The Olsen Family

posted January 3, 2012 in Portraits

Kicking off the first portrait session post on the blog for 2012 is the Olsen Family. Together, they are 1 part energy, 1 part cuteness, 1 part kindness, blended with some very smart brains and garnished with warm hearts and friendly smiles… perfect ingredients for a photogenic family portrait session in Fort Collins, Colorado. Rachel Olsen is an wonderful wedding photographer. And to shoot family portraits of another photographer is always a hoot (and a challenge!).

Little 5-week H and 4-year-old B were super adorable in their vivid colors, which match their bright personalities. Old Town Fort Collins remains a special place for the Olsen family, as many family memories line the historic streets decorated with festive lights. wpid-olsen_family_fort_collins_portrait_photography_06-2012-01-2-23-03.jpg This session represents a whole new approach to family portraits three ways for me.

First, I shot these entire images using a Mamiya 645 medium-format film camera and a 80 mm f/1.9 lens with Kodak Portra 400 for the color film and Kodak T-Max 400 B&W, the film I learned on back in the early 90s. This was my very first portrait session in which I shot pretty much all film, with the exception on a few digital stills just in case none of the film ‘turned out.’ Turns out, there were many favorite timeless photos I know the Olsen family will cherish. Richard Photo Lab did a great job with the development and scanning of the film negatives.
Next, Shooting film slows down the shooting process. Which is a good thing. Why? For starters, I figure it is about $2 a shot which includes purchase of film, shipping of film to lab, processing, and scanning into a digital format. This causes me to really think before clicking the shutter, otherwise I waste not only time on my part in post-production, but money. That’s an easy consideration. However, the processing of correctly loading and unloading the film, gives us down time to think, explore, and talk with clients and explain what film is (many kids and adults forget what film cameras are all about).
Finally, documenting a family near and dear to me reminded me that there is nothing wrong with looking into the camera, smiling, and clicking the shutter. Moments often are fleeting, yet capturing them in a familiar, fun context despite hectic schedules. However, there are also a traditional approach to photography that serves as documentary, especially in a family portrait context. These photos WILL matter in 50 years, especially for kids to see young parents. Moms and Dads, yes, we all age. And that’s a good thing because it means we are living, a notion some take for granted.

General impressions:

There truly is nothing like film. No Photoshop action can replicate the authenticity of film. And if you might try, you are missing the entire point about what film authenticty is about.
Digital is too sharp. With film, there is a greater artistic latitude in the creation of slightly out-of-focus image. There is much more beauty to feel.
The dynamic range of medium-format film is greater than digital. Great shadow detail and highlights don’t get blown out nearly as easily as shooting JPEGS.
I like the ‘clunk’ of a shutter. There is something inspiriting to clients when they can hear a confident shutter ‘click’ that comes with shooting a film camera. So much, in fact, I’ve heard stories of models who don’t like the sound of quiet digital cameras since there is little camera feedback that what they are doing is correct, which can happen when you use a plastic Canon 5D toy camera.
I love the 3D pop from shooting at f/1.9 with a medium format film sensor (about f/1.0 on a 35mm sensor).

Going forward I will continue to offer film portrait sessions to clients who love film authenticity.

Here are a few more favorites from our session: wpid-olsen_family_fort_collins_portrait_photography_03-2012-01-2-23-03.jpg For extra credit (shot with digital), a flower girl dress with super sparkly shoes… And a homemade snowman in the back yard! Click here to see more film images from this portrait session… all shot on medium format film.