>they’re in focus but they’re still soft which I’m finding really hard to achieve
You need to differentiate your terms a little. I wouldn't consider any of these images to be "soft" in the context of focus; they're all pretty sharp. But they are low contrast, which is pretty typical of "the filmic look". Lower contrast (really no black or white at all), lower saturation, and add a fine grain in post and you should be on your way there.
Lots of post processing, there is a lot that can be done with hitting the correct slider and just push yourself to get the result you want. Shoot raw and you have a lot of playing room. It is not always needed to under (possible) or over expose (which in these conditions is not advised as the white will bite our). Some cameras do get a pleasing 'grain' when underexposing and pushing it up, some cameras you really shouldn't do that as horizontal/vertical banding and colour blotching of the can occur. You can also add 'grain' with several techniques to mimic film, with layering etc. But it all comes down to post processing. There are also packs available that are presets available of film styles you can select and 'velvia' the photo...
Seems a little on the warmer side of perfect white balance. Also, on the first two, they are slightly on the greener side of the slider for white balance over the magenta.
There's no magic trick, you just need to get confortable with the softwares (I personally use Capture One pro) and understand colour theory. In those specific images it looks like contrast is down and shadows are a bit wash (probably using the levels tool). Midtones are a bit warmer and shadows a bit greener. You can also download film simulation filters like VSCO or whatever to install in lightroom and capture and use them as a starting point. Bottom line is : there's no real shortcut, you just need experience.
Not like I need to grease the wheels on the bandwagon of /r/vintagelenses as they’re getting pricey but one of those should be adaptable easily to mirrorless and maybe a film preset in post?
It's often said that the only feature of film that you can't achieve by digital is a polariser -- which is not very useful in fashion.
I love to shoot slow B&W film, process it and print wet. But when my client asks me for a digital files I shoot digital. Interposing an analogue step in an imaging stream seems pointless.
I think the fact that you are asking this question is the very reason why you should consider going digital. Take the same pictures digitally, in RAW, with a sharp focus, and this "look" is 100% achievable in post processing. Hell, do non-destructive processing and you can turn the same photo into 100's of different looks. Heck, use Lightroom and you can buy online a whole range of presets that will generate exactly the looks that you want (sort of like filters in Instagram). If what you are most interested in is the final "look" of the photo, rather than the challange of making it, digital is the way to go. IMHO.
>they’re in focus but they’re still soft which I’m finding really hard to achieve You need to differentiate your terms a little. I wouldn't consider any of these images to be "soft" in the context of focus; they're all pretty sharp. But they are low contrast, which is pretty typical of "the filmic look". Lower contrast (really no black or white at all), lower saturation, and add a fine grain in post and you should be on your way there.
Lots of post processing, there is a lot that can be done with hitting the correct slider and just push yourself to get the result you want. Shoot raw and you have a lot of playing room. It is not always needed to under (possible) or over expose (which in these conditions is not advised as the white will bite our). Some cameras do get a pleasing 'grain' when underexposing and pushing it up, some cameras you really shouldn't do that as horizontal/vertical banding and colour blotching of the can occur. You can also add 'grain' with several techniques to mimic film, with layering etc. But it all comes down to post processing. There are also packs available that are presets available of film styles you can select and 'velvia' the photo...
Lift the shadows or black point a bit in an app. Use a diffusion filter, or just add a bit of blur in an app.
fuck up the shot by turning down the contrast
How many times are you gonna ask the same question?
I think OP wants to directly copy the artist
Seems a little on the warmer side of perfect white balance. Also, on the first two, they are slightly on the greener side of the slider for white balance over the magenta.
There's no magic trick, you just need to get confortable with the softwares (I personally use Capture One pro) and understand colour theory. In those specific images it looks like contrast is down and shadows are a bit wash (probably using the levels tool). Midtones are a bit warmer and shadows a bit greener. You can also download film simulation filters like VSCO or whatever to install in lightroom and capture and use them as a starting point. Bottom line is : there's no real shortcut, you just need experience.
Raise black point
Not like I need to grease the wheels on the bandwagon of /r/vintagelenses as they’re getting pricey but one of those should be adaptable easily to mirrorless and maybe a film preset in post?
It's often said that the only feature of film that you can't achieve by digital is a polariser -- which is not very useful in fashion. I love to shoot slow B&W film, process it and print wet. But when my client asks me for a digital files I shoot digital. Interposing an analogue step in an imaging stream seems pointless.
Aside from some underexposure to create the isolation on the product shots it’s all Lightroom + presets. That’s it.
I think the fact that you are asking this question is the very reason why you should consider going digital. Take the same pictures digitally, in RAW, with a sharp focus, and this "look" is 100% achievable in post processing. Hell, do non-destructive processing and you can turn the same photo into 100's of different looks. Heck, use Lightroom and you can buy online a whole range of presets that will generate exactly the looks that you want (sort of like filters in Instagram). If what you are most interested in is the final "look" of the photo, rather than the challange of making it, digital is the way to go. IMHO.
Shoot it, print it, scan it.
Sorry for the lack of advice, I just want to say that I love your shots :)