Chosen film for portraiture and skin tone rendition. What makes a portrait glow ?

[John Bragg]

I have long been a fan of standard good old fashioned cubic grain film for portraiture. Don't get me wrong, I don't like huge golfball grain, but neither do I like solvent developer. Good honest grain properly developed in a standard developer can really shine and seems to give a portrait a certain luminosity. My favorite film in this category is HP5+. What film do you prefer for glowing skin tones and how do you develop it ? Examples please.....

Reflection by John Bragg, on Flickr

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Printing lighter does that very thing regardless of film and developer type... especially if the film is overexposed and underdeveloped slightly.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Polypan F will make the glow
Honestly, I just went through my portraits on flickr and it doesn't really matter. If exposed and developed properly and it is fine lens and light any bw film is superior. From cheap Polypan F to overpriced TMAX100 on 135 and Shanghai 100 on MF, LF.
The skin tones are seems to be wider and deeper with MF. Two weeks ago I printed 11x14 RC from TMAX400 in Yashica Mat 124G. It is my first portrait printed this large and tones this cheap MF camera gives are impressive.

I didn't print this one. It is also with TMAX400 and Mamiya TLR.



Sergey Plyshevskiy. Poet. by Kostya Fedot, on Flickr

 

[John Bragg]

Polypan F will make the glow
Honestly, I just went through my portraits on flickr and it doesn't really matter. If exposed and developed properly and it is fine lens and light any bw film is superior. From cheap Polypan F to overpriced TMAX100 on 135 and Shanghai 100 on MF, LF.
The skin tones are seems to be wider and deeper with MF. Two weeks ago I printed 11x14 RC from TMAX400 in Yashica Mat 124G. It is my first portrait printed this large and tones this cheap MF camera gives are impressive.

I didn't print this one. It is also with TMAX400 and Mamiya TLR.



Sergey Plyshevskiy. Poet. by Kostya Fedot, on Flickr

Great shot and that is what I am talking about. Yes it is down to lighting as well as film choice but there is a certain subtlety in the micro-contrast of some film, developer, and paper combinations that have it nailed. That Yashica is a great camera and ideal for available light work. Some photographers know instinctively how to use natural light. You can learn how to do it but some are naturals.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

As with so many of these threads which attempt to credit a particular film for a certain "look" it is the lighting, exposure and development that determine success.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Study... think... look... see. Practice... practice... practice. Study... think... look... see.

 

[John Bragg]

As with so many of these treads which attempt to credit a particular film for a certain "look" it is the lighting, exposure and development that determine success.

Hi Gerald, I am in agreement with you, but it is good sometimes to see how others achieve the same destination by a different route.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

In a video of the famous portraitist G. Paul Bishop, Sr. we see his studio (for many years his kitchen), his usual lighting setup and he even gives the viewer the formula for his favorite developer. He mentions several films but no specific one as being best.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Study... think... look... see. Practice... practice... practice. Study... think... look... see.

Really agree with this. You can get 'glowing' skin with any film.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Great shot and that is what I am talking about. Yes it is down to lighting as well as film choice but there is a certain subtlety in the micro-contrast of some film, developer, and paper combinations that have it nailed. That Yashica is a great camera and ideal for available light work. Some photographers know instinctively how to use natural light. You can learn how to do it but some are naturals.

Yashica is great for flash as well, because it will sync at any speed.

I read OP one more time and I think this is glowing skin example After few bottles of wine we went downstairs with our guests. I've had 4x5 Calumet and single light with dish reflector. I just made guess for exposure. And asked guests to sit and frame each over. They never seen, never used LF view camera before. With this single light it was easy and it is hard to believe but in the dark background it is load of household junk. I printed it with my daugher as assistant and it was for first time for her as well.


LF 001 by Kostya Fedot, on Flickr

Single Smith-Victor PL-10 light dish. Ilford FP4+ in XTOL 1:1. Contact print on Ilford RC MG IV De Lux paper.