Bleaching shadows in b+w prints

schlger · Nov 3, 2014

Hello,

I am searching for am method to lighten shadow values in finished b+w prints by bleaching. What formula could give the best results in order to lighten some zone 4 or 5 values within the shadows, maintain the deepest blacks, and working without staining the bleached areas. There are so many bleach recieps with even more variations. Do you have advice which I should try first?

Thanks a lot
Gerhard

Thomas Bertilsson · Nov 3, 2014

Bleach really does work on all the silver of the print. It is not selective, and your highlights will disappear first if you soak the whole print in whatever bleach you decide on. Granted I've only ever tried potassium ferricyanice and copper sulfate. But they are simply reduce density, and work in highly similar ways.

May I recommend finding Bruce Barnbaum's videos on selective bleaching? He uses bleaching as a creative element, basically uses a brush, running water, with the print on a 45 degree piece of plexi or glass. Keep pot ferri handy in fairly high concentration, and just 'paint away' density where you think it will be effective.

goros · Nov 3, 2014

Farmer reducer does the trick. As Thomas says, you have to paint the areas you want to make lighter, either with a brush or with a stick with a cotton tip.

In the attached video, about half the length, you could see her withening some areas.

http://www.laboratoire-tirages-argentiques.com/prestation-eng.html

schlger · Nov 4, 2014

I have tried different concentrations of ferricyanide alone, with potassiumbromide and with plain hypo. All works great for clearing highlights. If I try to bring out some additional detail in the shadows, the shadow contrast and the dep blacks are weakened. And depending from the mixture, brown staining of treated areas occurs more or less. I know Bruce Barnbaums Book and wonder, how he achieved that hevy beaching of the wooden English church door without loss of shadow contrast and without staining. As he recommended, I tried a Sodiumthiosulphate fix to reduce staining.

Ian Grant · Nov 4, 2014

I'd print a grade harder to get the shadow separation and then pre-flash the print to bring back the highlights probably with some light localised burning in.

Ian

ic-racer · Nov 4, 2014

Print on a grade softer or lower to lighten shadows. If you need selective lightening, use a dodging paddle.

georg16nik · Nov 4, 2014

schlger said:
Hello,

I am searching for am method to lighten shadow values in finished b+w prints by bleaching. What formula could give the best results in order to lighten some zone 4 or 5 values within the shadows, maintain the deepest blacks, and working without staining the bleached areas. There are so many bleach recieps with even more variations. Do you have advice which I should try first?

Thanks a lot
Gerhard

You can bleach your print (and film) selectively, after exposure and before development.
Contrastwise bleaching prior to development selectively changes the latent image in areas of greater exposure.

http://www.davidkachel.com/assets/cont_pt3.htm
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Patrick Robert James · Nov 4, 2014

The only good way to do it is the method Georg suggests, which is what I would suggest as well.

I have often wondered if one could use the method to fix a print by rehalogenating it then use SLIMT to open the shadows. I haven't tried it yet though.

georg16nik · Nov 4, 2014

Michael R 1974 said:
Generally the problem with using post-exposure methods such as selective reduction to "open" shadows, is that you are trying to lighten areas which have relatively low contrast to begin with. So in most cases you'll likely end up with lighter, but muddy looking shadows. And that's assuming you have true cutting/sub-proportional reduction. Any kind of proportional reducer will further reduce contrast, which is the last thing you want.

Michael,

have you tried the bleach I mentioned?
generalizing shadow contrast is brave statement.

cliveh · Nov 4, 2014

You need to treat the cause, not the effect and I would suggest you reprint.

David A. Goldfarb · Nov 4, 2014

If you've got some highlights and midtones in your shadow area, local ferricyanide bleaching in the shadows will bring them up without changing the blacks too much, and can create the appearance of more light in the shadows. You need to apply a weak solution to a damp print with a brush, and then use a hose with running water to rinse it away just before you think it's enough, paying attention to where the drips are going, to avoid bleaching the surrounding area unintentionally.

georg16nik · Nov 4, 2014

BINGO!

Michael R 1974 said:
.... unless the bleach acts sub-proportionately on the latent image.

georg16nik · Nov 4, 2014

That's why you test with different exposure times.
You might have negative with higher contrast or two areas, each of normal contrast but different densities.
In my experience, I've never had muddy shadows when using SLIMT.

Michael R 1974 said:
.....
Even so, a sub-proportional ("cutting") reducer doesn't guarantee you won't get muddy shadows anyway. It depends on where they were exposed on the paper curve to begin with.

doughowk · Nov 4, 2014

As to brown stains with ferricyanide, had similar issue getting brown stains on cool black prints. Barry Thornton, in "Elements" suggested use of tincture of iodine. Seems to work without staining.

schlger · Nov 19, 2014

That sounds good. I was not able to get that book from german libraries. Can you pst the reciep an concentration of the jodine bleach tincture and how to apply?

Thanks!

MartinP · Nov 19, 2014

If the low contrast within shadows problem (ie. blocking up with black and almost-black) is due to an underdeveloped low contrast neg, then you could work from that end and try to intensify the negative?

RalphLambrecht · Nov 19, 2014

I do it the samw way Bruce does it and sho it in WBM.it works well that way,increasing shadow contrast.

Bleaching shadows in b+w prints

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