W/NW Film Noir

[Roberto V.]

I was just reading the thread about Film Noir technique, and thought I'd make a thread just for images.


I'll start with this photo:

Blueberry Nights part IV by Roberto V., on Flickr

[semrich]

[semrich]

[Gabriel M.A.]

Lumix GF1 + Panasonic 20mm f/1.7




Canon 5D + Canon EF 50mm f/1.4




Canon 5D + Canon EF 50mm f/1.4

[Gabriel M.A.]

Although, apparently, smoking is a defacto qualifier for a "Film Noir" shot?



Leica M8 + 50mm f/1.4 Summilux "pre-asph" E46

[semrich]

[punkromance]

-Take a bad photo.
-Convert to B&W
-Set contrast to +100.
-instafilmnoir

[Gabriel M.A.]

Originally Posted by punkromance

-Take a bad photo.
-Convert to B&W
-Set contrast to +100.
-instafilmnoir

That often seems to work. Unfortunately, it waters down the really good "film noir" shots.

There was this guy on Pnut, who I think made a whole point of this: very banal shots, and cranked up the grain and contrast. Everybody went "oooooooooh". Same thing with InstantArtographycams (aka Holga/Diana); there are some very good photos taken with it, but many just use it as a, well, InstantArtographycam.

But you can tell the good ones from the Instanty ones.

[peterm1]

This might make a film noir photo


_1000460a by yoyomaoz, on Flickr

And maybe this could also be a film noir-ish photo(well it might be if it were in black and white)


DSC_1921a by yoyomaoz, on Flickr

[user237428934]

So it does not need to be dark outside, right?

[peterm1]

"So it does not need to be dark outside, right? "

No I dont think so. Film noir actually refers to a style of making movies popular in the 1940s. I found this wiki link for those interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir

Film noir movies normally were shot in a high contrast black and white style and lighting was set up to be very dramatic - sharp pools of light on a face or person framed by deep dark shadows, for example. Lighting was frequently very directional -often you saw deep long shadows on the ground before seeing an actor move into frame or one half of the face would be in light and the other in deep shadow.

Most importantly (and this is what "film noir" refers to), you also find in these movies a theme in which the story is dark and brooding and the hero is actually a kind of anti hero to add to the darkness (metaphorically speaking.)

A good modern example of this genre is the movie "The Good German" starring George Clooney. (It was even shot with uncoated period lenses and special film stock to get the right effect) An excellent period example was the 1948 thriller "The Third Man"

[semrich]

[semrich]

[River Dog]

Pentax MX 50mm at f1.4 on Tri-X in Holland Park, London.

[shyoon]

[FrankS]

Subject matter contibutes as well.

[Strangeluv]

Originally Posted by shyoon

Love this one!

[porktaco]

how convenient!

[petronius]

[filmtwit]

The smoke

[tomtofa]

[porktaco]

Originally Posted by semrich

very third man

[porktaco]

Originally Posted by punkromance

-Take a bad photo.
-Convert to B&W
-Set contrast to +100.
-instafilmnoir

lol. disagree but i love the light and shadow here.

[porktaco]

Originally Posted by petronius

*waits for bogeyman to jump out of shadows*

[Roberto V.]

Awesome photos guys, keep 'em coming!

A couple more from me:


Untitled by Roberto V., on Flickr


Untitled by Roberto V., on Flickr

[Roberto V.]

This was my first Film Noir photo, from my first roll of B&W film:

The Call by Roberto V., on Flickr

[paulfish4570]

Roberto, you are a talented young man.

[photony texas]

Is this Noir-ish ?

[Roberto V.]

Originally Posted by paulfish4570

Roberto, you are a talented young man.

Thanks Paul. I try to keep learning every day. Nice photo

[Roberto V.]

Originally Posted by photony texas

Is this Noir-ish ?

Interesting photos, I like the second one.

[Roberto V.]

Hey guys, could you recommend me some good film noir movies please? A good friend and I are planning an exhibit, and we decided to use the film noir aesthetic as a visual theme for the whole exhibit. I already have The Maltese Falcon, Gilda, and The Big Combo. Any other suggestions?

[peterm1]

Originally Posted by Roberto V.

Hey guys, could you recommend me some good film noir movies please? A good friend and I are planning an exhibit, and we decided to use the film noir aesthetic as a visual theme for the whole exhibit. I already have The Maltese Falcon, Gilda, and The Big Combo. Any other suggestions?

An absolute clasic is "The Third Man"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041959/

A good recent one in similar style is "The Good German" made in 2006 as a kind of homage to the film noir style.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452624/

[varjag]

Tango by varjagg, on Flickr

[Jaans]

Originally Posted by Gabriel M.A.

Although, apparently, smoking is a defacto qualifier for a "Film Noir" shot?



Leica M8 + 50mm f/1.4 Summilux "pre-asph" E46

Boom - that is one hell of a portrait - absolutely top notch. The intellect scouting the nearby tables for his next narrative. Sartre with the pipe on the bank looking into the dreamy future.The way you captured the subject with the bar/coffee shop in the background imbues it with a timeless quality.

Actually moving on from Paris, coz with the ever so slight subject movement from the slow shutter speed, I almost feel that I am in back in Berlin during the Weimar republic looking at a twisted debauched portrait by George Grosch or Otto Dix.

This photo portrait would not look out of place in Petersen's groundbreaking Cafe Lehmeitz book.

[paulfish4570]

[Roberto V.]

Originally Posted by peterm1

An absolute clasic is "The Third Man"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041959/

A good recent one in similar style is "The Good German" made in 2006 as a kind of homage to the film noir style.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452624/

Thanks Peter! I'll check those out.

[ashfaque]

Originally Posted by peterm1

An absolute clasic is "The Third Man"

+1
Wonderful images. Thanks a lot everyone.

I'm learning about photography every day from you. So thanks for that as well.

[venchka]

[Paolo Bonello]

Beneath

[TennesseJones]