Noir-Inspired Photos

[Gene]

I have no idea in what section this would go, but I got hit by a wave of inspiration after watching a "Noir-a-Night" for a couple weeks and decided to take some photos inspired by the movies I've been watching. It was a lot of fun to play with the lighting and the get the shadows and "mood" right.

So tell me what you guys think, it's been awhile since I posted on here:

Annnd just for fun...

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

I like your photos. Nice use of lighting and shadows.

 

[Gene]

Thanks! These are my first and second go-arounds, experimenting with light and shadows, which I have relatively no experience doing, nor great equipment!

 

[Atomic Age]

Nicely done! Here are a few of mine.

These are production stills from my film Blackout.

Doug

 

[Atomic Age]

Thanks! These are my first and second go-arounds, experimenting with light and shadows, which I have relatively no experience doing, nor great equipment!

You obviously have a good eye. You've captured the noir mood very well.

Doug

 

[Gene]

You obviously have a good eye. You've captured the noir mood very well.

Doug

Thanks a lot Doug! Basically you are looking at me, a crappy 8 megapixel camera, and a high-watt spotlight. What I find amazing is the way you can change an entire photo just by the lighting...after all, the shadows in a noir are another character of their own in the films.

If you have any tips or tricks to share, I'd be glad to hear them!

 

[Atomic Age]

Many noir films were shot with a very limited number of lights. Normally a Key light, back light, and a light to throw some shadows on the background. Sometimes you use a little fill light. For shadow effects, I just bought some large foam core boards and cut the shapes I wanted in them. I created a standard Cucoloris that looks quite a bit like this...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/32843-REG/Matthews_189094_Cucoloris_24x36.html

Then I created another one that just has slashes in it that start small and get wider as they go. I creates 2 slashes of light on the background.

I also bought a set of cheap mini blinds at Target. I just tape them onto 2 light stands and shoot my background light through them.

If you are going to use this kind of lighting on the background, then you have to control spill from your key light. I use a product called Black Wrap. Its a heavy dull black aluminum foil that you can wrap around the light to create a snoot. You can shape it to fit your subject, and the light will fall most there and not over power the shadows on the background.

Hope these tips help you out, but frankly you've already got a great start.

Doug

 

[The Wolf]

Nice job, Gene.
I especially like the second and fourth photos.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[Atomic Age]

BTW here is the poster I created for the film.

Doug

 

[Tifa]

Really cool pictures!! Great job!
I love weapons in noir movies
Here is a picture of me (photo taken by a photographer), we tried to get that noir feeling.

 

[Atomic Age]

Really cool pictures!! Great job!
I love weapons in noir movies
Here is a picture of me (photo taken by a photographer), we tried to get that noir feeling.

Wow! Very nice!

 

[FRASER_NASH]

Femme fatales..et al..just awesome work!! Inspirational is THE WORD.

 

[martinsantos]

Very fine photos here!

I'm very new about artificial lighting yet; here some examples I did with photoflood lamp (one #1, plus a screen as a reflector). Of course very far from perfect; this is a difficult task... Difficult to manage the high contrast.

 

[Mickey Caesar]

Really cool pictures!! Great job!
I love weapons in noir movies
Here is a picture of me (photo taken by a photographer), we tried to get that noir feeling.

Yes, Mommie Dearest

 

[Benzadmiral]

Superb work here, all of you. Martinsantos, I especially liked your three. The middle one suggests film noir to me; the first and third say "British film ca. 1955-65," for some reason.

 

[martinsantos]

Thanks, Paul! Glad you liked. Maybe the 1th and 3th photos have this look because the clothes?

Anyway, I'm still starting with this kind of lighting. They make a big fuzz in my home, and then I'm going slow about this...

Martin

Superb work here, all of you. Martinsantos, I especially liked your three. The middle one suggests film noir to me; the first and third say "British film ca. 1955-65," for some reason.

 

[Atomic Age]

Thanks, Paul! Glad you liked. Maybe the 1th and 3th photos have this look because the clothes?

Anyway, I'm still starting with this kind of lighting. They make a big fuzz in my home, and then I'm going slow about this...

Martin

The first and third photos have somewhat soft light feel to them with quite a bit of fill light. European films of the 60's tended to use soft lighting, where as American films were still using hard un-diffuse key light, so that maybe why he gets a 60's Europe feel from those. Noir films in particular used hard light with very little fill, and very black shadows.

Doug

 

[martinsantos]

That's my biggest problem, Doug. The efect light is always too soft (and too strong). Do you have any idea how I can make this light harder without a spotlight? I'm using an open reflector.

The best I got in the " noir feeling" wasn't very good as photography. I used a slide projector as main light (please don't look at these as photos, but just as exercises in lighting). The little fill-in came from a slide screen.

The first and third photos have somewhat soft light feel to them with quite a bit of fill light. European films of the 60's tended to use soft lighting, where as American films were still using hard un-diffuse key light, so that maybe why he gets a 60's Europe feel from those. Noir films in particular used hard light with very little fill, and very black shadows.

Doug

 

[Isis]

I took a series of noir-inspired portraits of freinds a couple of years ago. This is the only one I have permission to show on the Net, though.

 

[Argee]

Inspired by a picture of Bogart