Vintage Hollywood Portraits

Set Design for Images

After over 70 years those iconic images shot in 1940's Hollywood still fascinate us. Personally, I have always been drawn to this period in history. Women dressed like ladies, men dressed like men and a handshake was a contract. There was no ambiguity in that period. New and emerging technologies were a designer's paradise as slick buildings, cars, and wardrobe was introduced. It was a period of expressive opulence. The war brought everyone together into a cooperative spirt not seen since. 
I often shoot vintage images as a tribute to a time when life was more simple. It is of course next to impossible to reconstruct exactly how an image was shot back then. The technology has not survived the years. Spherical abarencies in the lens created that surrounding soft halo of light prevalent in those images. Many portraits were shot with 8 x10 cameras. Negatives were retouched with a soft pencil. A long way from today's digital media, Photoshop and post shoot workflow. 
Props were commonly used to create the illusion of depth on a flat photographic print sheet. Cut outs with interesting pattern variations were used with a light shining through to produce shadow and highlight patterns on the background. Since images were shot in black and white film, contrast was more important then color range. The image at the top of this blog is the exact layout of the set used for the series of photographs that follow.

I look forward to producing more vintage images. For a session or if you would like to know more contact Juan Prieto Photography.

Baby Perez

This cutie had way too much fun at this portrait session! When his Mother called out to him he would hop up and down laughing and giggling. Getting him to look at the camera was a different matter! I think it made for some atypical and endearing images. His playful character and outgoing personality come across in this series of images. 

The essence of what makes us individuals is apparent even in the very young. At Juan Prieto Photography, your unique individuality is encouraged. I strive to provide my clients timeless images that artistically document the precious moments of their lives. For an appointment or to find out more please contact the office. 

Rodan and Fields Ad

Sometimes everything just comes together without too much effort. This session was for an ad which ran on a local fashion publication. My model Robyn and I were going for a vintage look for the image.  I felt the location would be important to the overall feel of the shot.  We decided to shoot at a railroad museum for the bygone nostalgic feel that it conveyed. I knew we had the image after a few minuets shooting. At that point the pressure was off and we got really creative images. 

I really enjoy putting together conceptual images. The creative process tends to open ideas that I would not ordinarily entertain. I really feel this add reflects the idea behind the product in an endearing manner. I hope you feel the same. The following images did not make the cut but I felt are in character with the goals of this project.