How can I emulate Edgar de Evia in-camera?

[L_E_Miller]

Recently was clued into Edgar de Evia who did some really interesting atypical photography with a super dream-like vibe.

This one photo struck me in particular: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhinelander_Mansion_de_Evia_Dining_Room.JPG

Is this just a lot of vasoline? I have a pro-mist filter but I don't get anything close to this

 

[Helge]

Literally smoke and mirrors, I suspect.
https://chrisduesing.com/artists/edgar-de-evia

 

[L_E_Miller]

Literally smoke and mirrors, I suspect.
https://chrisduesing.com/artists/edgar-de-evia

"Tissot" effect, huh? Too bad that just brings back the watch brand on google

I can definitely see how a mirror could be in play here

 

[gone]

Thanks for pointing him out. Here's a little read on him below, and looking at some of the pics, it appears that he worked in various styles of photography. It's amazing that he was once paid $4,000 to photograph a Jell-O ad many years ago, which must set some sort of Jell-O record. Interesting guy. I looked at some other articles on him and couldn't find out how he was getting those washed out scenes. Not all of them appeared to be as light as that interior shot.

https://worldofwonder.net/bornthisday-photographer-edgar-de-evia/

 

[Huss]

Literally smoke and mirrors, I suspect.
https://chrisduesing.com/artists/edgar-de-evia

It does look like he took the pic reflected in a large mirror. If that mirror was dusty, and if there was smoke, then you'd get this image.

 

[L_E_Miller]

Thanks for pointing him out. Here's a little read on him below, and looking at some of the pics, it appears that he worked in various styles of photography. It's amazing that he was once paid $4,000 to photograph a Jell-O ad many years ago, which must set some sort of Jell-O record. Interesting guy. I looked at some other articles on him and couldn't find out how he was getting those washed out scenes. Not all of them appeared to be as light as that interior shot.

https://worldofwonder.net/bornthisday-photographer-edgar-de-evia/

Jello was a huge deal back then! Aspics were a huge culinary trend

 

[Don_ih]

This one photo struck me in particular: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhinelander_Mansion_de_Evia_Dining_Room.JPG

Shoot through a sheet of plastic (the kind used for vapour barrier).

 

[Helge]

It does look like he took the pic reflected in a large mirror. If that mirror was dusty, and if there was smoke, then you'd get this image.

There’s definitely some l kind of smoke in the air. Look at the shaft of light through the doorway.
Some kind of diffusion was also probably used.

The guys from the f/64 fraternity would have hated this.

A connected photographer who is equally interesting is Melvin Sokolsky.

 

[L_E_Miller]

He was featured in Popular Photography's 1957 color photography issue so I ordered that off eBay maybe I'll get some more inspiration

 

[Sirius Glass]

Finger the lens and do not clean it for a long while.

 

[Pieter12]

It's amazing that he was once paid $4,000 to photograph a Jell-O ad many years ago, which must set some sort of Jell-O record.

Advertising photographers regularly get very well-paid for national ads. Today, $4,000 is peanuts for a class-A photographer, many wouldn't get out of bed for that. I haven't seen the photo, but it could have involved more than just Jell-O, possibly models and sets. I don't know if the $4,000 figure quoted was his fee or the whole shoot.

 

[JNP]

Recently was clued into Edgar de Evia who did some really interesting atypical photography with a super dream-like vibe.

This one photo struck me in particular: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhinelander_Mansion_de_Evia_Dining_Room.JPG

Is this just a lot of vasoline? I have a pro-mist filter but I don't get anything close to this

Try this https://www.freelists.org/post/pure-silver/William-Mortensens-Glycin-Developer
Place your highlight in "zone v" it takes 2 hours to develop the film.

it also has that ortho-window-light-magical-quality, maybe it's ortho film which you can still get from Ilford as 35mm film. If you can get your hands on something like a ARGUS BRICK or similar time period camera the lens might help give you the look too.

 

[Don_ih]

This one photo struck me in particular: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhinelander_Mansion_de_Evia_Dining_Room.JPG

ortho-window-light-magical-quality

Isn't it a colour photo?

 

[JNP]

Isn't it a colour photo?

Dangit, even when I mouse clicked to make it big it looks black and white to me, if it's color @L_E_Miller ignore everything I said except the bit about the camera, the old uncoated lens might be useful.

 

[cliveh]

Is it not just using something like this:-

https://www.davidkennardphotography.com/blog/1008-pictrol-pictorial-control-soft-focus-device.xhtml

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

As the amount of 'fog' increases with distance I'd wager it's real fog.

Another give-away is the structure of the light streaming through the window in the upper right of the image. If a soft-focus device was employed the result would be a general directionless 'glow' around the window.

You can rent a fog machine from a theatrical supply house.

I suppose the diners could have been smoking cigars before they left the table. In the old days (and not that old) German cigar smoking could be prodigious.

 

[L_E_Miller]

Is it not just using something like this:-

https://www.davidkennardphotography.com/blog/1008-pictrol-pictorial-control-soft-focus-device.xhtml

Hey that's interesting