MAKING A “MONTE” P O R T R A I T by Monte Zucker FSWPP

So, what IS a “Monte Portrait”

It’s simple, direct, uncomplicated It has impact!

My philosophy in my work: I don’t photograph the world as it is. I photograph it as I want it to be. So, yes, I’m incurably romantic. I confess.

These portraits were created within the last 25-30 years. Most of them were created digitally within the last year or two. Some were created in the “olden” days before digital. These images are exactly as they appear in a new book of mine that was published recently by PictoBooks, (info@pictolab.com) The original book is 15x15 inches. It’s available in the full size and in a smaller 5x5 version by contacting them. Most of the images are printed on metallic paper. Incredible to see and hold!

I gave the files to PictoBooks and they designed the entire setup. Each page carries my message with it. The photographs are displayed with good taste and not a lot of digital effects that take away from the images, themselves. It’s difficult for some to lay off of the many gimmicks that are available now in digital printing. My hat is off to PictoBooks for preserving the dignity of my work.

Let’s go back in time….

Monte

Over 30 years ago I made this picture under the eaves of the rooftop of a barn. I had no idea then that this was to be the beginning of a style that I later developed for outdoor portraiture – that is, keeping the subject under cover to get directional light. The idea of placing it page-right with the graphics of the image to the left was completely generated by PictoBook’s resident artists. The outline of the photograph was created in Photoshop by going Filter/Stylize/Find Edges and changed to black and white.

I often strengthen the lighting ratio on men’s portraits. It seems that a higher contrast in men’s portraits makes the men appear stronger, more forceful.

The strong lighting in the black man’s portrait was accomplished by split lighting his face with one light, placing the camera where it saw the 2/3rd view of his face and keeping the main light in its normal position (at a 45° angle to the front of his face). A fill light (behind the camera) is 2 f/stops less than the main light on his face.

The other three portraits were lit by window light. I was careful to preserve detail throughout the images…from the brightest highlight down to the deepest shadows. I did it digitally by exposing for the highlights and bringing up the shadows with a reflector.

Monte

The next page, reproduced here, is a combination of the old and the new. The smaller portraits were created in my film era, too. The soft focus was done with an Imagon lens. I was never able to duplicate that same effect until I found Canon’s 135mm soft focus lens. With this lens I can again create whatever degree of softness I want by changing the f/ stops. Both of these portraits were created with the same basic Photogenic lighting system that I’m still using today (Photogenic Photo Master PM08 – 800 watt power pack with 4 lights coming out of it). It’s difficult to light two faces when they’re going in opposite directions, so the lighting has to be fairly centred on the two of them.

I had my light camera-right, as both of the brides have their faces turned in that direction. The larger high-key profile of the bride was created outdoors under cover, too. She was standing at the edge of a covered porch.

Monte Wedding

The background is Westcott’s translucent foldout 4x6’ panel. She was turned to get the natural profile lighting on her face. A silver reflector (Westcott’s Monte’s Illuminator) helped to open up the shadows. I exposed by using Aperture Priority on my Canon 10D (at that time). When I’m photographing into a brightly lit background like this the camera usually stops down a little too much, so I first let the camera pick its own settings and then override the f/stop if necessary.

Monte

What’s there is what I want you to see. Everything else has been left out. Whether square (Hasselblad, film-based era) or rectangular (I’m using Canon’s 20D now for everything that I do). I usually crop in the viewfinder. The background for these pictures is a small selection from the fabric that was draped around the woman in the larger image. The selection is then stretched in Photoshop through Edit/Free Transform to cover the entire page and the other photographs are then layered on top of it. It was almost like cheating when I photographed these models for the Canon D30 ad. It was my first professional digital camera. The reason that I say it was cheating is that there was a complete bank of ceiling-to-floor windows to my left. Large translucent panels that created an effect that you would get from north-light windows covered them. White ceiling, walls and floor bounced the light everywhere. Still the main light was coming from my left. An additional wall of windows was at each end of the commercial studio. They were covered by shear curtains that were taped to the walls.

The photographs were made in New York City with the help of Clay Blackmore and about 25 assistants walking around the studio. They were there to take care of the clothes, the hair, the make-up, the accessories, the kids and me! What a fabulous experience. None of these pictures was selected for the ad, but they gave me lots of practice.

To keep the mirror from reflecting the studio background I positioned large white panels on wheels so that they were the only things that showed in the mirror. I removed the edges of the panels in Photoshop.

Monte Wedding

No, it’s not cheating working with ambient light. One just needs to know how to put it to use. You need to know where it is, how to harness it and create lighting situations that create the “look” that you desire. The picture of the bride with the flowers beneath her chin has become one of my signature pictures. A window behind her created the highlights on the left side of her face. Another window behind me was the fill light. That’s all there was to it. The profile of the bride was created in the same way as the previous high-key profile. The shadows in the background of the page were the actual shadows of tree leaves behind the translucent panel when I took her picture.

Monte

What do you see when you look at this page of full-length brides? The answer: Brides! Gowns! Not necessarily a lot of landscape. Why don’t I do a lot of pictures outdoors in pretty gardens? Because I like to work in controlled lighting situations with simple backgrounds that ADD to the composition rather than distract. In my opinion many photographers go out into the open areas because they feel that they don’t have to worry about lighting. In fact, however, it’s MUCH easier to work as I do.

Let’s now look at some of the illustrations on this page of my book. Notice, by the way, that although there are many images on this two-page spread, there is nothing in the arrangement to take your eye away from the subjects. The layout is simple. It displays the images just the way I want them to be seen.

For the couple with the stained glass window behind them I exposed for the window and matched my Quantum digital flash to the exposure of the window. A wide-angle lens with the couple up close to the camera made them stand out and the window be just background to them.

The bride with the HUUUUGGGGEEE train was photographed under cover at the National Cathedral, Washington, DC. All natural light. A part of the back of her gown is the background for the whole double-page spread.

The bride in the living room was exposed for the ambient light in the room. I took the cover off my Quantum flash and used it bare-bulb at 1 1/2 stops below the ambient light. With Quantum’s digital attachment to my camera you can dial in how much flash you want to use and set it from 3 stops below the ambient light to 3 stops over. What did I ever do without it? I know. Polaroids. Lots of them. It’s never been this easy

The back profile of the bride was created with all natural light coming in under the porch rooftop. I positioned the camera to keep a simple background behind her profile.

All together the page says, “Brides!” The backgrounds are all there, but the brides still are the center of attention, aren’t they!

Monte Wedding

Although I work just as easily throughout the day in bright sunshine, I can use flash together with direct sunlight late in the afternoon for some pretty interesting effects. For the full-length picture of the guy holding the girl I used direct sunlight to light his face and chest, adding a flash at about a 45° angle to the camera to help open up the shadows for detail.

For the two pictures of the same man and the other girl on their knees I backlit both of them with the sun directly behind them, using a strong flash to light their faces and bodies. To get the sky that dark I exposed at 1/125th at f/16, so the flash had to be close enough to get f/16 or f/22. The stronger the flash the deeper the background. It’s that easy!

For my full-length model on top of the sand dune I used the late afternoon setting sun as the main light. A reflector opened up the deep shadows on the front of her gown. I was down on my back shooting up to the sky.

The background for all four pictures was a part of the beach scene from the first picture. Notice how light it is. It ties the pictures together without being a distraction.

Monte

So, now that you’ve studied my work…seen a collection of all kinds of subject matter… can you recognize my style? What is it? Can you see any continuity between all the images? Have I accomplished my goal? Incurably romantic?

How would you describe a Monte Portrait now?

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