How can I create a brushed or stepped background while keeping the subject sharp on film?
Asked 3/24/2015
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I’m trying to recreate a film look where the background has a brushed, layered, or stepped effect, but the subject in the foreground remains relatively clear and sharp. I’ve been experimenting with negative manipulation, but I’m not sure whether this effect is better achieved in-camera instead. What shooting technique on film could produce a layered background like this while leaving the subject crisp?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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The image looks like it could have been done in-camera, if the camera had a multiple exposure function. If the camera was tilted down for the first exposure, level for the middle exposure then tilted up for the last, you would achieve the stepped gradient effect we see here.
The model looks to have been photographed against an evening sky (or sunset), and appears as more of a silhouette in the first two exposures (where she "appears" top and centre), which is what you would expect if you didn't have any fill-flash or other light source to illuminate the model.
If the first two exposures were handheld at a relatively low shutter speed, a flash firing on the last exposure would explain the crispness of the model at the bottom of the frame.
I'm not saying this is how it was done (obviously I'm not the original photographer) but it could have been done in this way without the need for any darkroom trickery.
Originally by user38190. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user38190
11y ago
0
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This effect may not require manipulating the negative afterward. Based on the description, it could be made in-camera using multiple exposures.
A likely method is:
- Make several exposures of the same frame.
- Change the camera angle between exposures, such as tilting down, then level, then up, to create the layered or stepped background effect.
- Shoot the first exposures with the subject darker or more silhouetted against the sky/background.
- On the final exposure, use flash to freeze and clearly define the subject.
That combination would explain why the background looks smeared or brushed while the subject appears crisp in one position. A slower handheld shutter speed on the earlier exposures could also add softness or motion to the background layers, while the flash on the last exposure would keep the subject sharp.
So the look is likely better approached as a multiple-exposure film technique, possibly with flash on the final frame, rather than relying only on negative manipulation.
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