Going white tone blind!

[rternbach]

When you say "Exposing for the highlights is the best method IMHO" and "control a highlight with exposure" are you talking about in the darkroom or in the camera/on the film? I ask because there are those who would disagree with you if you are talking about in camera exposures.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

When you say "Exposing for the highlights is the best method IMHO" and "control a highlight with exposure" are you talking about in the darkroom or in the camera/on the film? I ask because there are those who would disagree with you if you are talking about in camera exposures.

This is my process:

for film:
Expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights!

for paper:
Expose for the highlights and control the shadows with contrast!

 

[rternbach]

This is my process:

for film:
Expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights!

for paper:
Expose for the highlights and control the shadows with contrast!

Perfectly clear; Thanks!

 

[rternbach]

And another question: Does everyone do this by exclusively by eye or are there those who find a densitometer or spectrophotometer useful in this process?

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I hesitate to admit it, but for years now, I use a densitometer to verify what my eyes and brain have decided. It is my experience that I get more consistency this way. After a long printing session, the body gets tired and everything starts to look 'good enough'. The densitometer keeps me honest and often chases me back into the darkroom saying: 'come on, you can do better than that'.

 

[Tom Stanworth]

I hesitate to admit it, but for years now, I use a densitometer to verify what my eyes and brain have decided. It is my experience that I get more consistency this way. After a long printing session, the body gets tired and everything starts to look 'good enough'. The densitometer keeps me honest and often chases me back into the darkroom saying: 'come on, you can do better than that'.

Very true. Its amazing how tired your eyes can become! living with a print for a few weeks is the ideal, then going back and tweaking things. That worked for me when doing more 'fine art/landscape' work but is totally impractical with reportage and 50-100 shots to print! I think dimming the inspection light is important and concluded that mine was too bright.

 

[Tom Stanworth]

The eye's sensitivity to tonal changes is impressive! Viewed next to each other, differences of 1/24 stop can easily be seen in Zone II or VIII at normal grades (goes down to 1/96 stop in Zone V), but I limit my printing efforts to 1/12 stop to keep it practical.

I mainly use a dichroic color head and calibrated settings to compensate for the highlight point at Zone VIII shifting with contrast changes.

Ralph, could you explain how to use this chart when switching contrast?

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Ralph, could you explain how to use this chart when switching contrast?

Find the intersection of old and new contrast settings and adjust the exposure by as many 1/12 stops as you find there. Example: going form grade 2 to 2.5 needs an additional 2/12-stop exposure to keep the density of Zone-VIII highlights consistent.

This chart is made for f-stop timing, but it I also have it in % lor linear timing.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Very true. Its amazing how tired your eyes can become! living with a print for a few weeks is the ideal, then going back and tweaking things. That worked for me when doing more 'fine art/landscape' work but is totally impractical with reportage and 50-100 shots to print! I think dimming the inspection light is important and concluded that mine was too bright.

I recommend an illumination of about EV7 (100 ASA) at the print evaluation board. If darkroom lights are too bright, prints will look too dark when displayed in dimmer conditions.

 

[MattKing]

I recommend an illumination of about EV7 (100 ASA) at the print evaluation board. If darkroom lights are too bright, prints will look too dark when displayed in dimmer conditions.

Ralph:

I haven't the time right now to check whether this information is in edition 1 of Way Beyond Monochrome but you should make a point of having it in version 2.

Matt

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Ralph:

I haven't the time right now to check whether this information is in edition 1 of Way Beyond Monochrome but you should make a point of having it in version 2.

Matt

Matt

I ow you one. It is actually in WBM1 on page 60 and 240 in the caption, but there is rightly states EV6 and not EV7, which is wrong. It will also be in WBM2, as we have almost dropped nothing and only added 250 pages, but your question made me check it, and you prevented an error before it was printed.

Thanks a lot!

 

[MattKing]

Matt

I ow you one. It is actually in WBM1 on page 60 and 240 in the caption, but there is rightly states EV6 and not EV7, which is wrong. It will also be in WBM2, as we have almost dropped nothing and only added 250 pages, but your question made me check it, and you prevented an error before it was printed.

Thanks a lot!

Ralph:

You're welcome.

Matt

 

[rternbach]

...It will also be in WBM2, as we have almost dropped nothing and only added 250 pages...

Not to pressure you, I understand from your post WBM2 is still to goto the printers, but what is the anticipated pub. date? Thanks.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Not to pressure you, I understand from your post WBM2 is still to goto the printers, but what is the anticipated pub. date? Thanks.

Just, because you're asking, but keep in mind this is not the place for me to talk about the book.

The publication date of 'Way Beyond Monochrome' has been firmly set by the publisher to March, 2010. I have been given a drop-off date of 'the end of Sep,2009' for the manuscript.

Please add all further questions to WBM2 to:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

or they throw me out of here.

Thanks.

 

[brian steinberger]

I recommend an illumination of about EV7 (100 ASA) at the print evaluation board. If darkroom lights are too bright, prints will look too dark when displayed in dimmer conditions.

Ralph, is this EV7 (ISO100) off a gray card if held against the viewing board?

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Ralph, is this EV7 (ISO100) off a gray card if held against the viewing board?

I tried to correct this earlier to EV6 at ISO 100/21, but yes, it is an incident reading or a reflectance reading off a gray card.

 

[Ronald Moravec]

Make your series and pick the best. On the next print, rewet the best and match with a wet print.