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Re: [OM] Filter question for portraits

Subject: Re: [OM] Filter question for portraits
From: "John A. Lind" <jlind@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 22:26:02 -0500
At 02:31 AM 6/24/03, Albert wrote:
My portraits are sharp. Err.. Too sharp. My gf's zits are highly visible to her dismay. Also, sometimes the skintone is not so accurate.

What filters would you all suggest?  Something like an 81??

I don't believe in softening the picture with filters (I can do that with Guassian blur a la photoshop) but color rendering seems like a problem I'd like to tackle..

Asian skin presents a serious problem, a little redish on Fuji, WAY too brown on Kodak...

Albert

Reducing prominence of skin blemishes with color film is going to be difficult. A warming filter (e.g., skylight) has such a slight effect that it likely won't produce what you want. I suggest using B&W film and a yellow, orange or red filter . . . in that order. The most common colored filters used with B&W are yellow, orange, red, green and blue. The important things to remember about colored filters with B&W film is they lighten their own color and darken their complentary color:

Yellow filters are often used with B&W portraiture as they render average skin tones to a more natural looking gray color and are the least risky with other effects. The one thing I concern myself with is whether the subject is blonde. I don't think that's an issue in your case. With less risk there is also less effect at reducing prominence of skin blemish. These typically come in two "strengths" . . . a more pale and a deeper yellow. I don't recommend using this filter with a blonde.

Orange filters have a similar effect as yellow filters, but the effect is greater. There is more risk at shifting some other colors (such as clothing or background) to looking slightly unnatural in grayscale. The lips will look a little more pale than what might be expected, but it's not extreme. I don't recommend using this filter with a blonde or redhead

Red filters have the greatest risk. Their effect is usually quite noticeable, although if carefully used they can work well. Reds in particular will look much more pale, especially lips.

Green filters are used for a variety of reasons. In portraiture they are typically used outdoors to provide "color separation" (read: greater grayscale difference) between skin tones and blue sky. They will also provide separation against foliage (by making the green foliage lighter). I don't recommend using it for reducing skin blemishes though. Based on my use of it in the past, I predict it would leave them neutral (no effect) or possibly slightly enhance them.

A blue filter is NOT what you want to use to reduce skin blemishes. Indeed, they are used to enhance them for documenting scars, etc. If a person has very clear skin however, the blue can be used to create dramatically darker lips. With men, the filter will enhance a ruddy look and make prominent the "character" of an older one's face (e.g. the Ancient Mariner's "face that launched a thousand ships"). A variation of the blue filter is the cyan, which provides a more accurate rendition of what the very old orthochromatic films produced.

-- John


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