Dodging with spilt filtering

[Robert]

I've got a print that's not bad with no filtering at all. [normal #2 contrast] The trees in the right of the scene are way too dark. Now tomorrow when I print it again I'm going to try spilt filtering it. I'm guessing I should dodge the trees with the high contrast filter. I think that makes sense.

 

[lee]

It depends. Make a print first with just the split print filters and then make the determination. Try a print and dodge with the green or yellow filter and then do one with the hard filter (blue or magenta). let us know how it went.


lee\c

 

[Robert]

Did it this morning. The straight spilt filter doesn't really need the trees dodged. The print is less moody then the first but the shadows now show detail. I guess I could go a little longer on the soft exposure but I think I'll live with this print for the week and wait for it to fully dry before making any decisions.

 

[Donald Miller]

It seems to be that, in my experience, burning and dodging on the softer filtration primarily affects the values of IV and above and that burning and dodging at the hard filtration seems to affect the values of III and below.

 

[Robert]

Thanks. Today's print is more realistic but I'm not sure it's better-)) I'm going to try a slightly longer soft exposure and a shorter hard one. Hopefully that will give me more of a blend of the two prints.

 

[fhovie]

Les has some useful articals posted here - I had great luck with a similar situation using a 2 bath developer. D65 was mixed 3:1 in bath A and 9:1 in bath B (this works with most developers). I put the print in Bath A until the image just bagan to develop and then imediately into Bath B. The weak bath B is kind to the shadows and continues to softly work on the highlights. You can keep the snap of a hard paper and keep the tonal range of a soft paper.

 

[Robert]

Burned in a sky this morning. I was actually able to figure out the burn time from the test strip. The test strip included a piece of sky and I took that time. Have to say it worked fairly well. With a normal setup I doubt I would have this much control. I was able to take a clear sky with white clouds and turn it into a dark sky. Looks fairly natural.

 

[lee]

see, we told ya so......


lee\c

 

[Huib]

Robert,

to de-mistify:

it is well documented that a split filter print (without dodging and burning) does not give a different result as opposed to a single exposure print. Bassically: a split filter print can also be made with a single exposure!

if your single exposed (not dodged and burned) print looks different from the spilt filtered print you have two prints with different contrast (and base exposure time).

Split filtering can have some advantages:

- when you find it hard to determn contrast and exposure time in a single exposure.
- you have fixed stepped contrast filters and need an intermediate step
- need different contrasts in different areas of the print.

I often use the last technique: the main subject has lost contrast due to aerial haze but I want to bring it with more punch in the print: I make the base exosure and slightly dodge the subject (to keep the whites from becoming gray in the subject) then I burn the subject at a higher contrast to bring in the blacks.

Huib