Controling contrast and darks/lights is a fine art printers more challenging roles, especially when dealing with difficult negatives. Getting that highlight to come in at a nice point, and that shadow to print where it is not too stopped up can sometimes be really difficult. Split grade printing is another tool that a printer can add that will help to give them more control over their prints. Using the split grade method, a print is broken up into two separate components, the highlights (which are...
Sometimes, reducing contrast is something that a printer wants, and for one reason or another cannot obtain easily. For example, using a graded paper, or having only a high contrast developer available. When this is the case, it’s possible to reduce the appearant contrast to any grade below the current value. Interestingly, pre-development bleaching acts completely opposite to how post development bleaching works. Pre-development bleaching will affect the shadows first, and the highlights are left to last....
Maximum Development Time Test (MDT) # Determining the maximum development time is important to determine the point at which highlights stop developing and the paper begins to fog. How To: Determine MDT # Cut a sheet of papper into 6 strips and number them on the back 0 to 5. This should be done in safe light conditions. Place the piece marked #0 directly into the fix (1 minute in bath 1, 1 minute in bath 2). Place the piece marked #1 into the developer for 1 minute, then stop and fix normally. Place the...
Most of these paper speeds have been obtained from the manufacturer. Paper Brand Paper Type Filter or Grade ISO Kentmere Kentona Grade 2 ISO P160 Kentmere FinePrint VC (& WM) Filter: 00 - 3.5 Filter: 4 -5 ISO P320 ISO P160 Ilford MG IV Filter: 00 - 3 Filter: 4-5 ISO P200 ISO P100 Ilford MG WT Filter: 00 - 3 Filter: 4-5 ISO P100 ISO P50 FotoSpeed Legacy Filter: 1 - 3.5 Filter: 4-5 ISO P160 ISO P80 Oriental VC-FB Warm Filter: 00 - 3.5 Filter: 4-5 ISO P200 ISO...
Over time, many people have asked me why I sign my name PEte, as opposed to Pete. First off, yes, it’s intentional. 😃 It all started when I was in second year university. I think there were two factors that affected me doing it. For many years, when I signed my name in email, I didn’t get my finger off the shift key fast enough, and I would sign PEte, but I’d go back and fix it. It, wasn’t a big deal, and really, I’d only do it 1 in 3 times maybe, so it was often enough to notice it, but not often enough...
Often times, burning in a small spot or an area with lots of different tones can be very difficult. You could burn it in, but you run the risk of letting your shadows go too dark, and not getting enough in the highlights, especially in very bright highlights such as skys, near lights, and other problematic spaces. Paper flashing is a really good way of dealing with this. Paper needs a certain amount of light before it will start to show tone. Flashing is a method of providing not quite enough light to...