Question about a certain look

All- Ive recently returned to film, and from this point on I hope to intergrate it more into my work flow. I own a Hassy 500 CM kit with several lens, and will develop my own film. I plan on shooting mostly HP5, unless the answers to this question suggests otherwise.

When I ran across the these 2 sites that Ive linked below, my brain started ticking. I was shooting Canon 5ds at the time and I asked on several forum on how to get these tones in b/w portraits. Of course, all pointed toward MF..and after emailing both photographers they told me they shoot on Hasselblad or Rolleiflex....so off I went. Now my question...

I understand that development has a great deal with how the tone of the photo comes out... more that than what film is chosen. So, if you looks at these two sites, youll see a common tone to the portraits. Can anyone advise a film/developer/technique I would use to get this look. Im very interested in learning this style, but I doubt that I can get this "out of the camera"..

Links:

http://www.videnin.com/
http://doerrfisch.de/html/06.html

There is no formula that will accomplish that. Its a mix of the vision of those photographers, the light they worked in, and the film, developer, developing procedure, and finally the process they used in producing the prints, which duplicates much of what happens in getting the image on the film.

That look, or many others can be accomplished with any film, and any developer and printed on any paper. Its a matter of the photographer learning how to get the "look" he is trying to achieve from the materials he works with. What works for me or Oleg or Michael or anyone else might, or might not, work for you.

Have a look at Jason's article; (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

bibowj said:

Can anyone advise a film/developer/technique I would use to get this look. Im very interested in learning this style, but I doubt that I can get this "out of the camera"..
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There is a lot to these photographs that happened in camera before the film was developed. The lighting is very even, the focus is selectively sharp, the chosen lens has a particular look (there's some deliberately too close foreshortening for example), and the film was neither over nor under exposed revealing a full range of tones. The film was then "correctly" developed for a tonal range that fell within the lattitude of the film, i.e. neither "pushed" nor "pulled". After that, the printing was competent to reveal what was on the film without being too flat or too contrasty.

Pretty much any of the usual film/developer combinations could have been used here, in other words nothing exotic or unusual. Testing with one of those combinations is normally done so that results are predictable. You can expect similar results with such experience.

Why don't you experiment and explore for yourself? that's the only way to really discover anything....practice, practice, practice.

Actually some of the pics from second link look digital. Especially the ones without hasselblad frame.

I would suggest that you look to the personal film speed and personal development time articles on the late Barry Thorton's web site. They will start to get you dialled in without getting all wound out about the zone system mantral that can be so off putting to many when they start to want to fine tune the look of thier work.

My advice, create your own look.

Domin said:

Actually some of the pics from second link look digital. Especially the ones without hasselblad frame.

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I suspect that too...while they are VERY nice, some are a little too clean. Also, you are seeing images on a website...another affectation to the tonality.

Even the Hasselblad frame could be added in p-shop. Nothing is what it seems any more.

Good negs with good shadow detail with yield these tones if you are patient in your printing.

Visualization my dear watson.

Yep Visualization and hard work in developing your own style. You have a good camera, now buy some film, experiment.
In the first link some of the edge markings say 'ILFORD HP5 PLUS' and that would be a very good start on your journey film wise, almost any developer will do.
Mark

You know, if your going for look, I don't know why anyone else didn't comment on the huge vast difference between the two photographers. The Russian work is all crushed down, and almost flat. The shots are GREAT! Don't get me wrong, I heart Russia... Zie German guy, OTOH, looks like he is trying to get as much space between back and white as he can. There is FAR more contrast in the German photos as there is in the Russian.

You say you want to "get this look", but its two different looks.

A person asked a passerby "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The answer was "Practise, practise, practise."

Tom Nutter said:

I suspect that too...while they are VERY nice, some are a little too clean. Also, you are seeing images on a website...another affectation to the tonality.

Even the Hasselblad frame could be added in p-shop. Nothing is what it seems any more.

Good negs with good shadow detail with yield these tones if you are patient in your printing.

Click to expand...

A Hasselblad frame can easily be added in the darkroom as well so I agree in many cases it's not what it seems.

I would also agree with much of what the others have said with regard to testing, experimenting and practice.