I am so excited to be able to post these photos! For the longest time, I've wanted to do an old Hollywood black & white photo experience and with this engaged couple, I got my wish! Here are Juanita and Ty, and they are getting married this August! Juanita is planning on using this style for her wedding. When we got together to discuss the wedding details, she told me that she already had a close friend doing their engagement photos, but when she mentioned her theme, I couldn't help myself and begged to do a photo experience in my studio. She graciously accepted! To top it off, she told me that she already had her dress, so I just had to have her bring it.
She brought along a dear friend and we took the bridal portraits before Ty showed up. She is absolutely breath-taking! These photos make my mouth drop open!
The old photos in the 30's and 40's were taken with very hot lights and had no diffusion (umbrellas or big softboxes) so the shadows are harsh and dramatic. I took off all of my "modern" lighting modifiers and shot them with bare bulbs, trying to emulate the same feeling. Even with my modern modeling lights, it got to be quite hot sitting in front of the lights. They were great sports, however!
Ty brought along a great black fedora with a white ribbon and Juanita changed into a classic black dress. Her hat had a peacock feather in it! I love the shots of them together. They are so dramatic - and for those of you who know me - one can never be too dramatic!
We had a fedora and overcoat and when Ty put them on, he looked incredible! I love the shots of him with that hat covering his eyes. He reminds me of Humphrey Bogart in his Maltese Falcon or Casablanca role!
The real fun and time consuming work came when I was finishing these photos. The old Hollywood photographers used to have 8x10 negatives they retouched with graphite pencils and then used a lot of customizing in the darkroom. I, luckily, have a digital darkroom, so the photos didn't take quite as long! I wasn't able to rely upon the photos just out of the camera, though. I had to do a lot of painting with light and dark to create the strong contrasts. I am really pleased with the way they turned out!
So, here is Juanita and Ty! Thank you both for such a delightful experience. (however, don't let Ty know these photos are up because he hasn't seen the dress yet!)
1 comment:
these photos are so fantastic. I just am crazy for the lighting. They have that wonderful hollywood starlet feel to them.
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