How to get High Contrast Prints?

[pentaxuser]

OK Ray I meant underexposed by one stop and not unexposed but it looks as if you understood my unexposed to read as underexposed I've changed it now

pentaxuser

 

[Ray Carr]

OK Ray I meant underexposed by one stop and not unexposed but it looks as if you understood my unexposed to read as underexposed I've changed it now

pentaxuser

Ok, got it, Thanks for clarifying...

 

[Ray Carr]

The cover of book "Best Friends" by Hulton Getty (attached herewith) is best way I can express what I am looking for in my prints. Currently, I use Foma Retrobrom 152 SP, it is Contrast Grade 3 Baryta paper. I hope the methods suggested by fellow darkroom developers can be used to achieve this result. Some of the negatives that I developed looks better with this result, though not all of them.

 

[MattKing]

So something like this?:

This arose from choosing the right subject, in the right light, and then printing it dark and with a fair bit of contrast.

 

[MattKing]

Or is this one what you were thinking of:

 

[koraks]

Currently, I use Foma Retrobrom 152 SP, it is Contrast Grade 3 Baryta paper.

Undoubtedly a very nice paper that you've selected for its unique qualities- however, it does limit you to a single grade. I personally prefer to keep life simple sometimes and therefore just use VC papers. Need more contrast? Dial in a different filter!

 

[snusmumriken]

The cover of book "Best Friends" by Hulton Getty (attached herewith)

I had to look that up. There seem to have been two covers. One shows two little girls and a tree, but presumably you mean the witches’ tea party version?

Looks to me like a short printing exposure (so the highlights have no detail) coupled with a high contrast grade (so the lower mid-tones and shadows are virtually black).

You might it find it helpful to take a smartphone snap of a picture you want to render in this way, and (after cropping off extraneous borders) play with the contrast and brightness editing tools until you understand how these interact to give you what you want. I do this myself sometimes when my prints have failed to capture some evasive quality of light.

 

[Don_ih]

The cover of book "Best Friends" by Hulton Getty

As an aside, it took a little while to find out about that photo on the cover of that book. It's not a picture of people pretending to be witches. The outfits were actually the required "uniform" of residents at Trinity Hospital Castle Rising, a home for unwed and financially bereft women of over 56 in Wales. If you go to their website, you can see that the uniforms are still there - although they don't have to wear them.
And the uniforms are red, with black hats.

 

[snusmumriken]

As an aside, it took a little while to find out about that photo on the cover of that book. It's not a picture of people pretending to be witches. The outfits were actually the required "uniform" of residents at Trinity Hospital Castle Rising, a home for unwed and financially bereft women of over 56 in Wales. If you go to their website, you can see that the uniforms are still there - although they don't have to wear them.
And the uniforms are red, with black hats.
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View attachment 329960

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Well sleuthed! I had absolutely no idea about that place, but I should have thought of the Welsh national costume.

 

[Don_ih]

Well sleuthed! I had absolutely no idea about that place, but I should have thought of the Welsh national costume.

Over here, they definitely appear to be dressed as witches.

 

[snusmumriken]

Over here, they definitely appear to be dressed as witches.

Actually, although the costume is similar to Welsh national dress, Castle Rising is in Norfolk (eastern England), not Wales. Other side of Britain. Where did you find any suggested Welsh connection?

 

[Ray Carr]

Undoubtedly a very nice paper that you've selected for its unique qualities- however, it does limit you to a single grade. I personally prefer to keep life simple sometimes and therefore just use VC papers. Need more contrast? Dial in a different filter!

Thanks Koraks. I've order Fombrom Var 112,, Matt finish. Will try this paper with Contrast Grade 4 or more.

 

[Ray Carr]

I had to look that up. There seem to have been two covers. One shows two little girls and a tree, but presumably you mean the witches’ tea party version?

Looks to me like a short printing exposure (so the highlights have no detail) coupled with a high contrast grade (so the lower mid-tones and shadows are virtually black).

You might it find it helpful to take a smartphone snap of a picture you want to render in this way, and (after cropping off extraneous borders) play with the contrast and brightness editing tools until you understand how these interact to give you what you want. I do this myself sometimes when my prints have failed to capture some evasive quality of light.

but presumably you mean the witches’ tea party version? Yes, the one with this cover

Looks to me like a short printing exposure (so the highlights have no detail) coupled with a high contrast grade (so the lower mid-tones and shadows are virtually black). Awesome, waiting for Foma Fombrom Var 112,FB, Matt finish to arrive to try this out...


You might it find it helpful to take a smartphone snap of a picture you want ... Will try it out this as well...

Thanks @snusmumriken

 

[Ray Carr]

As an aside, it took a little while to find out about that photo on the cover of that book. It's not a picture of people pretending to be witches. The outfits were actually the required "uniform" of residents at Trinity Hospital Castle Rising, a home for unwed and financially bereft women of over 56 in Wales. If you go to their website, you can see that the uniforms are still there - although they don't have to wear them.
And the uniforms are red, with black hats.
View attachment 329959
View attachment 329960

View attachment 329961

Thanks for the information, @Don Heisz

 

[Ray Carr]

So something like this?:
View attachment 329955
This arose from choosing the right subject, in the right light, and then printing it dark and with a fair bit of contrast.

@MattKing , what an awesome print!!! Is this from 35mm film? If so, which film, ISO, film developer, paper, paper developer did you use? Once again, awesome print. I'll consider myself goal achieved the day I am able to make this kind of prints ...

 

[Don_ih]

Castle Rising is in Norfolk (eastern England), not Wales. Other side of Britain. Where did you find any suggested Welsh connection?

It was on one of the first webpages I saw that identified the photo "correctly" - I guess not exactly correct. If I'd looked on a map (which I just did), I would've seen it was nowhere near Wales.

 

[MattKing]

@MattKing , what an awesome print!!! Is this from 35mm film? If so, which film, ISO, film developer, paper, paper developer did you use? Once again, awesome print. I'll consider myself goal achieved the day I am able to make this kind of prints ...

Thanks.
Sometimes I can answer those sorts of questions, and sometimes I can't.
In this case, it is 35mm T-Max 400 (TMY-2). Exposed I think (but I'm not sure) in a Retina IIIc with the 50mm f/2 Xenon lens.
Developed in HC-110 dil E.
I have both a work print and the 9 year old scan I shared. I'm not sure, but I think that the scan was from the negative, rather than the print - I go back and forth between those two ways to digitize - but the view on the screen does emulate the print. That print is on my usual RC paper, pearl surface in this case. At that time, it was either Ilford MGIV RC or Oriental RC.
I didn't pick that particular image for any other reason than I thought it resembled a little bit the examples you referred to.
I think we are still struggling a bit to understand what particular print attributes are the ones you are drawn to. Part of that struggle comes from the fact that the two example links you supplied seem to be somewhat degraded reproductions.
It isn't possible to tell what your location is from your profile. If you could give us more of a clue where you are, we might be able to give you a couple of suggestions as to where you might go in real life to have someone look at your prints, give you advice, and show you other prints to help you by serving as an example.

 

[Ray Carr]

Hi Matt,

"I think we are still struggling a bit to understand what particular print attributes are the ones you are drawn to.". In fact, I am drawn to every kind of analog black and white prints. I was lucky to have some brilliant books like "Families" by Margaret Mead and Ken Heyman. Ken Heyman was the photographer. I received Foma Fomabrome Var 112 variable contrast paper. Let me try what I can get from my Dichoric enlarger. I'll experiment and wish to provide me results.

"If you could give us more of a clue where you are". I am from India.

Thanks...

 

[Ray Carr]

The word that correctly express the meaning of "high contrast" is Chiaroscuro.

 

[Don_ih]

The word that correctly express the meaning of "high contrast" is Chiaroscuro.

Not exactly. Chiaroscure is the result of directional light unevenly illuminating elements of an image - so that ends up mostly meaning strong contrast naturally occurring in the image. So if that's what you want in your photos, that is how you need to light what you're taking photos of.

This photo is by Gene Smith. The range of tones in this image is full. It's not an overall "contrasty" image, but it does exemplify chiaroscure.

 

[Ray Carr]

Not exactly. Chiaroscure is the result of directional light unevenly illuminating elements of an image - so that ends up mostly meaning strong contrast naturally occurring in the image. So if that's what you want in your photos, that is how you need to light what you're taking photos of.

This photo is by Gene Smith. The range of tones in this image is full. It's not an overall "contrasty" image, but it does exemplify chiaroscure.

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Well put, thanks very much