90 Minute Tutorial Shows You How To Make 40s Style Glamor Portraits
Starting with a history lesson, then moving on to the actual how-to
B&H’s newest workshop video taps the skills of Robert Harrington in an impressive, 90-minute video that shows you how to recreate the high-contrast, black-and-white look of some 1940s movie studio portraits.
More than just a straight editing guide, Harrington takes the time to explain the history of the studios, the basis of the look, how it was done with analog photography, and then moving on to how to reproduce it with modern gear and technology.
Keep in mind, this is one particular look that Harrington is reproducing. One with heavy contrast, very dark shadows, and a rather light editing touch. Not all of the 40s glamor photography went in this direction. Ernest Bachrach’s work, for instance, was posed very similarly, but with much softer lighting, and generally less contrast. And let’s not forget the classic film tricks of slapping pantyhose over the lens to soften things up a little!
[via Reddit, DIYPhotography]