How to Create a Vintage Look Portrait Today

Southern Belle

If you love to look at vintage portraits in antique shops and wish you had heirloom portraits like that of you and your family, wish no more. You can create a vintage portrait today reminiscent of a portrait from the 1980's, the 1890's or any era in between. With a little advance preparation and an old portrait to use as a reference, your "new" vintage portrait will become a family heirloom and a conversation starter.

Things You'll Need

• Camera
• Lighting
• Vintage portraits
• Period appropriate clothing
• Props
• Photo manipulation software
• Hair styling aids
• Frame or album

Instructions

Choosing the Portrait Style

1. Decide what kind of vintage look portrait you want to take. While the word vintage means old, old and vintage are relative terms. For one person, a vintage portrait could mean a picture taken in the 1980’s. That isn't what many people are going for when it comes to vintage photography. Select a specific era.

2. Find several portraits from the era you choose so you can try to replicate the look of that time period. You can find vintage portraits in antique shops. You could also view them in museums, magazines and Websites.

3. Study the vintage portraits from the era you selected. Look for some “clues” that define the portrait as being from a particular era. Take note of the hairstyle of the subject, the style of clothing and the accessories worn in the photo.

Collect the Items You Will Need

1. Locate clothing that looks similar in style, fabrics, pattern, and detail to the clothing worn in one of the vintage photos you selected for inspiration. For a vintage look portrait from a recent time period such as the 1960's you can visit second hand clothing or thrift stores to find actual vintage garments. You may be able to locate period clothing dating back to the 1920's in antique shops, but it will probably be too fragile to actually wear. Look online and in costume shops for reenactment clothing. You could also sew your own vintage costume.

2. Look for accessories that will firmly ground your portrait in the era selected. For instance, a 1950’s look portrait may look more authentic if your subject is wearing saddle shoes. Make sure any jewelry or hats worn are also appropriate to the time period desired.

3. Try to mimic the background in the portrait that you like. If you plan an outdoor portrait, be sure there are no modern structures or man made landmarks that will show up within the frame of the photo to indicate the portrait is actually being taken today. Include any props that may make your portrait appear more authentic—such as a hula hoop for a 1950’s portrait or vinyl albums for a 1970’s portrait.

4. Study the lighting utilized in the portrait you are using as your inspiration. Try to determine if the portrait was lit with natural or artificial light. You will want to use similar lighting to get the same effect.

5. Grab your camera and get ready to take the picture.

Taking the Portrait

1. Set up the scene or background and props. Have the subject of the photograph dressed in full costume. Style her hair in the fashion of the era selected. You can even mimic the style of the person in the actual vintage potrait.

2. Pose the subject in a pose similar to the one in your original inspiration portrait. Posing styles change through the times and can subtly influence how authentic your portrait will look.

3. Set up the lighting to mimic the lighting used in the vintage portrait you like.

4. Take the picture. Experiment with posing, angles and light until you are satisfied the portrait you take closely resembles the original portrait.

Enhance or Modify the Picture for To Make it Look Older

1. Print the picture. If you are recreating a vintage look portrait from the 1970’s or a recent era, your portrait may be complete. For older looking portraits, however, you will want to enhance or manipulate the portrait to get a more vintage look.

2. Convert the photo to black and white. Color film didn’t become commonplace in many areas until the 1970’s. Any photo reminiscent of an earlier time should be converted to black and white prior to printing. Convert the photograph to sepia tones if the photograph is meant to replicate a 19th century portrait.

3. Digitally manipulate the photo further to create special effects. Explore options like soft focus, vignetting and hand coloring part of the image. In the 1980’s, for instance, many portraits were shot with a soft focus and a back lit halo type effect. You can recreate this effect in your portrait on your computer.

Present and Display Your Vintage Look Portrait

1. Decide how you will present your final vintage look portrait. You'll likely want to choose an antique frame and classic matting.

2. Display your vintage look portrait with antiques or a collection of items from the time period replicated in your portrait.

3. Enjoy all the buzz your "new" vintage portraits will create. Your vintage look portraits will be a wonderful conversation piece and have people asking whether it's a portrait of your subject’s mother, grandmother or great-grandmother in her younger days.

Tips & Warnings

• Always save your original photo. Use a copy of the digital file to try out special effects. You don't want to accidentally save over (and lose) your original photo.

Resources

• Vintage Portraits