A question about this work

muju · Jul 28, 2014

Hi guys,

I'd like to know your experienced opinion about this work: specifically, how do you think these tones can be achieved in the darkroom when printing?

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Thanks in advance!

muju

darkosaric · Jul 28, 2014

Hi,

I would go with multigrade papers and lower contrast filter (for start grade 1). Negative should not be underexposed, to have a lot of shadow details.

Regards,

muju · Jul 28, 2014

Thanks Darko,
that's what strikes me about it: lots of shadow details, but the highlights are kind of muted, as if the exposure was time longer than normal...but then with a long exposure time, you usually lose shadows details...so I was wondering whether just using a low contrast filter would do the trick here, or maybe there's something about the develop process too.

darkosaric · Jul 28, 2014

It depends about light condition of the scene - it it was not contrasty - then you can expose and develop normally, but if contrast of the scene was high, and you know you want to have this kind of result on final print - then it is good to overexpose and under develop the film, or use semistand, or some other technique in negative developer to get contrast in control - and in that way you will have less problems in printing stage.

muju · Jul 28, 2014

Thanks, it makes sense!

gone · Jul 28, 2014

I'm not sure I'd want to emulate those tones. Granted, we're all seeing different things. since we all have different monitors, but the tones seem compressed and flat on mine. That snow looks absolutely gray.

Nuff · Jul 28, 2014

I'm with momus, looks like mash of grey

darkosaric · Jul 28, 2014

momus said:
I'm not sure I'd want to emulate those tones. Granted, we're all seeing different things. since we all have different monitors, but the tones seem compressed and flat on mine. That snow looks absolutely gray.

Contrast is like spice in food - not too much, not too little, just proper amount is needed. Only thing is that definition of proper is very wide, and depends from person, from subject and so on .

I would print those with little more contrast, and it is quite possible that those jpgs are negative scans, not print scans.

muju · Jul 28, 2014

Thanks you all guys.
Agree with Darko, it's a matter of taste.
That book has been very well-received last year by critics and audience, but of course the aesthetics of the prints it's just a part of its merit, the rest being the coherence and sense of intimacy arising image after image, in my opinion.
I was just curious about the technique behind and wanted to hear the opinion of someone with more darkroom experience than myself...I've just started, so I'm not looking to try unusual stuff right now, I'm still learning the basics.

jeffreyg · Jul 28, 2014

If it is the snow that you are most concerned with, as mentioned split-grade printing or consider selective bleaching that might help.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/
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muju · Jul 28, 2014

Thanks Jeffery...no, I'm not interested in how the snow looks in particular but thanks for your comment, I'll read more about these 2 techniques.

baachitraka · Jul 28, 2014

Just start printing without any predetermined targets to achieve...and in due course working in darkroom will bring lots of fun and experience.

pdeeh · Jul 28, 2014

I have a calibrated monitor, and chacun à son goût I know, but frankly these look rather inept to me

jp498 · Jul 28, 2014

The snow looks less than white because there's a dusk photo with a bright light on the building. Of course snow isn't going to be bright white when it's dim enough outside for the light to be glowing bright. Even in daytime, pure white == no detail/texture. Making snow blown-out white is an artistic choice 10% of the time and a cop-out 90% of the time for people who don't like snow.

The website would have been better if the photos were not on an apple-white background, but a gray background, the tones in the photo would not be needlessly referenced to bright white.

Jim Jones · Jul 28, 2014

The process looks like posterization. It's a laborious process in the darkroom, but easily done in most photo editors.

bernard_L · Jul 28, 2014

Expired paper?

darkosaric · Jul 28, 2014

bernard_L said:
Expired paper?

I don't think those are silver gelatin prints.

Hatchetman · Jul 28, 2014

My first thought was "looks like my test prints that end up in the trash."

But I'm not an artist....

Jon Shiu · Jul 28, 2014

It may be that he fogged the paper deliberately by flashing the entire sheet with white light before making the print.

Jon

jp498 · Jul 28, 2014

It is possible to get bad prints from drydown or poor darkroom developer that would sort of looks like that, but I think it's intentional. Winter can be a time of weak sun and blandness in many parts of the world and I think what is on the website captures that mood superbly.

Use a lowish contrast film developer (like something semi-stand or PMK) and print low contrast on VC paper, and it's easy.

ParkerSmithPhoto · Jul 28, 2014

muju said:
Thanks you all guys.
Agree with Darko, it's a matter of taste.
That book has been very well-received last year by critics and audience, but of course the aesthetics of the prints it's just a part of its merit, the rest being the coherence and sense of intimacy arising image after image, in my opinion.
I was just curious about the technique behind and wanted to hear the opinion of someone with more darkroom experience than myself...I've just started, so I'm not looking to try unusual stuff right now, I'm still learning the basics.

Are you sure those are even silver prints? I didn't see any mention on the site. Most of the latest digital printing processes have longer scales than a silver print. (Sorry if that offends anyone...)

Quite often I find that the repro process adds just a bit more pop and contrast than is inherent in the original, especially when viewing on a monitor vs a print.

I'd also say that the project is very typical of the now-popular cerebral, autobiographical style of photography, which upon viewing is something like meeting a man who isn't very interesting or accomplished and having him tell you his life story.

summicron1 · Jul 28, 2014

muju said:
Hi guys,

I'd like to know your experienced opinion about this work: specifically, how do you think these tones can be achieved in the darkroom when printing?

Dead Link Removed

Thanks in advance!

muju

there's a rumor that Ansel Adams knew of an 11th zone that he didn't tell anyone about, sneaky bastid....

pdeeh · Jul 28, 2014

hehe
didn't he also find the lost chord? Or was that jimmy durante?

A question about this work

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