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Rangefinder Magazine
July 2002
Portraits of Elegant Women
by William S. McIntosh, M.Photog., Cr., F-ASP
The portraits I usually make of women are made
to hang on the walls in their homes. They are in museum- quality frames.
If the portrait is to be made in the home or in their garden, I visit
with the subject for a consultation. I bring sample portraits in an album
to give the lady some ideas on how she should be photographed and where
the finished portrait could be hung. We look at her gowns and dresses
in order to select the style and color that will be appropriate for the
room, where she will be photographed. Sometimes they already know where
they want the finished portrait to hang, but they usually are open to
suggestions. We make an appointment for the sitting. It takes time for
the ladies to prepare their hair, makeup and dress, so most of my appointments
are in the afternoon.
Generally it will take a half day (if travel to and from the location
is counted) for a home or interior sitting. I bring an assistant and with
the mutual agreement of my subject, we move furniture and whatever accessories
she may want in the portrait, such as plants, sculptures, paintings, etc.
The set up time usually takes about an hour. The subject does not have
to be with us after we agree on the pose.
When everything is ready, the subject comes in,
assumes her pose and I make a Polaroid. This style of portrait needs a
Polaroid test, since rarely are less then four strobes used and sometimes
five. This sitting will take about 30–45 minutes, using two 220
rolls of Fuji NPS 160 film for 40 exposures. I carry two 220 backs, because
once I have established a rapport with my subject and she and I are moving
with a rhythm and a flow, reacting to the give and take of our conversation,
or sometimes to my outrageous flattery or corn ball humor, I do not want
to break the spell by stopping and reloading film. I use an auto-winder,
so I will not have to run back and forth to the camera to advance the
film.
When you photograph someone, you are, with your
voice and body language, putting your subject in a mild stage of hypnosis.
You make exposures surreptitiously and do your best to take your subject’s
mind off the fact that she is being photographed.
When the previews arrive, I have two choices. Choice one—I can select
the best one or two poses and have them retouched and custom printed in
the 8x10 size. (My subjects are mostly middle aged or older and they need
some softening under the eyes, lines around the mouth and neck. Sometimes
they need their jowls thinned down and their waistline also trimmed a
little.) Choice two—If the portrait can be used as a sample for
one of my ongoing exhibits, I will print a portrait in the size I believe
would fit a wall in her house (which I have already viewed), frame it
and take it to her home for a viewing with the other previews.
People who spend top dollar for an art form or
any luxury product, want to know what they are getting. It is very difficult
to explain to a customer that when her portrait is finished, her face
will be thinner, her eyes will be brighter, the small wrinkles in her
face and neck will disappear and her waistline will be thinner. She can
only believe what she can see.
I treat my portraits as if they are paintings.
For the right client I show them the same way painters present their finished
work. I bring the completed custom-framed portrait to the home, with an
easel and picture light. The framed portrait is in a red velvet bag and
at the right time I unveil the portrait. I tell them it would take a very
fine artist three months or longer to capture the photographic detail
and likeness that my large portrait on canvas has done.
The vast majority of the time, the customer and her spouse or family will
be impressed. After viewing the rest of the previews that are not retouched,
about 80% of the time they will buy my choice. If they choose another
pose or size, they know exactly what they are getting and I can still
use the original for my exhibit.
I learned to present my work to my patrons from
the portrait painters. They have been showing their paintings this way
for many years and it seems to work very well for me.
William S. McIntosh, M.Photog., Cr., F-ASP, photographs executives
and their families all over the U.S. and travels to England frequently
on special assignments. He has lectured all over the world. His popular
book, Location Portraiture, The Story Behind the Art, is sold in hardcover
and softcover versions by TR Books & Videos (see pg. 60)
Captions:
1. This young lady was photographed in her home in Dallas, TX. The chairs,
plant at the lower right and flower arrangement showing in the mirror
were positioned carefully to add depth and design to the portrait. The
gray dress was selected to harmonize with the gray color of the room.
Camera: Mamiya RZ 67; lens: 65mm; film: Fuji NPS 160 exposed for 1⁄125
sec. at f/11; lighting: five strobes were used to light the portrait.
All images used in this article were reproduced from custom prints made
by H&H Color Lab.
2. Regina Mobely
Regina is an anchorwoman for our regional ABC television news show. She
was photographed with the tungsten lights of the TV studio. I used the
modeling light in my umbrella strobe for the main light. Camera: Mamiya
RZ 67; lens: Mamiya Sekor 65mm; film: Fuji NPL tungsten 160; exposure:
1⁄8 at f/8; final print made by H&H Color Lab.
3. Olivia Kearney
I photographed Olivia in her home in Fort Worth, Texas. The crane sculpture
on the right back wall was brought from another room. The chair, the table
on her left and the coffee table on her right with the artifacts and lighted
candles on it were all moved, to fill the space around Olivia. The green
gown was selected to harmonize with the carpet, the sofa in the background,
and the green in the design on the chair. Four strobes were used—two
with barn doors and two with 31-in. umbrellas. Camera: Mamiya RZ 67; lens:
Mamiya Sekor 65mm; film: Fuji NPS 160; exposure: 1⁄4 at f/11; final
print made by H&H Color Lab.
4. Lady Nicola Perowne
Lady Perowne is the wife of Admiral Sir James Perowne, the deputy Allied
supreme commander of NATO Command Atlantic. I photographed the Admiral
in his home for my ongoing exhibit of the senior military leaders. The
garden behind their house is quite lovely. I suggested we photograph Lady
Perowne there. The time was 11:00 in the morning. The stone bench and
the potted flowers were moved into the area close to the water and the
overhanging tree branch. The front of my subject facing the camera is
in the shade of a tree with the sun on her back. The lighting on the subject
was a Lumedyne battery strobe with a bare bulb. The background is one
stop overexposed at f/11 at 1⁄500 sec.; the strobe is set for f/11
output. Camera: Mamiya RZ 67; lens: Mamiya Sekor 140mm; film: Fuji NPZ
800; final print made by H&H Color Lab.
5. Lori Bateman
Lori is a model I use for special projects and exhibits. This project
was planned a year in advance. I visited the National Park just before
it closed for the winter, and was impressed with the location. I arranged
the session for the following year at the same time. The park is a 90-minute
drive from my home. I will go to almost any length to get a fine portrait.
I bought the basket and flowers and borrowed the dress from a dress shop.
It takes a lot of time and effort to make a fine portrait. To me, however,
there is no other way to create photography an art form and to get a good
price for your work. Camera: Mamiya RZ 67; lens: 110mm Mamiya-Sekor; film:
Fuji NPH 400; exposure: 1⁄15 at f/8; final print made by H&H
Color lab. The lighting was natural backlight, in a large open area with
a weak sunset. There was no need for a strobe or reflector for fill-in
illumination.
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