How do you think moriyama underexposed so well?

using point and shoots like the ricoh gr1s. only caps out at 3200 iso. some of his work seems to be higher iso with no data in the shadows at all. how does one acheive this look using point and shoot cameras?

provoke1968 said:

using point and shoots like the ricoh gr1s. only caps out at 3200 iso. some of his work seems to be higher iso with no data in the shadows at all. how does one acheive this look using point and shoot cameras?

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I see - you want this look right? :


(c) Daido Moriyama
Let me ask : Are you shooting film (I don't know your Ricoh)

with regards

In general : To imitate a photograhers special look is absolute allowed! Later you may find your own look - ALL photograpers did it!
You perhaps should find out wich films Moriyama used! It was within the 70s!
If you have no information you better use a film from that period Moriyama did use bw film!
So don't come up with D3200! I would begin with HP5 (good push performance)!
Do you know how to underexposure (many do but are not knowing....) it is real easy :
Regarding your correct messurment you may use a stop 5 - 6 times below (5 stops slower)!

This pic above looks like !

Next is to push the film up to a point grain is massive! Some who came along next would advice you to use Rodinal (they identify grain and decide : best for Rodinal) that may be OK - but is it all time such easy? (grainy look -> Rodinal) ?

Be sure Moriyama was not such an easy guy! I would start with total normal developer!

with regards

PS : If you compensate underdexposure via pushing HP5 you would get enough grain form my point!

What I perhaps would start with is Xtol! Look at the sharpness of that you would like to imitate!
Hp5 is "relative neutral" from sharpness (there are better films for high resolution out there)
But Xtol would indeed outperform a sharp grain! An other hint is Neofin blue!
But it is on you - you can use each normal developer - but pls. NO RODINAL!

provoke1968 said:

how does one acheive this look using point and shoot cameras?

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It's all in the darkroom / post processing.

He did a lot of darkroom work with film back in the day. Cropping to emphasise grain, burning to block out the shadows etc
You can replicate it quite easily in Lightroom or similar on films scans or digital files.

provoke1968 said:

using point and shoots like the ricoh gr1s. only caps out at 3200 iso. some of his work seems to be higher iso with no data in the shadows at all. how does one acheive this look using point and shoot cameras?

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Hi provoke1968
my uneducated guess is depress the shutter button 1/2 way to lock in a meter reading in whatever area was wanted to be "middle grey", and then the image was recomposed. ALSO it isn't hard to fool the iso code on a 35mm cartridge so a roll of something that is 125 or 200 or 400's boxes are manipulated to look like a higher ISO so the camera is "fooled" into thinking it has a faster film loaded in it. ( and if it is possible .. forced/fill flash )

Have fun !
John

I forgetting to state : do you notice the deep of field sharpness from pic. above?
If you look at the face in front and the harbour background! Is it a wide shot?
Not realy ! So he used a normal lens? I guess - yes! Something around 50mm!
And how sharp would have been this face in front with 2.8/ 1000 sec? Much more unsharp!
So this is a good hint how Moriyama (for sure) came to a couple of stops below - via f11 - f16!
Good luck - so far!

Ste_S said:

It's all in the darkroom / post processing.

He did a lot of darkroom work

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Aha - understand - yes I thought about of course but I would find a basis on film and only the final step in darkroom!

with regards

provoke1968 said:

using point and shoots like the ricoh gr1s. only caps out at 3200 iso. some of his work seems to be higher iso with no data in the shadows at all. how does one acheive this look using point and shoot cameras?

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Moriyama was known for abusing his negatives, while being a great printer. His greys and haloes suggest he heavily burnt in some areas, and the grain says he pushed the film. My guess is Tri-X to 1600 in a grainy acutance developer. Remember Moriyama embraced digital photography, although in my opinion lost something on the way.