Hey everybody! We are doing a project where you are supposed to immulate a famous photographer. It has to be someone from a list made up by my professor. I think I have chosen Laura Gilpin. But I only want to practice a certain time period in her career. The early days when she was taking Autochrome portraits and some still lifes. My question is, what kind of film, and filters (one camera or enlarger) would I use to get this hazy grainy soft effect she got in her pictures? I have ordered a grain filter for an enlarger from freestyle photo. I don't know if that will be enough. I am also planning on trying some tri-x pan 400, and some Ilford sfx 200 with a red filter. Is there anything else I can do...change the film speed manually or something to get even more grain in my still lifes? She was using Autochromes within a year of thier release on the American market. I plan to hand color a few of them to match that look. I don't want to do exactly what she did, simply, her style and that fantasy, dreamy look. Any help would be great as I need 10 different photos for this assignment. Thanks

-- martha goldsmith (oscar@unidial.com), November 14, 1999

Answers

Use the fastest color negative film you can find, then print this on B&W paper to be hand tinted. Laura Gilpin was a neat lady. If your school (or local used bookstore) has the 1941 U.S. Camera Annual, there is a great native American picture by her, along with a brief statement. Worth following up.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), November 14, 1999.

Martha,

I think that Kodak's High Speed Infrared might give you exactly what you are looking for. It has the potential to produce a very ethereal look and certainly qualifies as a grainy film. Check it out.

Michael D. D'Avignon

-- Michael D. D'Avignon (LoungeAxe@aol.com), November 15, 1999.

Wandering off topic here, I have to enlarge (no pun intended) Bill's recommendation about the US Camera annual. They are generally easy to find in used book stores, typically cost less than $25 in good condition, and will add immensely to your photographic library. Get the 1941, but get any others you can lay your hands on that appeal to you. Great stuff!

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), November 15, 1999.

I USE KODAK RECORDING FILM AND PUSH IT TO 3200 ASA. IT IS VERY GRAINY WITH THE LOOK OF A PENCIL SKETCH.

-- JACK PAOLINI (anyangle1@aol.com), November 22, 1999.

Jack stole my answer. Try using the recording film with a soft focus filter. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

-- Walter Massa (WFMassa@webtv.net), November 28, 1999.

and stretch some of your panty hose over the lens to make that soft focus effect. develope your film in dektol at 80*f and it will reticulate a little. nice effect. if you use IRT film, stop the lens down as far as it will go and shoot at the given exposure. long exposures give you lots of grain. long printing times with a hard contrast filter(5) or hard paper grade. nice pencil soft focus effect. james

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), November 28, 1999.