6-shot film portrait to improve image quality.

Lead: People shoot beautiful women, you shoot beautiful women! People use film, so do you. It's rare to send a roll to print and scan, but the color is always not as delicate as others, and the picture quality is just rough. Why? Today, I will share the unique cheats of movie portrait control. Don't complain about the poor picture quality. Look at these methods. Have you finished it all?

1. Be familiar with your camera.

I started to contact film photography, about February 20 12. I accidentally turned over an old camera used by my grandfather before his death, 1940 German Zeiss. Out of curiosity, I put a black-and-white roll in and used it, and then I became addicted. Different from the digital exaggeration of color and tone expression, the delicate color transition of film and the hierarchical relationship between tones deeply touched me. Since I participated in poco's portrait activities, I have gradually developed the habit of taking portraits with film.

Now the film machine in hand has the following models:

Road to 3.5 mx double reflex, road to double reflex lens fixed, is Schneider's 3.5/ 75 mm xenar.

Canon 5qd is equipped with a small sputum tank, 50 mm 1.8.

Lycra m6 is 35mm/ 1.4 sc (single chip) from Fu Lunda.

Brawnica sq-a and Bronica Zenzanon-S 80mm f/2.8

Nikon fm2 with Nikon 35/2.8

In addition, we have used German Zeiss 53 1a 645 folding, German 532 folding, IELTS card 124g double reverse, mamia c220f double reverse, Nikon fm2, Pentax mx and Pentax me super. In fact, I think every camera has its own reasons for taking different portraits on different occasions. It's hard to say which one is the most suitable. Let's talk about the characteristics of various cameras based on my own experience.

Lulu 3.5mx double reverse, which is made in Germany 120 double reverse, is characterized by firmness, reliability and relative portability. And the shutter between the mirrors is very light. The lens imaging is very retro and tasteful. Its biggest advantage when shooting portraits is that the shutter is light. The minimum safety shutter can reach115. In this era when it is difficult to buy high iso film, it is necessary to take photos indoors. Then the imaging is elegant, retro and unique. You can easily take photos that show retro and small freshness.

Nikon fm2 is a very solid, reliable and powerful all-manipulator mobile photometry camera. Imaging is characterized by high definition and bright and refreshing colors. This color is pleasant. The color is yellow, but it is not over-saturated.

? The image of Pentax is green and cold. High clarity and rich layers. Pentax's camera body is small and light. Among them, Pentax's me-super is the smallest film SLR in the world. However, the reliability of the fuselage is relatively low and it is easy to break down.

Then Leica m6, again with the light shutter. Reach115. Then manual focusing is very accurate. Suitable for night portraits and indoor portraits. In terms of image quality, m6 Fu Lunda's 35 1.4 single-film lens is lighter in color, with strong contrast and sharpness.

In addition, I would like to mention the new Canon 5qd, which has auto focus and high speed. Lightweight, automatic filming and winding, cheap, Canon 5qd's 50/1.8 color is saturated, warm, soft edges and rich layers. At present, there are many people who use it to shoot.

Choose the right movie

The choice of movies is not arbitrary. If you want to get better picture quality, you must understand the performance and characteristics of the film. All films have their own characteristics, so we should make good use of these characteristics to create. Film is divided into color and black and white, and the mainstream film brands are Kodak and Fuji. Fuji's expression of green is unique. Fuji's current civilian films are all four-layer photosensitive layers, and cyan layers are added in addition to red, green and blue, which greatly reduces the serious influence of color temperature on films, that is, improves the adaptability of color films to white balance at various color temperatures. Kodak is warmer, yellow and gorgeous.

Before taking a portrait, you should look at the weather, location, color temperature of the surrounding environment, lighting conditions and other factors, and plan which films to use. For example, in cloudy days or darkrooms, Kodak film should be chosen, because the color temperature in cloudy days or darkrooms will be slightly higher, so the picture will be cold. Kodak film can neutralize the color cast and better restore the color and skin color of the picture.

For each set of works, the most important thing is to unify the films. You can't mix films with different characteristics, otherwise there will be inconsistent colors, disharmony and no series. Moreover, there needs to be a type of roll with the same sensitivity, not just the same brand.

Indoor environment, slightly dark, using Kodak portra 400 film.

Outdoor environment, slightly cloudy, using film Fuji x-tra 400.

Semi-open light source environment, paying attention to green performance, very delicate, using film fujifilm 400H PRO.

Forest environment, complex light, using Kodak portra 400 film.

3. Accurate photometry is very important

Photometry is actually a very important process, because accurate photometry can better ensure normal and accurate exposure, thus restoring better image quality, and there will be no overexposure in the bright part or blackening in the dark part. I like the shooting environment of pictures, which is extreme, the light is very complicated, and it is difficult to judge the large area of white. If it can't be exposed accurately, it is easy to gray. I usually measure people's faces and measure reflected light, which can ensure normal exposure of people's faces. In portrait photography, people are the absolute subject, so correct exposure is very important.

In the era of mainstream film, many photographers can quickly judge the accurate exposure with extremely rich experience, which is a standard to evaluate whether a photographer is qualified. However, in the digital age, most photographers have crossed this painful training process, and few people can make the most accurate judgment quickly according to factors such as the proportion of light in the scene and the degree of reflection of objects while seeing an environment.

Many photographers who take portraits with film like to estimate by themselves, but this is actually wrong. Although the film has a large tolerance, overexposure and underexposure can be supplemented and adjusted in the process of developing and enlarging, but to get better picture quality, we must be strict with ourselves. Portrait shooting requires strict light, so it can't be completely estimated. We may be able to cope outdoors, but we are sure to fail indoors. Of course, it is best to have a professional exposure meter. If not, it doesn't matter. I recommend an APP installed on the iphone called exposure meter.

4. Clean the focus screen at any time.

In order to get good image quality, accurate focusing is a prerequisite. If the focus is on people's eyes, the eye light of the accurately focused picture will be sharper and the picture will be more tense. Let's not talk about focusing here. As long as you can use the camera, it's not difficult for you, but let me tell you a little trick.

If you use the 120 camera, you should carry a hair dryer with you, not only to blow the lens, but also to clean the focus screen of the 120 camera. Because the focus screen of 120 camera is facing up, it is easy to get dust, so keep the focus screen clean, so that you can see more clearly and focus more stably. In fact, the requirements of the old 135 camera are not very strict, and there will be dust on the focus screen, which can also be cleaned by blowing air at any time.

5. Strictly control the quantity

Friends who are used to numbers, it is more casual to press the shutter. For a long time, they have developed the habit of taking more photos and choosing again when they go back. In fact, this is not conducive to improving yourself. After a long time, the whole person's thinking time before shooting will be reduced, and the sensitivity to the picture will also be reduced. Film photography is more rigorous. If you want to get better picture quality, you must train yourself in every link. So every time I take a portrait, I strictly control the number every time, so that I can shoot a good work. Press the shutter less often, and you will use the shutter more carefully. If you know in your heart that you still have a lot of film, you won't cherish it. For example, shooting for 3 hours, there are 36 films of 135. I usually prepare a roll. There are 120 12 tablets. I usually prepare two rolls.

6. Self-developed film+forced development

Self-flushing is limited to black and white. In terms of color, the equipment is more complicated and more difficult to realize. Generally speaking, shops outside will be better than individuals, unless individuals are immersed in darkrooms all the year round and have rich experience. When using black and white, it is often better to develop the film by yourself than outside because of the great pressure, and now many small shops outside do not accept black and white film development.

What is forced robbery?

When shooting low-speed film as high-speed film, appropriate treatment (extending development time, etc. ) should be taken during development, that is, forced development or forced development.

Why rush?

Use a rinse tank. According to the normal sensitivity and standard developing procedure, you can get a negative with relatively standard contrast. If the development time is prolonged, the speed point of the film will increase, which is equivalent to increasing the sensitivity. This can be used in some occasions with low illumination, which can make the picture quality more delicate and avoid the coarse-grained picture quality of high-sensitivity film.

Why do you say you are good at it?

The secret of good image quality is how you develop it! Look at the concentration of developer you use. The higher the density, the better the image quality, and of course the higher the cost. Outside the store, because of the cost, you can't blindly extend the development time with the highest density and lower density, so the picture quality is very reluctant. If you do it yourself, you won't get the best effect in terms of cost. You will improve your concentration, shorten the time accordingly and get a better picture.