that 70's southern california brownish-orange sun-soaked soft-focus style

December 7, 2007 1:54 PM

What artists focus on that "70's southern california brownish-orange sun-soaked soft-focus" style? i'm thinking the "Virgin Suicides" movie and kdlang's "Invincible Summer" cover (does this style even have a name?)
posted by mrmarley to media & arts (8 comments total)

I just wanted to say thanks for asking this. I'm a big fan of that style and really looking forward to the responses.
posted by davebush at 2:04 PM on December 7, 2007

I always thought it was mostly smog.

(Also, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas kinda goes for the same effect.)
posted by box at 2:08 PM on December 7, 2007

Is Robert Bechtle the kind of artist you are thinking about? His work is more Northern California-based, but his paintings are what I think of when I hear "1970s California."
posted by arco at 2:17 PM on December 7, 2007

I like "The Rockford Files" for this.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 4:02 PM on December 7, 2007

Ed Ruscha comes to mind. (Wow, I'd never seen his site before... it's great!) He's the quintessential SoCal artist of the 60's and 70's.

Early David Hockney, too.

Here's an article that discusses some of the other artists in that Southern California movement. You might want to look up their work.
posted by painquale at 4:34 PM on December 7, 2007

wiliam eggleston!
posted by ethel at 6:24 PM on December 7, 2007

Calico Courtney Brooke has quite a few photos treated in this style. I love this look, too, and have never known what to call it.
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 10:39 PM on December 7, 2007

Magic hour photography...The hour just after sunrise and before sunset. Although it's before sunset that you get that really warm orange glow.

On Flickr, where some, but not all, get it right.

As far as artists or photographers who use this exclusively, I'm not sure, I will do some more research. It was a very trendy technique in the 70's, so It's hard to pinpoint by specific artist. Definitely a california thing, probably due to greater chances of clear skies at this time of day, and the obvious fact of being on the west coast, giving you a lot less in between you, the ocean, and the setting sun. Look for photo heavy magazines from the 70's (especially the groovy stuff. Vans, surfing, playboy, etc.) and you're sure to see plenty of it. I think everything got real cool and crisp once the 80's came around, and this technique fell out of favor.

In movies, check out Terence Malick's "Days of Heaven" Which was largely shot only during the magic hour. More recently, see David Gordon Green's "All the real girls", also with lots of Magic hour shots, mostly as a tribute to Malick's work.

It's a somewhat easy technique to replicate. About an hour before sunset, when the sun gets low in the sky, shoot with your subjects back facing west. Try angling somewhat, so you're not shooting directly at the sun.The lower the sun gets, you're going to need a fill flash, or some sort of method to bounce some light on your subject or you'll just get a silhouette. It also helps to get low and capture those long shadows. Once the sun hits the horizon, the orange turns more to blue, and you get that colder, more desolate look.

sorry to take so long, I wanted to answer this when it posted, but forgot.
posted by billyfleetwood at 1:47 AM on December 14, 2007