Credit: This model has received technical support from ModelScope, i.e. it has been trained from scratch on ModelScope by me.

This LoRA is a meticulous digital tribute to the legendary German-born Canadian photographer Fred Herzog (1930–2019). Known as a pioneer of color photography at a time when "serious" art was strictly black-and-white, Herzog spent decades documenting the "disorderly vitality" of mid-century Vancouver.

This model has been trained on a curated dataset of 60+ high-resolution works from Herzog’s archive. It is designed to go beyond mere "vintage" filters, instead capturing the complex interplay of light, Kodachrome chemistry, and candid urban observation that defined his career.

Key Features of the Herzog Aesthetic

This LoRA aims to distill and replicate four core pillars of Herzog’s photography:

The Kodachrome Soul: Replicates the specific color science of Kodachrome slide film, emphasizing the iconic "Herzog reds," muted teals, and saturated yet natural skin tones.
Chiaroscuro & Deep Shadows: Captures Herzog's mastery of high-contrast lighting. Expect deep, ink-black shadows and radiant, low-angle golden hour highlights that give urban scenes a theatrical, painterly quality.
Urban Patina: Expertly renders the textures of the 1950s and 60s, including glowing neon signage, weathered storefronts, and the "seedy" beauty of second-hand shops and vacant lots.
The Flâneur Perspective: Mimics the eye-level, candid viewpoint of a street observer. The LoRA excels at unposed human moments and compressed telephoto perspectives that flatten city layers against distant landscapes.

Training Methodology

Unlike generic "retro" models, this LoRA used a Natural Language Captioning strategy (by employing Qwen VL for captioning) during training. By describing the reasoning behind the aesthetics (e.g., "how sunlight creates shadows on brickwork") rather than just tagging objects, the model has learned the logic of Herzog's lighting and color science. This allows for a more flexible and "distilled" Herzog experience that can be applied to diverse subjects.

Recommended Usage & Best Situations

This LoRA is most effective when you want to imbue a scene with a sense of historical weight and "painterly" realism. It is highly suited for:

Mid-Century Street Photography: Reviving the neon-lit nights and bustling markets of the 1950s and 60s.
Moody Coastal Environments: Scenes involving fog, rain, and the unique atmospheric light of a coastal city like Vancouver.
Gritty Character Portraits: Candid, unposed subjects caught in dramatic "stage-like" natural lighting.
Nostalgic Americana/Canadiana: Capturing vintage cars, billboards, and the detritus of mid-century consumer culture.

Technical Tips

Trigger Word: herzog_vis
Recommended Strength: 0.7 – 0.9 for a strong film look; 0.5 for a subtle lighting shift.
Pro-Tip: To truly capture the "Herzog vibe," include keywords like "neon reflection," "ink-black shadows," or "Kodachrome color" in your prompt. If the reds become too dominant, add "red" to your negative prompt or lower the weight slightly.

Here are a few sample prompts to get you going. Enjoy.

1. The "Neon & Rain" Test (Color & Reflection)

This prompt tests how the model handles glowing signage and the interaction between artificial light and wet surfaces, a staple of Herzog's work.

Prompt: herzog_vis style, a dense vertical stack of glowing neon signs for 'HOTEL' and 'ARCADE' in vibrant crimson and warm yellow, reflecting deeply in rain puddles on a city sidewalk at twilight, blue hour atmosphere, deep ink-black shadows, Kodachrome 64 color science, high-contrast, fine film grain.

2. The "Compressed Mountain" Test (Perspective & Composition)

This prompt tests the "telephoto" look where the model must flatten the background (mountains) against the foreground (urban houses).

Prompt: herzog_vis style, a compressed telephoto perspective of colorful gabled houses and steep streets, snow-capped mountains looming massive and close in the background, soft afternoon daylight, muted greens and signature Herzog reds, mid-century urban texture, 90mm lens aesthetic.

3. The "Long Shadow" Test (Chiaroscuro & Lighting)

This tests the theatrical, high-contrast "pool of light" effect and the model's ability to render dramatic, elongated shadows.

Prompt: herzog_vis style, a candid shot of a woman in a heavy winter coat crossing a wide street, a massive elongated shadow stretching toward the viewer, theatrical low-angle golden sunlight, sharp chiaroscuro effect, high-contrast highlights, warm matte finish, 1960s urban street photography.

4. The "Fog & Fedora" Test (Atmosphere & Diffusion)

This prompt evaluates the model's performance with muted tones, atmospheric diffusion, and silhouette work in foggy conditions.

Prompt: herzog_vis style, a group of men in fedoras and wool coats standing on a foggy street corner, heavy atmospheric diffusion, muted teal and grey tones, soft film-like blur in the background, silhouettes of vintage cars in the mist, quiet mid-century dignity, tactile film texture.

5. The "Patina Interior" Test (Texture & Detail)

This tests the LoRA’s ability to render indoor light and the "seedy" but beautiful textures of mid-century storefronts.

Prompt: herzog_vis style, interior view of a sun-drenched barber shop, golden light streaming through a window with hand-painted 'BARBER' lettering, vintage calendars and haircut posters on cracked white walls, rich shadows, dusty atmosphere, Kodachrome tonal range, mid-century matte finish.

Recommended Negative Prompt:

To prevent the LoRA from becoming too "clean" or losing its film-like quality, use this negative prompt during testing (tweak it to your needs):

Negative Prompt: plastic, shiny, smooth, 3d render, CGI, digital painting, oversaturated, neon glow, HDR, white balance:perfect, sharp, modern cars, cell phones, high-key lighting, soft shadows, flat lighting, watermark, text, signature

Fred Herzog Style ZIB - V10