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I'm somewhat new to film photography, and had to have some brief questions about achieving a particular look.

Here's what I'm talking about: https://i.stack.imgur.com/5a94u.jpg (NSFW content)

The specific questions I have are mainly related to the lighting and exposure of the film. Particularly,

  1. What type of lighting is used to shoot these images? To my (newbie) eyes, they seem both quite dark, soft, minimal, but also very bright at the same time (maybe that's due to the fact that the images have been toned and do contain quite a bit of grain). How have the lights been orientated and spaced to give such a look? (Interestingly, none of the images contain significant shadows behind the subject, on an education note, how is this achieved?)
  1. On the other hand, film wise, is the film here being "pulled"? I know that I previously mentioned the sheer amount of grain in them (which honestly, is quite appealing to me). However, the contrast in them is almost "hazy" in a way that, again, to my newbie eyes, suggests a possible pulling of the film? Please correct me if I am wrong.

Regardless, any guidance in terms of achieving this look, in terms of the lighting and exposure, would be greatly appreciated.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Most, if not all, of those were printed on what are now considered low contrast papers because that's all they had available at the time. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Mar 20 at 12:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ @MichaelC Interesting! Are you talking about graded papers (like Ilford Gallerie 2 & 3)? Moreover, do you think that it's the combination of overexposed negatives and low-contrast paper that gives that particular look? \$\endgroup\$
    – m_1265
    Mar 21 at 17:36
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    \$\begingroup\$ This was long before medium contrast papers like Ilford Gallerie 2 & 3 existed. These were LOW contrast papers in todays categories, but what is now considered low contrast were the ONLY types of papers available at the time. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Mar 24 at 18:50

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