Contact Sheets & Outtakes

Contact sheets are the tangible representation of the emotion of a photoshoot. The images laid out in rows show the barely perceptible changes between frames: a subject right after blowing that last bit of air out of their lungs to emphasize muscle definition; a tree swaying in the wind just enough to reveal something behind the branches; or a bee, without a care in the world, hustling the pollen off of a flower in various stages of frenzy. As a photographer, I use every opportunity to capture an image, especially when working with moving or breathing subjects. Two photos, taken a fraction of a second apart, often yield wildly different results. Upon choosing the one best image from that set, you may never go back and look at the previous or subsequent images again. Seeing the series of images from a day's shoot is so rewarding, especially when the images are laid out in actual size.

This is a digital contact sheet from one of my shoots few years ago:
You can see how some images, taken in succession, are slightly different but equally important. Looking at the images this way was how photographers would study their frames and choose the best image. They would use a loupe (a small magnifying object) to see the finer details of the 35mm image.
One of the founders of the Magnum Photo agency, Henri Cartier-Bresson, looks at a contact sheet at the New York Magnum office. 1959. ©Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Read photographer Eric Kim's take on the Magnum photographers' book of contact sheets and tips street photographers can use.

A short-run exhibition in Manhattan at the Milk Gallery features contact sheets and outtakes from the legendary Magnum Photo Agency. It's like a peek behind the curtain each time a photographer reveals their contact sheets. Here are some contact sheets and outtakes  from the exhibit:
© GUY LE QUERREC/MAGNUM PHOTOS PARIS.SALLE PLEYEL CONCERT HALL. MILES DAVIS 1969
The selected image below is marked with yellow and blue on the contact sheet above.
© GUY LE QUERREC/MAGNUM PHOTOS PARIS. SALLE PLEYEL CONCERT HALL. MILES DAVIS 1969
© EVE ARNOLD/MAGNUM PHOTOS FILMING OF ‘THE MISFITS’. 1960.
The outtake below is marked with yellow circle on the contact sheet above.
 © EVE ARNOLD/MAGNUM PHOTOS NEVADA. US ACTRESS MARILYN MONROE DURING THE FILMING OF “THE MISFITS” 1960.
© WERNER BISCHOF/MAGNUM PHOTOS SWISS MOUNTAINS
The gallery will be open through July 13, 2014.
photos copyright the original photographers & reposted from MilkMade
Article via Wired Magazine

Outtakes are my favorite part of shooting people, second only to getting an amazing photograph. They happen when someone breaks out in laughter during the 3-2-1 countdown or when they are balancing on one foot and start to tip over, or when a great song comes on the Pandora station and the person starts to dance. It is important to me to deliver these outtakes along with the contracted photographs after editing because my subjects will often use these rather than the selects for personal promotion and their social media pages. I'm honored that they would choose these images to best represent themselves online and in print.

Here are some select outtakes from shoots over the past several years:
photoshoot for Lindsay Lusignea, April 2014 
 Senior music major photos, September 2010 
 Body shots, February 2010
 ROBY brand shoot, December 2012
Conference Managers portraits, August 2013

Tattooed brothers for the Tattooed Campus project, April 2009

Want to see some other cool contact sheet projects?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

May the Vertigo Be With You - Nik Wallenda Walked the Grand Canyon

Image
HE DID IT! On June 23, 2013, with the whole world watching  on Discovery Channel and DiscoveryChannel.com ,  balance artist Nik Wallenda walked across the Grand Canyon. He was untethered (no support rope, no net), carried only a balancing bar, and walked 22 minutes on a cable 1,500ft above the canyon floor. Wallenda set a new world record to be the first person to ever accomplish this feat. Throughout his walk, he spoke a lot with God, channeling his focus on putting one foot in front of the other and not losing his balance. He sat on the cable twice, allowing him to regain balance during some nasty winds, but he kept going. He ran the last few feet and dismounted, kissing the ground and his family. His father was coaching him from the minute he stepped on the cable: he told him when wind was coming and reassured him that he was doing well and holding focus. Congratulations, Nik! We were holding our breath for you. First steps Watch his post-walk interview:
Read more

Capturing Natural Spirals

Image
Water is so interesting. The two little hydrogen and one little oxygen molecules flow together in solid (ice), liquid (water), or gas (vapor), and can also pick up traces of sediment or leftovers, depending on which environment it runs through. When water is cast off from something, it can behave in different ways. See my  previous post for some odd water behavior. Below are some examples of photographers capturing water being cast off in a logarithmic spiral: spiral from here photo by Arvin Rahimzadeh photo by Cody Slinger photo by Naveen Shunmuganathan via thisiscolossal  and flickr Photographers also have captured paint, milk, coffee, and other liquids demonstrating this phenomenon. See their incredible photographs below. photo by Manon Wethly   via thisiscolossal  and junkculture photos and video by Fabian Oefner See more photos on  thisiscolossal
Read more

Paris: The Jewish Quarter, Louvre Courtyard and A Phallic Eiffel Tower

Image
Good morning! Bonjour! Today we went to a small cafe in Bastille called  Cafe Truc , which literally means Cafe "Stuff." It was so cutely decorated and we enjoyed a traditional French breakfast here: croissant, pain du chocolat, tea, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. On our way to the Jewish quarter, we passed a museum with the sculpture below. The exhibit was showing all kinds of street sculpture and I recognized this from an article that was shared with me years ago. It reminded me of the other Bruno Catalano sculptures that were debuted in 2013. Pigeon taking a bath. Under the arches on the Place De Vosges: We made it to the Temple Des Vosges, which is an Orthodox shul in the middle of Paris. We were informed that the seats are full every Shabbat, and they have weddings and other special events there regularly. There was also a reception hall that had hand-painted walls with scenes from the Bible: Afterwards, we continued on to the Rue De
Read more