Surprises

by Misti Layne

I love surprises and some of the best are when I get proofs back from the lab and go through the images of the wedding that is now a blur in my mind. I've been shooting film since I was kid and typically know what I'm going to get when I snap the shot. But I never fail to get surprises that make me smile.

I love the deep tones and contrast of black and white film and usually use available light when I can or bounced flash. I'm pretty much self taught so I know the basic rules but like to break them. You know the ones-don't shoot into the sun, Sunny 16, Rules of Thirds, etc, etc. I guess because I haven't had them fully explained to me I just don't care to live by them and actually play with them.

So I recently got back some film and a couple of the shots just made me smile because first the bride was just a joy and you can see it on her face and second the play of light was just fun and cool and added to the element of getting ready which is also one of my favorite parts to shoot in a wedding. So here are my two fave latest "surprises".

The War Photographer

by Misti Layne

I recently saw this movie again and just had to recommend it. It's a documentary about James Nachtwey. He's been a photojournalist for over 20 years and this movie, The War Photographer, really takes you into his world. First you are struck by his calm, soothing, even demeanor. Then you are just amazed when you see him this same way in horrible situations. He takes you to conflict and war zones, sulfur mines where he needs to be led out when he gets overcome with the fumes and in the midst of pain and anguish. You see a family who live between train tracks in I believe Indonesia. The father had gotten drunk and was missing an arm and a leg because he fell asleep on the tracks and was hit but still bathes his kids and tries his best. James takes you right there and you just wonder if you could do what he does.

The part about this that is amazing is that you see it from his viewpoint. He attaches a film camera to his camera and you see what he sees through the lens--almost. You see when he takes a photo, some of the settings he uses, the fact he uses 400 TriX and has no problem reloading film while bullets are flying overhead.

Another amazing aspect of this movie was watching him and a printer develop one of his prints. They go over and over it again getting more and more details and matching it to his vision.

This is photography and a photographer at his best.

"I attempt to become as totally responsible to the subject as I possibly can. The act of being an outsider aiming a camera can be a violation of humanity. The only way I can justify my role is to have respect for the other person's predicament. The extend to which I do that is the extent to which I become accepted by the other, and to that extent I can accept myself." James Nachtwey

Catch this movie when you can but at least check out his website and his work. It will take your breath away and make you appreciate every last thing you have.

Jose Villa joins Film Impressions

Creating the New Old School in Wedding Photography
by Jose Villa

People often ask me how I developed my style, and how I create images that stand out in today’s highly competitive wedding market. Well, I am a fine art wedding photographer. My approach applies fine art photography to the living, breathing, fast-moving phenomenon that is a wedding. Yes, I do some documentary photography—you need to capture the important moments at a wedding—but I also compose and direct. For me, it is all about making something beautiful, even if I have to insert myself into the situation and recreate a moment. Ultimately, my goal is to craft vibrant, energetic, fine art images that are as unique as the people in the photographs.

The origin of my style traces back to my time working for commercial photographer Marcy Malloy. Shortly after graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography, I spent some time with Marcy at her San Francisco studio. Her work is very active and playful. She produces bright images that portray a happy, vivacious lifestyle. Later, when I opened my own studio in Solvang, Calif., I decided to apply the same type of look to my wedding photography. I wanted that active, playful feel. I wanted to focus on positive emotions—people laughing and smiling and having a good time. That is, after all, how couples want to remember their wedding!

With the emotional component determined, I set about forming a specific artistic look. I came up with an avant garde fine art approach that combines progressive shooting with a vintage feel—all captured on film. Film that has amazing grain, and soft pastel color.

I do as much as possible in camera. First, I set my camera so that I’m overexposing my images by a stop to a stop-and-a-half. This produces a nice, soft glow. I want light wrapping around my subjects and giving off a sense of warmth. Typically, I expose for the shadow. I use a variety of Fuji films, which are all forgiving enough to give detail in the black of the groom’s tux without washing out the bride’s white dress. I also like to shoot with an extremely shallow depth of field. The shallow depth of field works well with the overexposure to create that soft, wrap-around glow.

Next, I compose. I don’t just take pictures as things happen. I capture moments, but I do it with more of an artistic perspective. Beauty to me is elegance, simplicity and clean, white spaces. So I look for compositions where I can take advantage of beautiful blue skies, blank walls or stunning but clean natural backgrounds. If necessary, I will recreate a moment, framing the subjects with an ideal background and putting them in perfect light. Throughout the wedding, I direct lightly. When I see something attractive, I jump in and help turn the moment into a memorable image. It’s more of an editorial style, as if I was conducting a fashion or lifestyle photo shoot.

As I mentioned already, I shoot everything on film. During the course of a wedding, I’ll shoot fast-paced documentary images with a 35mm Canon EOS-1V, artsy selective focus photos with a Holga camera, and broad panoramas with the Hasselblad Xpan. But my Contax 645 medium format camera is my most important tool. Using a Carl Zeiss 80mm f/2.0 lens, I can engineer a really shallow depth of field while keeping the subjects in tack-sharp focus. When I overexpose images on Fuji color films like Pro 400H or 800Z, the colors come out almost pastel. To augment this look, I back light and let the light wrap around the subjects for beautiful color that’s reminiscent of a painting. A lot of my clients book me specifically because of this approach to color.

The Contax 645 is pretty fast for a medium-format camera. I treat it a lot like a 35mm SLR. I put it on aperture priority, hand hold everything, and just let it go. I use this camera for most of the detail shots (flowers, place settings, rings, etc.) and for the editorial-style images with the bride and groom. It’s especially useful for a couple-only portrait shoot as the sun is going down. With the excellent Zeiss glass, I get the couple in very sharp focus and then let everything else go soft. Also, when I set the aperture to f/2, I can create a little motion blur, which gives a sense of activity. Brides love this style because it reminds them of a fashion spread in a magazine.

To properly execute my approach, I must develop a strong rapport with my clients. I let them know that I’m going to direct them, but it’s going to be a relaxed process. I don’t just tell them to “walk over there and act naturally.” Instead, I get them to have fun. I laugh a lot and joke around, and I encourage them to do the same. I promote a lot of motion. I like to have them running toward the camera, jumping off things. This helps produce those energetic images that couples love. It’s a tweaked real-life look, instead of static images where people just stand in one place and smile.

I feel like wedding photography is moving away from strict photojournalism and toward a more editorial, magazine-type look. Today’s couples want their wedding images to look like they’re out of a fashion spread. They want a more artistic influence. They want stylized imagery that promotes happy memories from a beautiful day. I provide this by merging progressive shooting techniques with the vintage look. The result is fine art weddings—and a very busy schedule of high-end weddings!

Impressions

by Edie Fogel

Misti of Images by Misti Layne, approached me awhile ago about creating a website or blog dedicated to California photographers who are passionate about film based photography. I was so excited because I just love using film and wanted to connect with other film photographers.

As we brain stormed about possible names for the site we came up with Film Impressions. The dictionary defines impressions as:
• an idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone
• an effect produced on someone
• a difference made by the action or presence of someone or something

Since the site would be a place for various photographers to come together, it seemed appropriate to have a name that honored their unique vision. During the process of making a photograph, that moment a photographer presses the button, becomes the defining moment. These moments become our images/impressions of how we see or interpret the world.

Impressions also brought to mind the Impressionist Art Movement. The Impressionist painters of the 1860s, Degas, Monet and Renoir, were interested in "romanticism and the visual impression of the moment, esp. in terms of the shifting effect of light and color." These painters were influenced by early photographers and and they in turn have influenced many modern day photographers, including myself.

The name "film impressions" seemed to be indeed a great title choice for this blog dedicated to such a beautiful craft, film based photography. I hope this site will make an impression on you.