Re-enactment shot.

[Bunty Plumchip]

Taken during their performance. It was very bright, there was ad lib movement so I used an automatic setting on my Nikon D70S - any adjustment would have to be in PP. I do not like making a re-enactment photo 'sepia'd ' unless it really lends itself. In any case I have no desire to pass off re-enactment photographs as the real thing- life was in colour then too! I like some in B/W but I struggle with contrasts. I do de-saturate some so that the colours are muted, hinting at hand tinting to give a period feel to a modern event.

Any opinion or advice on taking this kind of subject would be very welcome .







Thanks,
Carolyn

[FootLoose]

Nice shots, Carolyn, I particularly like the last one with the gun to the head. What were these people re-enacting?

[Bunty Plumchip]

Hi Footloose, Thanks. It is a group of re-enactors in England who do 19th century American Western Living History and scenarios of life in the the Old West.

I think this particular show was about Mexican raids across the US border.

[Shadowman]

To be authentic you'd have to add scratches and rips so we won't accuse you of anything unless you try to age the image. Nice captures.

[Bunty Plumchip]

Thanks Shadowman- I find it very irritating when people do that, unless of course they are doing an actual tintype. We had one done in the original manner a few weeks ago, on site, as the itinerant photographers used to do. It was fascinating to watch the process. I would love to get the equipment and have a go myself, although action shots would be a tad difficult I think! I did photograph each step of the process with my DSLR though.

[IzzieK]

Carolyn -- Greg (footloose) beat me to it but I like the last one best too -- sure is a nice way to have a rest with the barrel of the gun pointing at her head...tskkk...tsk...tsk...I can't sleep with a gun overexposed that way in real life...

[Bunty Plumchip]

[QUOTE=IzzieK;442348]Carolyn -- Greg (footloose) beat me to it but I like the last one best too -- sure is a nice way to have a rest with the barrel of the gun pointing at her head...tskkk...tsk...tsk...I can't sleep with a gun overexposed that way in real life...[/QUOTE

Thanks Izzie

Well, I suppose she was ready should dinner happen by...

[rpcrowe]

I have, but cannot immediately locate, some hard copies of my paternal grandmother dressed in this fashion. My father's family were all pioneers in the American West in the Texas and Oklahoma areas.

These images look like they could have been taken at that time. Of course, the quality of these images are quite a bit better than the quality of my images shot in the late 1800's and early 1900's...

And despite the common misconception, there was color in those days, just not effective and common color photography

[Bunty Plumchip]

I have, but cannot immediately locate, some hard copies of my paternal grandmother dressed in this fashion. My father's family were all pioneers in the American West in the Texas and Oklahoma areas.

These images look like they could have been taken at that time. Of course, the quality of these images are quite a bit better than the quality of my images shot in the late 1800's and early 1900's...

And despite the common misconception, there was color in those days, just not effective and common color photography

Thanks Richard- how fantastic to have those family records. There is a wonderful collection of daguerrotypes, tin types etc reproduced on a Facebook page - Western Plains Series- gathered from all over the net. Some of the hand colored examples are beautiful- so delicately done.