How to achieve "Douglas Kirkland" effect?

brainmonster · Oct 20, 2019

I'm trying to achieve a retro 80's type look, and from what I've heard back in the 80's and 90's you "couldn't have enough softness in portrait photos". Would use of a diffuser filter be sufficient? Will this achieve the effect or did he put fish nets or vaseline on his lens ;p Or was it done in the darkroom?

I really want to achieve this vintage portrait effect if anyone can help. Pictures for your perusal.

removedacct1 · Oct 20, 2019

We used to do this to some degree in the studio back in the mid-80s. We typically used the Hasselblad Softar filter, or even the glass piece from the 2.25" glass slide mounts we used to buy, which had a lightly frosted piece of glass as the rear piece. It created a similar effect to the Softar filter at a fraction of the cost.

Pieter12 · Oct 20, 2019

Tiffen ProMist filter

brainmonster · Oct 20, 2019

paulbarden said:
We used to do this to some degree in the studio back in the mid-80s. We typically used the Hasselblad Softar filter, or even the glass piece from the 2.25" glass slide mounts we used to buy, which had a lightly frosted piece of glass as the rear piece. It created a similar effect to the Softar filter at a fraction of the cost.

Any idea what the glass slide mounts were called or how I could get one? The softar filters don't fit my lens thread anyway

brainmonster · Oct 20, 2019

Pieter12 said:
Tiffen ProMist filter

Yeah those filters are way too expensive though :/

Patrick Robert James · Oct 20, 2019

Yup. Zeiss softar. I had a Hoya too that was made the same way as a softar. If you look at a softar you see what looks like water droplets fixed in it. That is the secret to the sharp/soft look to the images. Most of the light goes right through a softar, but enough gets diffused that you also get the soft edges, or glow.

brainmonster · Oct 20, 2019

Patrick Robert James said:
Yup. Zeiss softar. I had a Hoya too that was made the same way as a softar. If you look at a softar you see what looks like water droplets fixed in it. That is the secret to the sharp/soft look to the images. Most of the light goes right through a softar, but enough gets diffused that you also get the soft edges, or glow.

Any idea what the hoya filter was called? Was it a Soft or Diffuser filter? Maybe I can find one.

The softar is a bayonet mount so it looks like it won't fit on any standard lens, only hasselblads.

ParkerSmithPhoto · Oct 20, 2019

brainmonster said:
The softar filters don't fit my lens thread anyway

You can get inexpensive Hasselblad bayonet filter adapters to fit standard threaded lenses.

AgX · Oct 21, 2019

brainmonster said:
The softar is a bayonet mount so it looks like it won't fit on any standard lens, only hasselblads.

Softar is the trade name of the filter proper, they were available in various mounts. Aside of the Softars there were several diffusers employing micro-lenses. For instance Duto.

Patrick Robert James · Oct 21, 2019

brainmonster said:
Any idea what the hoya filter was called? Was it a Soft or Diffuser filter? Maybe I can find one.

The softar is a bayonet mount so it looks like it won't fit on any standard lens, only hasselblads.

No idea what the Hoya filter was called but it was exactly the same as the Softar. Good luck finding one....

Zeiss made the Softar, not Hasselblad, and they made it with regular filter threads as well as the bayonet type. I have one that is a 77mm.

jtk · Oct 23, 2019

Softars are called Softars. Google is your friend.

Some rock/roll photographers used them in front of enlarging lens to softly expand shadows.. portrait photographers normally use them to softly expand highlights.

Softars come in various levels...Softar #1, Softar #2, Softar #3.

brainmonster said:
Any idea what the glass slide mounts were called or how I could get one? The softar filters don't fit my lens thread anyway

Glass slide mounts are called "glass slide mounts." Readily available. One brand is GEPE.

jtk · Oct 23, 2019

brainmonster said:
Yeah those filters are way too expensive though :/

Not for a photographer who wants that look.

jtk · Oct 23, 2019

brainmonster said:
I'm trying to achieve a retro 80's type look, and from what I've heard back in the 80's and 90's you "couldn't have enough softness in portrait photos". Would use of a diffuser filter be sufficient? Will this achieve the effect or did he put fish nets or vaseline on his lens ;p Or was it done in the darkroom?

I really want to achieve this vintage portrait effect if anyone can help. Pictures for your perusal.

View attachment 233215 View attachment 233216 View attachment 233217 View attachment 233218

Easy ways to soften include stretching a piece of woman's stocking over the lens or applying Vaseline to a skylight filter..perhaps avoiding the center. They both were commonly used.

I don't think the extremely softened examples we see on this thread involved Softar filters because Softars accomplish simultaneous soft/sharp look...

How to achieve "Douglas Kirkland" effect?

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