Tin Type Simulation

[Pete Askew]

This is one of a set of images that were supposed to continue the coffee - cyanotype series. But I started fiddling with the tin-type simulation in SilverFX and was intrgued by the look it gave.

The setup is shown in the 'Sanp of the Day' thread except that the softbox wasn't used in this casse and it was shot with overhead daylight ples reflector. Image taken with a Cooke Soft Focus Lense at f4.5 on a Cambo Legend fitted with a PhaseOne P45 back. Raw file processed through CaptureOne 5 with some desaturation and then SilverFX Pro in PS. Some gausian blus has been added to the very edges of the image to soften the frame line to match the look of the rest of the image.

 

[Vic Shaw]

I find it hard to have a view on portraits as I'm not very good at them, here I find the expression very intense and perhaps not suited to the soft look, maybe a little less eye contact would work better for me? (but then I'm shy). I wish I could see the whole picture on my screen to get a better feel I have to cut off your good lady's shoulders and I really like the lighting on the shoulders, was the reflector placed as in the 'snap of the day ' picture?

Just a quick question about softfocus lenses, would you get the same effect if you was to slightly defocus a lens?

 

[Pete Askew]

Hi Vic,

I guess it is quite intense although it does look more relaxed when you see the whole image (feel free to save to your desktop so you can re-size). I know what you mean though and this was an image that was essentially incidental to what we were working on. The tin-type simulation is quite dark and makes shadow areas quite dense which doesn't help.

The reflector was where you see it and the main lighting was indirect sunlight from directly over via the roof light but the camer was further to the right - I'd moved it out of the way earlier today. The lighting was very soft as a consequence although the main softness was due to the lens used. Details of it can be found at http://www.cookeoptics.com/cooke.nsf/products/largeformat.html

You don't get the get the same effect by either de-focussing a standard lens or by using a blur function in PS. The Cooke lense really only softens highlights. The shallow focus is down to the large apeture. I know f4.5 doesn't sound large but the DOF it creates would be similar to a lens at 35 mm of about f0.6 or larger. It is a very fast lens in this respect.

 

[Tim Pindar]

In windows you can increase or decrease the zoom level of the entire web page by holding down CTRL and twiddling the centre wheel of your mouse. That way you can see the whole photo on the screen.

 

[Hamish Gill]

[Ctrl] + [-] does the same
Pete, can you enlighten me to how/why apeture is different on different formats?

I quite like the shot... For some reason it makes my think of the smashing pumpkins ... I like the smashing pumpkins ... And so I like the image... But i can't really explain that...

 

[Hamish Gill]

... Actually... I think I already know about the apeture thing... Its because the relative focal length is different... Scratch that question...

 

[Pete Askew]

You got it!!

Just in case you can't sleep, here's a reasonable summary of the impact of format on focal length / persepective and DOF.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field#DOF_vs._format_size

 

[Vic Shaw]

I could also use the wheel on my graphic tablet to zoom in/out, but I was too stupid to do either so I just moaned about it instead.

 

[Paul Lange]

Thats OK Vic, Being British and paying your taxes entitles you to moan about everything.

 

[Vic Shaw]

Oh now I know that , boy are you lot for it!