Tips for historic period photography?

[Golf4food]

I will be attending a civil war reenactment next weekend and would love to get some good photos now that we have a dSLR that can do more than P&S. Being a period event, getting photos that leave out as much of the modern world as possible would be great. What suggestions would any of you experienced photographers have for taking period-looking photos in a modern setting?

 

[boBQuincy]

High angle & low angle shots tend to minimize the amount of background and help preserve the period look.

 

[mabas9395]

Having never been to a reenactment I don't know how much action there is compared to people just standing around in period attire. But from what I've seen from the History Channel, there is actual role playing. How far away are you going to be from the "action"? That will determine a lot of it.

 

[jann1033]

not familiar with it but if you want to convert to b& white ( which i am guessing you would ) virtual photographer has some vintage type settings

 

[Golf4food]

Yes, I plan to convert some to B&W during post in PS. As for the action, you can walk around all of the camps during the day, but during the actuall battle portion where they reenact the fighting you are kept behind ropes with bleachers or on the ground, so any shots of the "fighting" would be from those angles. Camp shots, however, can be done in any way imaginable usually.

 

[tinksdad]

Black and white and sepia renditions of the photos are a nice touch and make it look quite old.

If you're converting from color to B&W, do some research (there is plenty of info if you Google it) about how to convert for the best contrast and look from color.

 

[Spinning]

2 words....rapid fire!
I love taking pictures of reinactments. But if this is your first it is really hard to time the actually cannon fire.
also remember most of the actors don't smile for the camera. Here are a few of my pictures from this summer:

 

[YEKCIM]

2 words....rapid fire!
I love taking pictures of reinactments. But if this is your first it is really hard to time the actually cannon fire.
also remember most of the actors don't smile for the camera. Here are a few of my pictures from this summer:

Nice pix, Spinning! My dad (now 82) began Civil War reenacting in about 1988, and my first exposure (pun intended) was following his company (Fourth AL Inf Regt) around camp and battlefield with camera in hand. Eventually, I acquired a gray suit and a blue suit, and exchanged my Minolta for an Enfield, and learned the manual of arms. I was never a good soldier, and don't miss the marching, drill, etc. Gave up all that nonsense several years ago. I was never a good photographer, either, but *do* miss shooting a camera at events, rather than a musket. ***SHAMELESS SELF-PROMO WARNING*** Despite all that, I did manage to get one of my reenactment shots (VERY lucky shot, actually) published in a book called, "Let Freedom Ring", which was the result of a Parade Magazine contest that my mom prevailed upon me to enter.

Golf4Food: Some of my better reenactment shots were close ups around camp, etc, of reenactors and equipment. By controlling cropping DOF, you can usually eliminate any "farby" objects/persons in the picture, making it a lot more "period" in appearance.

~YEKCIM

 

[Golf4food]

Nice pix, Spinning! My dad (now 82) began Civil War reenacting in about 1988, and my first exposure (pun intended) was following his company (Fourth AL Inf Regt) around camp and battlefield with camera in hand. Eventually, I acquired a gray suit and a blue suit, and exchanged my Minolta for an Enfield, and learned the manual of arms. I was never a good soldier, and don't miss the marching, drill, etc. Gave up all that nonsense several years ago. I was never a good photographer, either, but *do* miss shooting a camera at events, rather than a musket. ***SHAMELESS SELF-PROMO WARNING*** Despite all that, I did manage to get one of my reenactment shots (VERY lucky shot, actually) published in a book called, "Let Freedom Ring", which was the result of a Parade Magazine contest that my mom prevailed upon me to enter.

Golf4Food: Some of my better reenactment shots were close ups around camp, etc, of reenactors and equipment. By controlling cropping DOF, you can usually eliminate any "farby" objects/persons in the picture, making it a lot more "period" in appearance.

~YEKCIM

Thanks Spinning and Yeckim. Just for the record, I've been to well more than a dozen reenactments, so as far as knowing where to look and when to look, I've got no problems there. I'm looking more for camera settings, etc. for the actual picture taking process more than anything else. I grew up 15 minutes away from this particular battlefield, so it is part of my childhood, etc.

I did actually win a photojournalism award (for high school newspapers, nothing big - I got a ribbon... woo!) while in high school for a photo I took at this reenactment with an old 35mm, but it was dumb luck because I had no idea about setting back then and know only marginally more now! Haven't played around with the new dSLR enough to get very far away from Auto mode, but would like to!

 

[YEKCIM]

G4F:

My impression, looking at actual CW era photos is that the technology of that time dictated very shallow DOF, so maybe shooting wide open a lot would give your pix the "1860's" look you are looking for.

~YEKCIM

 

[jann1033]

G4F:

My impression, looking at actual CW era photos is that the technology of that time dictated very shallow DOF, so maybe shooting wide open a lot would give your pix the "1860's" look you are looking for.

~YEKCIM

i believe i once read that due to the equipment used, any formal poses the people were very stiff looking and had expressions like they were in front of a firing squad, no smiles allowed
happened to go through the Gettysburg museum last year but found it very sad and that place seriously creeped me out, personally not into that death and dying stuff.

 

[YEKCIM]

i believe i once read that due to the equipment used, any formal poses the people were very stiff looking and had expressions like they were in front of a firing squad, no smiles allowed
happened to go through the Gettysburg museum last year but found it very sad and that place seriously creeped me out, personally not into that death and dying stuff.

You are correct and I believe the reason was the low "ISO" of the emulsion on the glass negative plates (and we think 35mm film is antiquated!). Low sensitivity necessitated wide aperture and slow (several seconds?) shutter speed.

I've been to Gettysburg a few times and, while I agree with you that it is sad to think about the lives lost, it was a pivotal event in our nation's and the world's history, and the bravery of the soldiers involved, whether gray or blue, is truly amazing...Pickett's Charge, in particular. It was an humbling and awe-inspiring visit for me.

~YEKCIM

 

[Golf4food]

i believe i once read that due to the equipment used, any formal poses the people were very stiff looking and had expressions like they were in front of a firing squad, no smiles allowed
happened to go through the Gettysburg museum last year but found it very sad and that place seriously creeped me out, personally not into that death and dying stuff.

It took a minute or longer for an exposure to take during the civil war, so the people didn't smile because it hurts to smile that long! That is why they all look uncomfortable, angry, or sad in the old photos. It isn't because nobody was happy, it is because nobody could hold a smile for so long and any movement would blur the exposure.

So to get the wide open shallow DOF, what mode/settings would be best? There are a lot of pine trees, so much of the camp areas are in the shade, while the battlefield is in a field and would be in the sun.

 

[YEKCIM]

It took a minute or longer for an exposure to take during the civil war, so the people didn't smile because it hurts to smile that long! That is why they all look uncomfortable, angry, or sad in the old photos. It isn't because nobody was happy, it is because nobody could hold a smile for so long and any movement would blur the exposure.

So to get the wide open shallow DOF, what mode/settings would be best? There are a lot of pine trees, so much of the camp areas are in the shade, while the battlefield is in a field and would be in the sun.

Perhaps low ISO, aperture preferred mode, set widest aperture, or maybe stop down just one stop from max aperture, and let the camera figure out the correct shutter speed.

~YEKCIM

 

[ukcatfan]

So to get the wide open shallow DOF, what mode/settings would be best? There are a lot of pine trees, so much of the camp areas are in the shade, while the battlefield is in a field and would be in the sun.

Like YEKCIM said, the wide aperture settings help with that. It would help us to know what lens you are using and about what focal length it will be at. Some lenses are not very sharp at wide open and that may not satisfy your needs if you go with that setting. If you have a chance to practice in a similar setting as the battlefiled, that could help.

Kevin

 

[Golf4food]

Like YEKCIM said, the wide aperture settings help with that. It would help us to know what lens you are using and about what focal length it will be at. Some lenses are not very sharp at wide open and that may not satisfy your needs if you go with that setting. If you have a chance to practice in a similar setting as the battlefiled, that could help.

Kevin

We have a Pentax istDL and will be taking a Sigma 18-125mm lens since it is a good all-around lens for the type of photos we'll be taking - won't need a stronger zoom realy since most action is close enough that the 125 will be more than enough zoom for good close-ups.

I've not played around much in AP (or is it AV on ours... I don't have it with me) mode. Maybe I'll get a chance on Saturday before we go out to the battle on Sunday.

 

[ukcatfan]

We have a Pentax istDL and will be taking a Sigma 18-125mm lens since it is a good all-around lens for the type of photos we'll be taking - won't need a stronger zoom realy since most action is close enough that the 125 will be more than enough zoom for good close-ups.

I've not played around much in AP (or is it AV on ours... I don't have it with me) mode. Maybe I'll get a chance on Saturday before we go out to the battle on Sunday.

That is a nice all-around, but it might not give you enough sharpness at 125mm with a wide aperture though. Then again, for period photographs, maybe you do not really want it the sharpest it can get. If possible, you should practice first. You do not have to go to the actual location if you know the distances pretty well already. Try to visualize the scene in your neighborhood with cars, mailboxes, etc. taking the place of the cannons, horses, people, etc. See if you get the results you want with the shallow DOF while still getting enough sharpness for your needs. Just remember that for DOF, it is smaller when you are closer to a subject and when a longer focal length is used. Check this site out: http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html It is very helpful if you know the variables.

Kevin

 

[Golf4food]

Kevin,

Thanks. That is a neat website.