Re: [Leica] Color print portrait film

["Dan Post" <dwpost@email.msn.com>]

VPSIII is really nice for portraits, easy to get, and works just fine!
dwpost@msn.com
- -----Original Message-----
From: Bill Bain <BBain@IMNET.com>
To: leica-users-digest@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
<leica-users-digest@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Date: Tuesday, June 02, 1998 11:22 AM
Subject: [Leica] Color print portrait film

>I have been drafted into doing my daughter's soccer team portraits (the
>commercial photographer that was hired did a less than adequate job (no,
>he did not use a Leica!)).  Each girl will have an individual portrait
>and then the obligatory group picture.  These will be done just prior to
>their end-of-season party at our pool.  I'm thinking, since my yard has
>some nice areas with a variety of shade, that my M-3 with my 90mm
>Elmarit on a tripod and perhaps my Vivitar 285 set on 1/16 power would
>be a reasonable set-up for the individual potraits.  While a lot of
>folks would say use a 90mm Summicron to have more variety in DOF, I've
>got to dance with what brung me.  I think the soft lighting of open
>shade would be quite pleasing and the electronic flash could provide a
>mild 'catch-light' in their eyes and open up any shadows just a little
>bit.  I usually use the flash with a bounce diffuser to avoid the "deer
>in the headlights" look.  Just to be on the safe side I will have my
>Canon EOS with a 28-105 zoom available as a backup and for the group
>picture.
>
>Questions:
>
>Any film recommendations?  Since I do expect these to be enlarged, fine
>grain would be nice.  Color print film would be preferred since I can
>get the portrait proofs back during the party, but to use any sort of
>fill flash with an M3, it'll have to be pretty slow.  If I can't use
>electronic flash, I'll try to use some sort of reflector and bounce some
>light  into the faces.  I will have the opportunity to shoot a test roll
>using my daughter as the model and refine exposure, fill ratios,
>etc.before having to do it "for real."
>
>Any thoughts on the setup in general?  I don't usually do portrait work
>at all, but I've been "drafted" to make the best of a truly fubared
>situation (would you take portraits of 10 year old girls in bright
>noonday sun?  They look like old women squinting and the harsh light
>does nothing to capture the paradox of both the softness of them as
>little girls and their toughness as competitors).  I think the photog's
>goals was to get it done as quickly as possible
>
>Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!