Martin Schoeller - Close Up

Chris L

Chris L

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I'm looking for some advice on how to replicate this sort of shot (Link). I want to take a series of headshots that capture the sitters face with good skin detail and minimal shadows. I can see the camera is set to a shallow DOF and I should be able to do that using an ND filter. I'm not so bothered about replicating the lighting of the background in the same way.

At my disposal, I (will) have one Studio flash and two speedlights. Given my equipment limitations, which modifier for the main light would give me the best results? I was wondering if I could get good results using a beauty dish? One other thing that may affect lighting options...this needs to be done in a space only 12ft wide and 18ft long.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Chris L said:
I'm looking for some advice on how to replicate this sort of shot (Link). I want to take a series of headshots that capture the sitters face with good skin detail and minimal shadows. I can see the camera is set to a shallow DOF and I should be able to do that using an ND filter. I'm not so bothered about replicating the lighting of the background in the same way.

At my disposal, I (will) have one Studio flash and two speedlights. Given my equipment limitations, which modifier for the main light would give me the best results? I was wondering if I could get good results using a beauty dish? One other thing that may affect lighting options...this needs to be done in a space only 12ft wide and 18ft long.

Thanks in advance :)
Click to expand...

Lighting appears to be no more complicated than two softboxes, one either side. They look like continuous fluorscent tubes, and the small pupils also suggest this. Then a very low f/number.

I like that shallow DoF technique a lot, but not when the tip of the nose is also blurred. And I don't care for the use a wide-angle lens for some of those shots, though it's sure to have been deliberate, perhaps to give a greater sense of intimacy.
 
HoppyUK said:
Lighting appears to be no more complicated than two softboxes, one either side. They look like continuous fluorscent tubes, and the small pupils also suggest this. Then a very low f/number.

I like that shallow DoF technique a lot, but not when the tip of the nose is also blurred. And I don't care for the use a wide-angle lens for some of those shots, though it's sure to have been deliberate, perhaps to give a greater sense of intimacy.
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Thanks for replying Richard. I agree that the nose being oof is a little too shallow a DoF and would probably bother some (most?) of the potential sitters.

I guess I could get two standard 60cm softboxes and a couple of S fit adapters for my speedlights to recreate the light from the flourescents...do you think putting something on the face of the softboxes to turn them into strip softboxes would help? I believe it would at least reduce the risk of light spilling onto the background (I'm looking to have a darker, coloured background using gels)
 
Chris L said:
Thanks for replying Richard. I agree that the nose being oof is a little too shallow a DoF and would probably bother some (most?) of the potential sitters.

I guess I could get two standard 60cm softboxes and a couple of S fit adapters for my speedlights to recreate the light from the flourescents...do you think putting something on the face of the softboxes to turn them into strip softboxes would help? I believe it would at least reduce the risk of light spilling onto the background (I'm looking to have a darker, coloured background using gels)
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Best way to prevent spill from a softbox is to fit a grid.
 
HoppyUK said:
Best way to prevent spill from a softbox is to fit a grid.
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Thanks again Richard :)

kokakaste2 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZTGXhWjAf4

About one minute in you can see behind the scenes of his photography. BTW the shallow depth of field comes from 8x10 camera :)
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Thanks very much for the youtube link. I knew that he shot them using a LF camera which will be helping but I'll be shooting using a medium format camera and close focusing "standard" lens so should give something similar :) I'm annoyed at myself as I've just remembered that I was offered a copy of his Close Ups book several years ago by someone who wasn't that fussed on the images and I didn't get back to them in time before someone else snapped it up :bang:
 
kokakaste2 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZTGXhWjAf4

About one minute in you can see behind the scenes of his photography. BTW the shallow depth of field comes from 8x10 camera :)
Click to expand...

That vid's quite educational :eek: Seems he uses strips and softboxes, plus a top light now and then.

It's actually quite a compelling style. Still don't like the out of focus noses but the wide-angle thing seems to draw you in.
 
Chris L said:
Thanks very much for the youtube link. I knew that he shot them using a LF camera which will be helping but I'll be shooting using a medium format camera and close focusing "standard" lens so should give something similar :) I'm annoyed at myself as I've just remembered that I was offered a copy of his Close Ups book several years ago by someone who wasn't that fussed on the images and I didn't get back to them in time before someone else snapped it up :bang:
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I guess RZ67 could do something "similar" but LF is kinda a lot different. Only shot 4 frames with 4x5, but it felt a lot different than RZ67 (or any SLR camera). :) I have his book at home, very inspiring work.

HoppyUK said:
That vid's quite educational :eek: Seems he uses strips and softboxes, plus a top light now and then.

It's actually quite a compelling style. Still don't like the out of focus noses but the wide-angle thing seems to draw you in.
Click to expand...

The behind the scenes are quite amazing, a lot of stuff going on there. Specially him shooting 8x10 camera at speed of a dslr :lol:
 
You don't need a huge camera to get that kind of shallow DoF, and those 10x8 lenses are stuck at something like f/5.6 lowest.

With a 50mm lens on full frame, for a tight head shot at 60cm (from front of lens) with that wide-angle kinda look, DoF is only 16mm at f/2.
 
HoppyUK said:
You don't need a huge camera to get that kind of shallow DoF, and those 10x8 lenses are stuck at something like f/5.6 lowest.

With a 50mm lens on full frame, for a tight head shot at 60cm (from front of lens) with that wide-angle kinda look, DoF is only 16mm at f/2.
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Indeed, but I doubt he shoots them at f5.6. :)
 
HoppyUK said:
You don't need a huge camera to get that kind of shallow DoF, and those 10x8 lenses are stuck at something like f/5.6 lowest.

With a 50mm lens on full frame, for a tight head shot at 60cm (from front of lens) with that wide-angle kinda look, DoF is only 16mm at f/2.
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Great, the 110mm f/2.8 looks roughly the same as 55mm on a 35mm film camera and has a MFD of 31cm so it can comfortably get me close enough to fill the frame. Depending on the distance I end up choosing from the sitter, I reckon I'll be looking at around f/8-f/11 to get the right DoF (33-39mm @ 65cm away)

Simon photo said:
on first inspection you know its large format.
difficult to create the "aliveness" with anything else
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At least I'll have some fun trying :) I'll be shooting it using a polaroid back, under exposing the shot by around 1/3 to 1/2 stop and then clean the polaroid negative up and scan it :D
 
These large format shots do have a look all of their own...

I don't have much experience of 10 x 8, or more accurately I don't have any recent experience of it, but basically most lenses would have a max aperture, for focussing only, of around f/8 and the normal shooting aperture would be somewhere between f/45 and f/128 - which demanded an enormous amount of lighting power with flash, or if a still life subject, a lot of 'pops', or with continuous lighting, very long exposures.

The lenses simply weren't designed to be used anywhere near wide open, I think that this is one of the reasons why the images look unique when they are.
 
Im not sure the format really contributes a lot to the cosmesis of the shot. I looked at all of them and feel that he could easily be replicated the exact look with a D3s and a 85mm/50mm lens at
 
Richard King said:
Im not sure the format really contributes a lot to the cosmesis of the shot. I looked at all of them and feel that he could easily be replicated the exact look with a D3s and a 85mm/50mm lens at
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And you'd be absolutely right. A mate has got some very similar portraits, with even shallower DoF shot on a Canon 5D2 and 85L at f/1.2. He knows what he's doing but was telling me how extremely hard it was both for the photographer and model to get the focus just right.

You don't need anything special technically, but there's no denying that you need a bit of smoke and mirrors to get presidents and major Holywood stars to sit for you ;)
 
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