Tips for Photographing elderly

S

storyp24

Well-known member
I am doing a number of interviews with families to capture their oral history. I am looking for help in making the elderly look as good as possible. Some of the problems I see are age spots, wrinkles and vanity.
Suggestions I am looking for have to do with:
Lighting, camera angles, makeup and color settings.
I like doing close up shots to see their eyes but when I do it really shows their age and the subject is shocked at how old they look.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

I'd use a Soft FX lens. (and of course the above mentioned techniques)
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

Is the Soft FX lens a filter or how does it attach to the 100?
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

Also, use flourescent lighting if possible. It'll fill in the wrinkles and there won't be a problem with heat making them uncomfortable.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

:P I meant Filter (NOT LENS). You can fin one that screws on or slides into a filter tray if you have an MB.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

Use fluorescents, and set your detail setting low (like maybe all the way to -7). That's a cheap in-camera Soft/FX filter simulation. If you need to soften further, back off the focus just a little bit maybe.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

Also light them from a shallow angle from the camera. It gives less modeling and is a bit more flattering.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

Thanks for the suggestions. I own the Arri D1 kit so I'll stick with that but use the soft box at lower angles. Also I will reduce the Detail setting to -7...good suggestion.
Always a great discussion board. Thanks.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

You're dealing with the psychology of aging. As my father told me when he went to his 60th high school reunion, he couldn't figure out why all these old people showed up, they must have graduated years before he did, where's my high school buddies... sorry DAD, you're one of them also, look in the mirror. We tend to feel younger than we look.

I actually used my elderly parents for pracitce models a few years back because I wanted to try some lighting and they were available. It's amazing what parents will do for their kids! I suggest you do find some elderly practice folks until you're comfortable.

I would do a few more things.

1. Go to a good photoshop and browse their books. They usually have tons of great books with methods for softening. A high key system ( bright ) background could add a sense of lightness, heaven, etc... Wrinkles cause shadows, light must fill the wrinkle shadows.

2. You could try having them apply some makeup to cover liver spots, give good even soft skin tone (Ben Nye make up?) I like to use a Straw or Bastard color gel to give a healthy tan look for caucasians. Gels can really give some nice skin tone, check into them, this will take some work. I actually tried to give my actors that 1950s Tony Curtiss, Kirk Douglass Hollywood Technicolor tan for a production once :)

3. Use old Hollywood starlet lighting. I checked my John Alton book, Painting with Light, get it, because he evaluates faces, lighting, the whole art of lighting. He has some great tests & tools to try.

4. You can use a nylon stocking over the lens for a soft filter. Black fish net works great!

5. You can slightly defocus. Just like those good ole movies!

6. Make sure they have a glint of light in their eyes (eye light) the eyes need to sparkle!

7. Have them dress in bright cheerful colors, warm yellow sweaters, fuzzy soft youthful looking stuff (at least it should be in their mind)

8. NO SIDE LIGHTING... it'll bring out every crevice they have.

9. High level front lighting (flat) w/ fills to reduce shadows. Obie light...that came about in the late 30s to make an injured starlet still look beautiful, a little light above the camera.

10. Most important: get lots of B-Roll, still photos, etc... so you can use it most of the time while they talk, (voice over). get them laughing & telling stories...that'll bring the magic back.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

And...I am sure you are already using the 'Skin detail ON ' feature.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

I just checked and my skin tone detail was off...what effect will turning it on have?

A few weeks ago I purchased the John Alton book " Painting with Light" and it is a jewel. Also enjoyed Ross Lowell book " Matters of Light & Depth" as well as a semianr I attended with John Jackman and his book Lighting.

A piece I shot in Canada last summer only allowed natural light which was hard at times. My aunt in an effort to not have her double chin show wouldn't lower her chin. I raised the camera angle slightly to not accentuate it.

Also I have an "Impact" reflector disk with a white screen that may soften the natural light. Lighting has to be one of the most difficult, fun and rewarding parts.

I will try the makeup... the liver spots really seem to scare them.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

I can only say that you shoud be aware of not taking the MASTER PED under 0. BTW it seems to be a nice thing doing those interviews and keep the oral history of your family... Great idea! The bad thing is that you won't be paid ;-)
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

I have nothing of real value to add to this thread except to mention that I am constantly amazed at the kinds of things I learn from this site. Great stuff. Wow. :o
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

I am in total agreement with i_stole_your_bike! This thread is going to be of great help to us on our documentary since at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the people we will interview are all over the age of 70! (Some are hitting in the high 80's, in fact!) I don't think it will matter quite as much to the men, but there are already some ladies that have said they would prefer to give audio only interviews because "they look terrible" on camera. If we can use a couple of these tips and show a few of the ladies how well they can look we might be able to have them do on-camera interviews instead! One great big THANKS from this end of the peanut (just larnin') gallery!
;D
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

With the 'skin detail on' the wrinkles and small spots on human skin could be effectively 'camouflaged', without makeup. I have had some excellent results using this setting. This however does bring in slight....very slight.... softening of the overall image. If you want you can counter that a bit. The feature is specially useful for close up, head-shots.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

The skin detail circuit will take everything that is skin color and soften it by the detail setting you select. That way the background and other items will stay sharp and only skin will soften. It gives an apperent sharpness while softening the skin. This way you can leave the overall detail level at your normal setting and dial the detail down for skin.
Fool your white balance by using a pale blue card instead of a white card. This will warm up the picture. Just don't overdo it, the DVX can oversaturate in the red pretty quick. Or put a pale amber gel on your key light.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

As xort said, the skin dtl circuit will soften skin tones while leaving the rest of the image untouched. It's a very mild effect, but worth employing if you're shooting elderly folks. It has more visible effect depending on how high you have the overall detail level set.

For warming the picture up, both xort's suggestions work well, and another way to go is to use the COLOR TEMP menu setting... do a manual white balance, and then adjust the color temp to warm up the image. As xort says, don't overdo it, but it can make the image warmer and more pleasing.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

Thanx Xort, Barry for the clarification. I dont know why i felt the skin detl off brings in slight ...though very slight ...softening of other detail... May be I was over cautious...Will check it again.
 
Re: Tips for Photographing elderly

It shouldn't, unless the other detail falls in the realm of what the camera could confuse as "skin tone"... maybe peach-colored wallpaper or something like that would also get a similar softening treatment, if the camera thought it looked like "skin tone".
 
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