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

[bernard_L]

Here's how I would (attempt to--) do it if I were as desperate as you to get rid of that shadow. You do not mention the format of the negative, but from the aspect ratio, I guess it's 6x6MF, making masking delicate.

1. Set up the enlarger and negative. Preferably use a larg-ish aperture on the enlarger lens. I assume you use an easel; if not, you need al least an intermediate flat plate of board that you can move Using support blocks resting on the base plate, support a piece of glass (ideally coated museum glass, but that's expensive) roughly halfway between the lens and the base. Keep that rig in position with adhesive tape or whatever.
   
2. Procure some piece of card, covering the size of the image at the level of the glass. Should be light-colored on top side but totally opaque. Where i live I can buy card colored on just one side (e.g. in black) that I use for normal dodge/burn.
   
3. Lay the card on the glass, and draw an outline slightly outside the shadow. Remove card, cut along the outline. Carefully, you will need both parts.
   
4. Tape the "shadow" part of the mask on the glass. Expose the main part.
   
5. Place the complementary mask snugly against the other part; tape it; then remove the shadow mask.
   
6. Move easel and glass plate until the un-masked piece is under a suitable part of the projected image. Expose. Dev-stop-fix-light.

Background comments/explanations.

• Placing the mask above the base board and using a preferably large lens aperture ensure that the projection of the mask on the paper plane is unsharp. While in principle it might seem possible to do complementary masks directly at the paper plane, the slightest inaccuracy will result in a dark or light outline along the boundary.
• At step 1, think ahead (and test!) about the easel displacement required at step 6. Probably you will have more freedom sideways than up-down. Possibly you may need to cut your neg to a single image to orient as needed in the carrier...
  
• I have never done the full sequence as described above. But on separate occasions I have successfully used:
  • Unsharp masking (dodging) with a mask resting on a plate approx halfway between lens and paper; the outline was complicated and I did not feel confident to jiggle the mask properly during exposure, as the projected image at actual aperture is rather dim.
  • Complementary masking to replace a nasty foreground object with grass. This could be done in the paper plane because the outer contour was in a virtually black part of the positive image, where small exposure inconsistencies would not be visible.
• Complicated?
  • Maybe not much more to actually do that to write up
  • Client at restaurant orders complex dish; complains about waiting time.

Edit: While I was typing, AgX made a proposal along the same line, only much more concisely phrased.

 

[awty]

That is a very cool process. Tim Rudman book the photographers master printing course has describes it similar to above with a few illustrations. Something I have been meaning to try.

 

[Ian Grant]

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.

Only thing that'll work well is cropping either entirely as GaryH suggested or partially as above, Just lightening the shadows would help but that's not really feasible to dodge successfully.

The thing you'll have learnt is to watch for those intrusive shadows when you make ann image

Ian

 

[Hilo]

I am with Kevin and the others who wonder about your wish to do this at all.

Many great photographs have something 'disturbing' in them. The more you crob, the more you want it 'perfect', the more you risk losing something important. You may gain something aesthetically pleasing, but you risk losing identity, or soul, or real . . .

 

[removed account4]

after your initial exposure
••print some more pavement on the shadow
its clear on the negative. just move your paper and shield everything else
••you can make 2 prints, cut the black shadows
out of one and put the pavement of the 2nd print in the back ( like a collage )
or actually cut and paste it to be exactly in the hole ..
and add tone to the edge of the paper so you don't see the line .. and rephotograph it
••or you can crop it out or you can leave it..
i kind of like it and the extrememcrop

 

[Helinophoto]

Isn't there something like cloning in the darkroom?

I mean, the road is pretty much uniform in tone, thus, if you mask away a triangle from the shadows to the bottom of the image, expose normally, then reverse the mask, move the negative, so that a clean part of the road now shows trough the mask and expose again, would that not be akin to cloning?

 

[ced]

Make a contact positive and etch away all the stuff around the shadow you want to rid and then place back in register the pos&neg into the enlarger and see where this helps.
Old methods of masking and also the way to make contrast reducing masks etc.

 

[hoffy]

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.

Here's how I would (attempt to--) do it if I were as desperate as you to get rid of that shadow. You do not mention the format of the negative, but from the aspect ratio, I guess it's 6x6MF, making masking delicate.

1. Set up the enlarger and negative. Preferably use a larg-ish aperture on the enlarger lens. I assume you use an easel; if not, you need al least an intermediate flat plate of board that you can move Using support blocks resting on the base plate, support a piece of glass (ideally coated museum glass, but that's expensive) roughly halfway between the lens and the base. Keep that rig in position with adhesive tape or whatever.
   
2. Procure some piece of card, covering the size of the image at the level of the glass. Should be light-colored on top side but totally opaque. Where i live I can buy card colored on just one side (e.g. in black) that I use for normal dodge/burn.
   
3. Lay the card on the glass, and draw an outline slightly outside the shadow. Remove card, cut along the outline. Carefully, you will need both parts.
   
4. Tape the "shadow" part of the mask on the glass. Expose the main part.
   
5. Place the complementary mask snugly against the other part; tape it; then remove the shadow mask.
   
6. Move easel and glass plate until the un-masked piece is under a suitable part of the projected image. Expose. Dev-stop-fix-light.

Background comments/explanations.

• Placing the mask above the base board and using a preferably large lens aperture ensure that the projection of the mask on the paper plane is unsharp. While in principle it might seem possible to do complementary masks directly at the paper plane, the slightest inaccuracy will result in a dark or light outline along the boundary.
• At step 1, think ahead (and test!) about the easel displacement required at step 6. Probably you will have more freedom sideways than up-down. Possibly you may need to cut your neg to a single image to orient as needed in the carrier...
  
• I have never done the full sequence as described above. But on separate occasions I have successfully used:
  • Unsharp masking (dodging) with a mask resting on a plate approx halfway between lens and paper; the outline was complicated and I did not feel confident to jiggle the mask properly during exposure, as the projected image at actual aperture is rather dim.
  • Complementary masking to replace a nasty foreground object with grass. This could be done in the paper plane because the outer contour was in a virtually black part of the positive image, where small exposure inconsistencies would not be visible.
• Complicated?
  • Maybe not much more to actually do that to write up
  • Client at restaurant orders complex dish; complains about waiting time.

Edit: While I was typing, AgX made a proposal along the same line, only much more concisely phrased.

That is a very cool process. Tim Rudman book the photographers master printing course has describes it similar to above with a few illustrations. Something I have been meaning to try.

OK, I think these were the kind of instructions that I was expecting. I'll see if I can find any info from the Tim Rudman book, as I'd be curious to see the illustrations.

As for the reason behind the request, as a whole I was satisfied with the composition. I saw one issue that I think could be improved apon, so I simply wanted to know if there was a way to achieve it, in the darkroom, without photoshop.

 

[removed account4]

Isn't there something like cloning in the darkroom?

yup my 1st suggeston is like cloning
and the collage is as well ...
hoffy can also use some cellophane from a box of tea
to waavver over the affected area after the collage / 2nd exposure is made
to lessen the effect of the work .. its a nice diffuser ..

 

[bernard_L]

As for the reason behind the request, as a whole I was satisfied with the composition.

More reasons for not cropping

• Whether you are fond or not of square, that is what the OP chose to use as a camera, and that what he composed for in his V/F.
• Mixed formats are maybe OK for electronic images seen in succession on a screen. But when hanging on a wall as real pictures (and here we are talking darkroom prints), homogeneity must be considered.

 

[Kino]

Do a collage replacement of the pavement and rephotograph the photograph.

Take the same camera-lens combo, go out and shoot a broad expanse of unblemished pavement at the same angle and print it.

Carefully cut out the cars and replace the existing pavement with the new pavement print; rephotograph.

Physical collage is often forgotten as an art form, but it can be practical and interesting.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Very intricate masking and/or extremely difficult selective bleaching, perhaps. But basically impossible to do convincingly.

plus1

 

[David Lingham]

A pin register system on the baseboard, male and female sheet lith/ortho film masks, step part of the road into the area.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

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

That was my first thought. Or... you could lay a piece of frosted mylar over top of the negative and with pencil, gently shade in some density over that area... make a test print and decide if it needs more pencil. Use a very soft lead. You might not be able to get rid of it entirely...it will always look a bit strange there...

 

[bernard_L]

it will always look a bit strange there...

Plenty strange. Suddenly the asphalt/gravel texture disappears (assuming you succeed to perfectly match the boundary and value of the dodged region).

 

[pentaxuser]

I applaud hoffy's desire to see what can be done in the darkroom. hoffy, please let us know how your various attempts come out with examples. I cannot speak for others but I for one will certainly gain from your attempts. Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[bernard_L]

So, this was a week ago. What has resulted from the collective advice you solicited?

 

[hoffy]

Nothing. Printing is a luxury