5 posts tagged “contrast”

       How Time and Temperture Affect Development.
**I develop my Black and White Prints the Classic way. I take advantage of the
Print paper or film emulsion by extending or reducing the development time.
I try to reveal unseen details and textures in my Black and white Photo Art.
My Prints are in the zones III through VII, mostly middle grays. I do this to
enhance any of my colors that I choose to use on my prints. For example the color
red place on a middle gray takes on a different mood than your typical red.
The colors become more intense and vivid. This is what makes Hand Tinting so
unique. You can bend or break rules that gives you more latitude in the final
Black and White Photo. I use my "2 zone Technique" to determine where I should
place my colors. I use the rules of third as a guide in creating my Photo Art.
All of my Photos are a work of Art. Never computer aided in any way. My Photos
are original and signed.      
**Of all the creative controls at a Photographer disposal and most useful
is development time. The longer the developer is allowed to act on the film,
the greater the number of silver bromide crystal converted to metallic silver,
the darker the negative seems to become. The ability of development time to
control contrast and density is due primarily to the way the film emulsion is
constructed. The crystals of silver bromide that will develop into the negative
image lie both on below the surface of the emulsion. As exposure increases,
the number of exposed crystals and their depth in the emulsion increase. When
the develop goes to work, it gets at the surface crystals immediately but
needs extra time to soak into the emulsion and develop the crystal below the
surface. This applies to Photo Print paper as well.
**The temperture of the developer also needs to be taken into account. Most
Photographic chemicals and even the wash water take longer to work as their
temperture drops. All solutions work faster at higher tempertures.  The
higher the temperture, the shorter the develop time needed. The recommended
temperture is 68 F,(29 C);this temperture combines the most efficient chemical
activity with the least softening of the film emulsion and in addition is a
practical temperture to maintain in the average darkroom. Higher tempertures
may be recommended with very dilute devlopers.
**I develop my Black and White Prints the Classic way. This allows me the freedom
to obtain any type of Print. I print some of my Photos to show more details and
texture ,some are Print to show details in the shadow areas. I try to expose my
shoulder and toe in the middle gray zone.
  

**Contrast-the relative lightness and darkness of different scene-is a crucial characteristic of any Black and White Photograph. Often you want normal Contrast-a full range of Tones from Black through many shades of gray to pure White. Some scenes require low-contrast, mostly a smooth range of middle grays. Or maybe a high-contrast deep Blacks and brilliant Whites and limited details in between. The contrast of a negative has been judged or set, mostly by the subject itself. he type of film and the way it was developed.
**But you can still adjust the Contrast of the final Print by changing the Contrast grade of paper used. A paper of high-contrast increases the Contrast, a paper of low-contrast decreases it. This helps when printing the problem negative.
**A high-contrast paper increases Contrast for underdevevloped negatives, which are usually flat, and adds sparkle to scenes shot in dull light. A low-contrast paper decreases Contrast for overdeveloped negatives, which are too contrasty, and can soften overly harsh shadows and highlights.  
**Papers of graded Contrast range from grades 0 and 1 (low or soft contrast), through grade 2 (normal or medium contrast), grade 3 (often the normal contrast grade chosen for 35mm negatives) and grades 4, 5 and 6 (high or hard contrast). The basic way of changing Contrast in a print  is to change the contrast grade of paper.
**How can you tell if your negatives of normal Contrast ?  There is an old rule of thumb, lay the negative on the type of a page in a book, if you can read the type through the highlights and if you can see detail in both the shadows and the highlights. This would be considered a normal negative. A normal Black  and White negative makes a good print on grade 2 or grade 3 paper.
** I use color film to create my Hand Tinted Black and White Photo Art the Classic way. I avoid the above pitfalls by using color film negative. All color film render colors that cover the color spectrum, their colors are directly related to the Zone system developed by
the Great Ansel Adams. In color film, reds are red, blues are blue, and yellows are yellow. My " 2 Zone Technique " allows me two
manipulate the placement and choice of colors in the final Black and white Print. The colors seem to levitate because I Tone specific areas, the colors are place on shades of gray instead of typical shades of whites. Colored shades of gray creates a mood that color prints can't reproduce.
**This makes my Black and White Photo Art unique in its own way. I choose colors that bring life and make the Print surreal in nature. I try to reveal hidden details and textures unseen in most Color or Black and White Prints. Color film gives me more detail in the shadow areas than any Black and White film on the market. This is not conventional Print making Techniques, but for my purpose I find that Color film is my choice. I have been in the field over 25 years and has bought or used about 5 roll of Black and White film.
**With color film I can create a beautiful color Print or a Hand Toned Black and White Print. I find Color film more flexible and forgiving in the dark room. The Color Prints are my guide in my final Hand Tinted Print. It give me the mood of each scene as it was captured. I can choose to alter the final print or deviate from the norm. I can place colors in areas that I find of interest to enhance my composition, balance, or depth of field. Its very exciting to use this " 2 Zone Technique ". I can take any Color negative and create hundreds of Photo art without any restraints or limitations. The Prints are never the same and are original. I have tried in the past to Hand Tint a Print the same, but each Print becomes snow flake like in nature taking on its on identity. My Black and White Photo Art is never computer aided in any way.

  The goal during printing is usually to make a full-scale Black and White Print that has a full range of Tones and a realistic sense of texture and substance. You may deliberately depart from this goal at times. A test Print are judged for two characteristics: Density and Contrast.
  Density refers to the overall darkness or lightness of the print. It is controlled primarily by the amount of Exposure, the greater the Density of Silver produced, the darker the Print. Exposure can be adjusted either by opening or closing the enlarger lens aperture or by changing the lenght of the Exposure time.
  Contrast is the difference in brightness between light and dark areas within the print. A full scale Print of normal Contrast and Density has a wide range of Tones: rich blacks, many shades of gray, brilliant whites. A low-contrast or flat Black and White Print seems gray and weak with no real blacks or brilliant whites. A high-contrast Black and White Print seems harsh. Large shadows areas seem too dark and may print as solid black; highlights seem too light and may be completely white. Texture and details are missing in shadows, highlights or both. The contrast of a Black and White Photo is mainly controlled by the grade of paper used.
  I use multi grade,matte enlarging paper. It gives me good contrast and fair density in the shoulder area. I Expose my prints in the middle gray area of the Zone scale. It allows me to Hand Tint all areas of my Print if I choose. I use the rules of third in my composition and balance. I then use my " 2 Zone Technique to apply my colors to the final Black and White Photo. It gives my Photo Art a three dimensional effect. I always add colors to my shadow areas to enhance texture and details unseen to the naked eye. I enjoy adding colors where there is  a lack to enhance my balance and  composition. This give my Black and White Photo Art that Special touch.
I am the only Photo Artist in the world that use the above mention techniques. My Photo Art is unique because of this Technique which I developed myself. Don't miss out on a chance to own tomorows Piccasso. They are the best investment in todays Art world. Its still affordable, as time goes on those who own Black and White Photo Art will see their investment appreciate like no other type of Art. The main reason is, most Photos are taken with a digital camera and won't be around long enough to appraise, they will fade away in due time. My Photo Art matures and the Colors become more intense as they age gracefully. They are like a like fine vintage bottle of wine. If you have the chance to buy a Black and White Print do so. there are not many left on the market. I recommend going to flea markets or garage sells to look for these forgotten treasures of the past.

  The goal during printing is usually to make a full-scale Black and White Print that has a full range of Tones and a realistic sense of texture and substance. You may deliberately depart from this goal at times. A test Print are judged for two characteristics: Density and Contrast.
  Density refers to the overall darkness or lightness of the print. It is controlled primarily by the amount of Exposure, the greater the Density of Silver produced, the darker the Print. Exposure can be adjusted either by opening or closing the enlarger lens aperture or by changing the lenght of the Exposure time.
  Contrast is the difference in brightness between light and dark areas within the print. A full scale Print of normal Contrast and Density has a wide range of Tones: rich blacks, many shades of gray, brilliant whites. A low-contrast or flat Black and White Print seems gray and weak with no real blacks or brilliant whites. A high-contrast Black and White Print seems harsh. Large shadows areas seem too dark and may print as solid black; highlights seem too light and may be completely white. Texture and details are missing in shadows, highlights or both. The contrast of a Black and White Photo is mainly controlled by the grade of paper used.
  I use multi grade,matte enlarging paper. It gives me good contrast and fair density in the shoulder area. I Expose my prints in the middle gray area of the Zone scale. It allows me to Hand Tint all areas of my Print if I choose. I use the rules of third in my composition and balance. I then use my " 2 Zone Technique to apply my colors to the final Black and White Photo. It gives my Photo Art a three dimensional effect. I always add colors to my shadow areas to enhance texture and details unseen to the naked eye. I enjoy adding colors where there is  a lack to enhance my balance and  composition. This give my Black and White Photo Art that Special touch.
I am the only Photo Artist in the world that use the above mention techniques. My Photo Art is unique because of this Technique which I developed myself. Don't miss out on a chance to own tomorows Piccasso. They are the best investment in todays Art world. Its still affordable, as time goes on those who own Black and White Photo Art will see their investment appreciate like no other type of Art. The main reason is, most Photos are taken with a digital camera and won't be around long enough to appraise, they will fade away in due time. My Photo Art matures and the Colors become more intense as they age gracefully. They are like a like fine vintage bottle of wine. If you have the chance to buy a Black and White Print do so. there are not many left on the market. I recommend going to flea markets or garage sells to look for these forgotten treasures of the past.

**The easiest way to control and adjust contrast is to change the contrast grade of Black and White paper-print, a high contrast negative on a low-contrast paper and low contrast negative on a high-contrast paper.
**A film's response to change in development is strong in the areas of greatest exposure (high, bright values) and weak in the areas of little exposure (low, shadow values). This occurs because the developer rapidly reduces the Silver Bromide Crystals that were struck by light in the slightly exposed shadow areas.
**The longer a negative is developed (up to a limit), the greater the Silver density that develops in high values, while the shadow densities remain about the same. Contrast increases as the spread between high value and low value densities increases, and it decreases as the spread decreases. The lenght of time a negative is developed has an important effect on the contrast.
**Changing the development time is simple if you are using Black and White sheet film, since each exposure can be given individual development. With Black and White roll film, changing the contrast grade of the paper is often more practical.
** Understanding the characteristic of Black and White Photo film and Black and White print Paper you can obtain any type of print to suit your needs. I prefer printing in zone IV to zone VII my Black and White Photo Art the Classic way. When I Hand Tint my black and White  Photo Art the colors have a tendency to levitate. The colors place properly give the Photo a three dimension effect. This is where the magic begins, knowing what colors and where to tint. Toning brings out the mood of each scene.