

Re: Marc Lagrange

Thanks for the reply Pics2
I also thought it could be large format-8x10, tilt shift. But If you were going to mimic the look in photoshop. What would be the best way?? As i mentioned, for blur i would use different kind of blur (motion/lens) in combination with amounts of noise that i would use free transform on to get it more irregular.
But this type of BW tonality? , how can you achieve , or come close to that?

[3bigmamas]

Re: Marc Lagrange

We got the same agent...
Ok first things first:
TONS of preprod, nothing left like... "ok we gonna see on the shoot"
mostly analog
large format
amazing models, wicked team (locations / stylism / make up)
even at his home studio in Belgium

.. really
analog

he got a new exhib in antwerp right now, really worth it... as well as his books

[skoobey]

Re: Marc Lagrange

You need a great lens, preferably tilt shift.

Then, in post apply contrast selectively, but one global thing I see is that both white and black point in curves are taken down.

[Rust]

Re: Marc Lagrange

We got the same agent...
Ok first things first:
TONS of preprod, nothing left like... "ok we gonna see on the shoot"
mostly analog
large format
amazing models, wicked team (locations / stylism / make up)
even at his home studio in Belgium

.. really
analog

he got a new exhib in antwerp right now, really worth it... as well as his books

Thanks for the reply. It`s sad if it`s no way to recreate large format look digitally. I think it`s hard to believe with so many incredible skilled retouchers around. One of the parts i think is difficult to recreate realistic is the tilt-shift effect. I found out that lens blur in combination with motion blur+ grain is by far the best way to me, to apply realistic blur.
I also tried creating depth maps for:
http://phlearn.com/create-a-shallow-...d-in-photoshop

But i find it hard to apply the blur in the rights areas so it looks real.

[insmac]

Re: Marc Lagrange

Depending on whether you're retouching your own shots or it's the client who wants the certain look... but in case of the former I don't see the point to fake the look 1:1 simply because it's not entirely possible.

To clarify my thoughts: yes, some of the shots might be replicated in daylight studios with a combination of dark background cloth, kinoflo bank / window light, long exposure, tilt-shift lens but then again you won't have that tonal range and imperfections of a negative, also I have a few friends who shot mainly large format even for magazine work and there is a certain drill whilst doing so, you work slowly, choose your frames carefully and so on, which has a huge impact on model poses, framing etc.

You might take a few core principles and alter them to suit your needs, but as with everything unique, the final effect is really a combination of ingredients which together create the whole.