How would I get rid of this shadow in the Darkroom?

hoffy · Jun 11, 2018

Hey Folks,

I am thinking of printing the attached image (this is a negative scan):

The question is simple. What would be the easiest technique to replace the shadow that I have circled?

Cheers

mshchem · Jun 11, 2018

Dodge.

mshchem · Jun 11, 2018

Dodge and bleach.

MattKing · Jun 11, 2018

Creative matting.

hoffy · Jun 11, 2018

mshchem said:
Dodge and bleach.

OK, I have to admit that I have never tackled intricate dodging before and certainly never bleaching. What procedure would you do? Get it lighter with the dodging and then lighter again with bleaching?

MattKing said:
Creative matting.

LOL! I have thought of cropping it down, but I like the flow down the row of cars.

mshchem · Jun 11, 2018

Best you can do is lessen it. You're not going to make it go away without Photoshop.

hoffy · Jun 11, 2018

michael_r said:
Very intricate masking and/or extremely difficult selective bleaching, perhaps. But basically impossible to do convincingly. This is really beyond what is possible in the darkroom.

mshchem said:
Best you can do is lessen it. You're not going to make it go away without Photoshop.

OK, I think that is the thing. I don't want to make it go away with photoshop! I just wanted to see if there was a way. The other option I had thought about was marking the negative with pencil, but again, that would be very hard to get the road texture right.

MattKing · Jun 11, 2018

You might consider going the other way - flash in that area to darken and blur the entire area, to minimize the light areas in the middle of it.
A dark blob may be better than a detailed set of shadows.

Michael W · Jun 11, 2018

In the old days they would probably do something like make an enlarged copy negative and then hand retouch that with pencil to match the road texture. Would have required a bit of skill but I have met people who used to that that as a job as recently as the 1980s.

Eric Rose · Jun 11, 2018

Fix it in PS and then make a digital negative.

hoffy · Jun 11, 2018

Eric Rose said:
Fix it in PS and then make a digital negative.

Yeah, that would be the easiest! But something I am not entertaining for now..... ( The Hybrid tick isn't checked on this thread )

spijker · Jun 11, 2018

I doubt that you'll get rid of it with dodging. Instead I'd suggest to create some more (false) shadows in the lower right corner by burning it in with some irregular edgy holes in a piece of cardboard. That way, you'll get a light strip of pavement framed by the cars and a darker lower right triangle.You may wan to try this with the scan on the computer first to see if you like the effect before spending time and paper on it in the darkroom.

hoffy · Jun 11, 2018

spijker said:
I doubt that you'll get rid of it with dodging. Instead I'd suggest to create some more (false) shadows in the lower right corner by burning it in with some irregular edgy holes in a piece of cardboard. That way, you'll get a light strip of pavement framed by the cars and a darker lower right triangle.You may wan to try this with the scan on the computer first to see if you like the effect before spending time and paper on it in the darkroom.

Sort of like this (excuse the use of the Windows snipping tool for my editing.... I'm at work!)

Poisson Du Jour · Jun 11, 2018

There are other problems with an otherwise interesting image.
The light pole in the background — zap that.
The shadows ... meh. Unless you are highly proficient with D&B tools in the DR, go the way Eric suggested and create a digital negative.
Finally, crop up a third from bottom. What's the highlight in all that space? Counting impressions on the tarmac of admiring curves??

Eric Rose · Jun 11, 2018

hoffy said:
Yeah, that would be the easiest! But something I am not entertaining for now..... ( The Hybrid tick isn't checked on this thread )

You asked a question I gave the best answer I can based on 50 years of darkroom experience. I don't pay any attention to "ticks". Photography is photography. But I'm sorry if I "ticked" you off lol.

hoffy · Jun 12, 2018

Eric Rose said:
You asked a question I gave the best answer I can based on 50 years of darkroom experience. I don't pay any attention to "ticks". Photography is photography. But I'm sorry if I "ticked" you off lol.

No, you didn't tick me off! Nothing to fear. I am just trying to work out if there is a pure analogue way of dealing with the issue!

Its all OK.

Sirius Glass · Jun 12, 2018

If you do not want to dodge out the shadow you could always crop it out.

Kevin Caulfield · Jun 12, 2018

Just to play devil's advocate, I don't find that shadow (or those two shadows) to be intrusive at all. To me, they give some balance to the composition. In fact, they even "point" to the older car. Also, I disagree about getting rid of that light pole.

Sirius Glass · Jun 12, 2018

Kevin Caulfield said:
Just to play devil's advocate, I don't find that shadow (or those two shadows) to be intrusive at all. To me, they give some balance to the composition. In fact, they even "point" to the older car. Also, I disagree about getting rid of that light pole.

I agree. Also as far as the light pole, who said that the world is perfect?

mshchem · Jun 12, 2018

I would cut some shapes of paper kind of irregular shapes that you can put on a wire and try to back off the shadows a couple stops by dodging. You might be surprised what you can do to get something you like. Very subtle bleaching could help. I will bet you can make it acceptable, to You by dodging. Stop down the lens so you have plenty of time to work your magic. Using very dilute bleach, on wet paper apply and rinse off quickly , might take you 30 minutes If you could get it so it was a "light shadow " probably will look fine. Nice prints. Looks like you have fun, I'm sure you have a lot fans.
Digital negative is powerful tool, but it's fun to challenge yourself . Ansel Adams had very intricate diagrams for every print he made, several different exposure times for different parts of the print.
Best

Poisson Du Jour · Jun 12, 2018

Sirius Glass said:
I agree. Also as far as the light pole, who said that the world is perfect?

We can improve the world, attachThumb202281 one little bit at a time. Starting with a decent crop...why not?

hoffy · Jun 12, 2018

Poisson Du Jour said:
We can improve the world, attachThumb202281 one little bit at a time. Starting with a decent crop...why not?

View attachment 202281

Not my vision. Sorry. The line of the cars is as much the image as the car closest to the end.

Poisson Du Jour · Jun 12, 2018

hoffy said:
Not my vision. Sorry. The line of the cars is as much the image as the car closest to the end.

OK. I'm on the road now for judging at a group in Bendigo. Have fun.
<--dictated by OK Google-->

Ozxplorer · Jun 12, 2018

hoffy said:
Not my vision. Sorry. The line of the cars is as much the image as the car closest to the end.

I think Kevin has a point... just depends on your fussiness about keeping to the original format and perspective. If the rear car and light poles are king then this crop would in my opinion, successfully use the offending shadows plus the shadow under the subject vehicle. The bottom line is that the centre of attention in this shot is the rear right white-walled tyre/wheel.

AgX · Jun 12, 2018

I would consider:

Blocking exposure to the right part of the image along the vanishing line, lateral moving the easel and exposing the unharmed part of the street along the vanishing line onto the unexposed part. Thus practically doubling the part of the street from front to back.
If one blocks and exposes either with a soft edge that might work without retouching.

How would I get rid of this shadow in the Darkroom?

hoffy

mshchem

mshchem

MattKing

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hoffy

mshchem

hoffy

MattKing

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Michael W

Eric Rose

hoffy

spijker

hoffy

Poisson Du Jour

Eric Rose

hoffy

Sirius Glass

Kevin Caulfield

Sirius Glass

mshchem

Poisson Du Jour

hoffy

Poisson Du Jour

Ozxplorer

AgX

How would I get rid of this shadow in the Darkroom?

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