# Hollywood style anyone?



## texxter (Apr 4, 2018)

When I learned studio photography a decade ago I was fascinated by the formal beauty of Hollywood style images from the 30s.   I bought Mark Vieira's book about Hurrell's portraits and I was just in love with the aesthetics and the methods behind these 8x10 negatives.   Of course, doing Hollywood style with modern flash and digital cameras doesn't quite match the old school feel, but I still love to try.

If you're interested in this style of glamour photography, post your images.  Here are some of mine... it's been a while so I need to create new ones.


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## zulu42 (Apr 4, 2018)

Fantastic set. I'd love to try and recreate that style some day.

These are just really great. Thank you for sharing.


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## texxter (Apr 4, 2018)

zulu42 said:


> Fantastic set. I'd love to try and recreate that style some day.
> 
> These are just really great. Thank you for sharing.



I think you should! It's great fun to create this unattainable beauty feel!   The keys are (1) garments and jewelry, hair and makeup; (2) lighting, ideally with fresnel lamps,  and (3) post-processing to try to approximate the hand retouching done in Hollywood back then, all by hand on the negatives!


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## smoke665 (Apr 4, 2018)

Great set. I'm into the Film Noir of the 40's, particularly the Phillip Marlow look of the period. May have to contact you later on a project I'm working on


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## texxter (Apr 4, 2018)

smoke665 said:


> Great set. I'm into the Film Noir of the 40's, particularly the Phillip Marlow look of the period. May have to contact you later on a project I'm working on



Fantastic! Do you have samples of your  work you'd like to share?


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## Fujidave (Apr 4, 2018)

Fantastic work and all beautifully taken too, very Film Noir.


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## smoke665 (Apr 4, 2018)

texxter said:


> Fantastic! Do you have samples of your work you'd like to share?



I'm still working on my site william-raber-photo The "other" tab has some examples at the top.


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## texxter (Apr 4, 2018)

Fujidave said:


> Fantastic work and all beautifully taken too, very Film Noir.



Thank you so much, Dave! It's fun to get in the studio and work with your model and MUA/hair stylist until you get something that feels somewhat genuine but not a copy.



smoke665 said:


> I'm still working on my site william-raber-photo The "other" tab has some examples at the top.



Love the film noir mood!

I have tried color with old-fashioned everything else and I think it can work as well.  This is something that portrait clients find very appealing.   In this picture below I used color to its full potential - photo taken at a hotel restaurant with a strobist lighting setup.


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## smoke665 (Apr 4, 2018)

texxter said:


> It's fun to get in the studio and work with your model and MUA/hair stylist until you get something that feels somewhat genuine



Studio???  My studio is a makeshift arrangement in the garage. When the studio is "setup" mine or the wife's vehicle is going to be outside for the duration.  Care to wager who vehicle is outside?   

Models and  stylists?????  Hell I'm lucky to get the wife to pose. My family sees the camera come out and they're like roaches when you turn on the light----they scatter fast. As to Makeup and Hair, I consider it a good day, if they at least run a comb through the hair.   Want to impress me ----- show me something with a PO'd wife scowling at you, (because you've interrupted whatever she was doing), that you've transformed into something glamorous. 

All kidding aside I'm sort of hung up on the 30-40's style poses in the Film Noir style, be they  color or black and white. They were dark and mysterious, glamorous not trashy or silly, a little on the edgy side, they just have a "feel" to them. 

Really impressed with your last image. The red in background, the red in the dress, the skin tones and hair all working well with the shadows, and then you throw in the brilliant blue of the drink, an "odd man out" color. John Hedgecoe would be proud!!!


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## tirediron (Apr 4, 2018)

Some top-notch work!


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## Derrel (Apr 4, 2018)

texxter said:
			
		

> If you're interested in this style of glamour photography, post your images.



I too like old-fashioned glamour images.

Anyway...you said post some images...here are a few from December, 2017. This is my type of "Hollywood style"...

These are a few small 850-pixel tall photos from a glamour set I shot it late 2017, my first-ever set with the Nikon D800. I used my favorite cramped space zoom, the 1990's Nikon 28-80mm f/3.5~5.6 AF-D. I shoot a fair amount indoors, and for this shoot I wanted an old-fashioned look. I used a single Speedotron 400 Watt-second flash pack, and three M-11 flash heads, with typically a small, 30-inch light source, and then two metal reflectors, each one fitted with a honeycomb grid. One reflector was seven inches in diameter, and had barn doors, a honeycomb grid, and a diffuser. The other reflector was 11.5 inches in diameter, and also had a grid, but no barn doors, and it too was fitted with a white semi-frosted mylar diffuser. I like these small, gridded,metal-reflector flashes because I can place them close to the subject, and light the hair a bit, and use the directionality of these two lights to create shadows on or behind the subject. To go old-Hollywood, I think there simply _must be_ at least a few obvious shadows, shadows that show the shape of the person, their outline, their nose shadow, shadows of the body parts, whatever. The lighting ought to,normally, have some directionality to it. Classic 1930's and 1940's glamour-type shots were way before the modern era, with today's trend of oversized light modifiers 60 to 70 years in the future.








Deliberate use of the 7-inch and 11.5-inch grid+diffuser lights on both sides to create outlines on the wall that mirror her shape.




Same image as above, but cropped in. Pretty good for a $50 1990's 28-80 AF-D zoom lens.





One of the grid + diffuser lights light her face and her right arm, and creates a shadow; the other grid+diffuser light creates small shadows at the bottom of her garment. A small 30-inch umbrella provides eye catchlight and overall fill.




Speedotron silvered 30-inch umbrella as main light, 11.5 inch grid+ diffuser is placed low and camera left to create a sidelight that will throw plenty of shape-definingmcrisp,black shadows...




Again...the 30-inch silvered Speedotron brand metallized silver umbrella is used going straight ahead at her face, and it's not the main light, but instead is my overall fill light, and the main light is actually a fairly strong light coming from camera right, from the Speedotron 11.5-inch metal reflector with 10 degree grid and a Speedotron brand clip-on mylar diffuser.


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## vintagesnaps (Apr 4, 2018)

The OP makes me think of that Hurrell of Harlow (the one well known one - was going to say, of her in that white satin gown, but then again, there are probably a lot of her in white satin). Beautiful stuff. I love art deco, I love film noir too, did an online course on that thru TCM. Can't say I've done anything noir photographically but now that I think of it, that would be an idea. If I see Sam Spade/Bogey somewhere in a trench coat...


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## texxter (Apr 4, 2018)

Derrel said:


> I too like old-fashioned glamour images.
> 
> Anyway...you said post some images...here are a few from December, 2017. This is my type of "Hollywood style"...



Thank you for sharing and explaining your technique! Definitely metal reflectors with grids and barn doors are one good way to emulate the large fresnel hot lamps used by the masters.  And you're quite right that they should be close to the model.  In the old days the lights were very hot, so it would be difficult for the actresses to be in the studio for long sessions with those lamps on... love this pic of Hurrell at work with his fresnel lamps:






In the 30's it was unthinkable to create glamour images showing flesh - just not acceptable. So the photograher had to create sexiness by glamourizing the hair, the face, the pose, the style... In some cases the images exude sensuality, without showing any flesh.  This one below is one of my favorites - a languid portrait of Dorothy Lamour:


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## texxter (Apr 5, 2018)

smoke665 said:


> texxter said:
> 
> 
> > It's fun to get in the studio and work with your model and MUA/hair stylist until you get something that feels somewhat genuine
> ...



Thank you for the kind comments.   You're not the only one with limited space and access!  The first image was part of homework for my portrait class.  I found a young girl to be my model and a makeup artist to come and make her pretty.  I couldn't pay them, as this was homework, so we did time-for-images.   I have done that many time to practice... everyone benefits.   At any rate, the MUA took a looong time doing her thing and we were kicked out of the school studio because it was time to close.  We were outside in the hallway and I only had two cheapo lights and a piece of black cloth - the model was all dollied up, but the photographer was struggling to create an image in the hallway.  We managed and the adrenaline helped, I am sure.   I don't have a studio, I shoot whenever I can, living room, someone's home, on the street, at a hotel.... The wife has been quite supportive so I have that going for me... I photograph her often and make sure she looks good!


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## texxter (Apr 5, 2018)

vintagesnaps said:


> The OP makes me think of that Hurrell of Harlow (the one well known one - was going to say, of her in that white satin gown, but then again, there are probably a lot of her in white satin). Beautiful stuff. I love art deco, I love film noir too, did an online course on that thru TCM. Can't say I've done anything noir photographically but now that I think of it, that would be an idea. If I see Sam Spade/Bogey somewhere in a trench coat...



Can't wait to see your images!!


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## smoke665 (Apr 5, 2018)

Derrel said:


> . To go old-Hollywood, I think there simply _must be_ at least a few obvious shadows, shadows that show the shape of the person, their outline, their nose shadow, shadows of the body parts, whatever



Derrel you old dog, you're not just another nerd with a camera you actually have talent and a feel for the period. LOL  I've been studying the period and you're right the shadows are an important part of the composition. It adds to the intrigue and drama, almost another image within the image, if that makes sense. I appreciate you sharing your lighting information, I'll be commiting that to paper for future use and ideas.


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## smoke665 (Apr 5, 2018)

texxter said:


> In the 30's it was unthinkable to create glamour images showing flesh - just not acceptable. So the photograher had to create sexiness by glamourizing the hair, the face, the pose, the style... In some cases the images exude sensuality, without showing any flesh.



You hit the nail on the head! To me sensuality and even drama in an image is more than creating a mental image in the viewer, it's about creating a feeling. A shadowy sense that has no exact definition. Revealing to much skin diverts the eyes to the anatomical features and not the image as a whole. Hollywood has gotten away from this in their attempt to reveal realism to the Nth degree, not realizing that the mind will play out countless images of what's behind the curtain, but pull that shroud away and you're left with only one.


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## zulu42 (Apr 18, 2018)

#3 in the OP nominated POTM

April 2018 Photo of the Month Nominations


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## jcdeboever (Apr 18, 2018)

What a great set of images. They additionally amplify my shortcomings as a photographer. thank you for posting a road for me to pursue.


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## zulu42 (Apr 18, 2018)

jcdeboever said:


> What a great set of images. They additionally amplify my shortcomings as a photographer. thank you for posting a road for me to pursue.



I have to agree. When I saw this set, I thought, "these images really amplify the shorcomings of @jcdeboever as a photographer"


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