Introduction

A few weeks ago I was invited by Ramzi Mansour to collaborate on a studio shoot in Cape Town, focusing on large format film photography, particularly 8×10. Ramzi has an impressive studio space and a strong body of work, specialising in black and white imagery.

This session, titled Studio Photography – Mila Engelbrecht, brought together a small team to explore both digital and film portraiture using classic lighting techniques. Anton Robert also joined us, assisting with lighting setups and large format equipment.

All digital and film images presented here were photographed by Craig Fouché.

Mila Engelbrecht, a fashion model with Pulse Model Management, was a pleasure to work with. Her experience, professionalism, and natural presence made her an ideal subject for both film and digital portrait work.

The Shoot

We set out to create a classic Hollywood lighting look, particularly suited to black and white film portraiture. Alongside this, I also explored colour work and experimented with long exposure techniques using light painting after dark.

What Is Hollywood Lighting?

George Hurrell was the master of vintage Hollywood portrait photography. His work was defined by sculpted light, strong contrast, and the careful use of shadow to shape the face and create drama.

Positioning

The lights need to be positioned correctly. You should choose a place that shapes the face according to the different portrait positions. It has to be at a height. You can try above the camera or to the side. If the model turns her head you should follow with the light. It’s all about the shadows in this type of lighting. Hurrell always had wonderful shadows in his portraits.

Quality of Light

Hurrell used strong, hard light. We used an Arri 2000W Fresnel with barn doors. Prophoto lights were used as hair lights and separation lighting.

Exposure and Control

We used controlled areas of light to get a beautiful highlight.

Shadows

You have to light with shadows. Hurrell loved shadows. If the subjects started to go too dark he added a background light to separate give the person some definition, which is what we did. Occasionally you also want a hair light for a bit more separation.

Hair & Makeup

Hair and makeup play a critical role in this style of portrait. Mila’s look was executed to perfection by Saskia, with styling by Tanlyn, resulting in a flawless presentation that required minimal post-production.

This type of lighting goes very well with dramatic makeup. Max Factor, original name Max Faktor, (born 1877, died 1938) was the dean of Hollywood makeup experts. He was a pioneer in developing makeup specifically for motion-picture actors and was given a special Academy Award in 1928 for his achievements. In Hollywood’s Golden Age, when it came to make-up only one name was on the lips of the silver screen stars. That name was Mr Max Factor, a visionary make-up artist, wig maker and inventor. Max Factor was known for creating the signature looks of the era’s most famous icons such as Ava Gardner, Jean Harlow and Marlene Dietrich. But he believed that glamour should be within reach of all women.

The Cameras & Film

We worked across multiple formats including 8×10 and 4×5 large format film, medium format with the Contax 645, and digital. Large format photography is a slower, more deliberate process, requiring careful composition and precise control of light.

Mila’s understanding of photography made a significant difference, particularly when holding poses for longer exposures under constant lighting.

For digital work, I used a Nikon D800E paired with a Nikon AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D IF lens. Behind-the-scenes content was captured by Gabby, and the session provided an opportunity to share knowledge around large format techniques.

The Film

For the film work, we used Ilford Delta 3200 and Ilford HP5, both well known for their versatility and tonal range in black and white portrait photography. These films are particularly suited to studio work, offering excellent detail, contrast, and flexibility in different lighting conditions.

Ramzi shot some Ilford Delta 3200 which we later developed at his studio, a first for him! Ilford HP5 and Begger Pancro 400 was the choice of film for the 8×10.

Ilford HP5

Ilford HP5 is a high speed, fine grain, medium contrast black & white film making it an excellent choice for journalism, documentary, travel, sports, action and indoor available light photography.

Nominally rated at ISO 400, HP5 PLUS produces negatives of outstanding sharpness and fine grain under all lighting conditions. It has been formulated to respond well to push-processing and can be rated up to El 3200/36°.

It’s wide exposure latitude makes it a great choice for beginners, those returning to film as well as the more experienced professional users. HP5 PLUS can be processed in a wide range of different developers using spiral tanks, deep tanks and automatic processors.

This style of studio portrait is ideal for models, creatives, and professionals looking for timeless black and white imagery with a strong, cinematic lighting aesthetic.

In Conclusion

It was an amazing day, passionate, professional people working together to create fantastic images and with such ease – old school on film, and digital. I can honestly say, Mila looks great in film grain – film works so well with her! Ramzi is quite the comedian as you can see from his BTS and really fun to be around. Thanks to both Ramzi, his team and Mila for the day, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to working with you again.

Give the following team a follow on IG:

Mila follow on Instagram and check out her work: CLICK HERE
Ramzi follow on Instagram and check out his work: CLICK HERE

Saskia follow on Instagram and check out her work: CLICK HERE
Tanlyn follow on Instagram and check out her work: CLICK HERE
Anton follow on Instagram and check out his work: CLICK HERE

Gabby follow on Instagram and check out her work: CLICK HERE

This studio photography session with Mila Engelbrecht in Cape Town explores classic Hollywood lighting using both digital and large format film. The black and white portraits below showcase a range of lighting styles, from soft tonal work to high-contrast dramatic imagery, photographed by Craig Fouché.

Gallery

Behind the Scenes – Hair & Makeup Studio Session

My Shot Of The Day

1920s Style Studio Portraits – Mila Engelbrecht (Look 1)

1920s Editorial Portraits – Mila Engelbrecht (Look 2)

My Fun Shot Of The Day

Overall I am very happy with how the results turned out, it is always a good day out when everything runs smoothly and after developing you have images. It never gets old when you open the Paterson tank and your negatives look good! Negatives were scanned on my Epson V750 at 3200dpi, Photoshop file sizes are around 6.93Gb for an 8×10 file.