Masking Prints

Not sure where this should go..so here it is.

Want to try some different print mask, like soft ovals etc.

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

Having a little problem with light coming into the side, see above link and wonder if anyone knows the correct process for doing this. Must not be looking in the right place because I haven't found anything.

Thanks

As noted in the gallery link, is this also possible (the soft edges) with the alt process?

I am not real sure what your are asking. The old timers called a soft oval or shape a vignette. To do this, a large piece card of stock cut out in the center with a hole the shape they wanted. (oval ?) was inserted in the light path to the easel and and kept in motion as the exposure was made. The card is large enough to block any light that would normally fall on the paper causing the print to go from the paper color gradually into the soft viginetted image. For contact printing the light source (printer) had several slots the full width of the printer, which held clear glass sheets, (3 to 4) also a ground glass inserted could gave a more diffused effect in the final print. The person making the print inserted the card stock vignetter between the light source and the negative keeping it in motion for the duration of the exposure. Coins or special shaped masks cut out of opaque paper could be placed on the differnt levels of the glass (like shelves) to dodge. A card with a hole cut in it could mask off everything but what you wanted to burn in an area. As I said in the beginning I am not sure what you are asking, but I tried! Whoops, looked at the picture you referred to, it definitly was done the way I described, an oval hole cut into a large card under the enlarger lens and above the paper, you must keep the vignetting card in motion slightly up and down and around, if you stop the motion you will get a sharper edge.

Hello again,
If you check out the reference image you posted, you will notice that the left
edge where the paper was held down by the easel the verticle straight line
a bit lighter than the the rest of the print. The card vignetter was two narrow and allowed a bit of stray light under it. This created a bit of fogging, I try not to do this as I was taught not to do it that way.

Can,t miss when you try it. Have fun!

The smaller the oval in the card is in relation to the image the greater the penumbra and hence the softer the transition point. Also the nearer the card to the light source and the further from the print the greater the penumbra.

Looks to me like either the hole in your vignetting card was too large relative to the size of the card, and as a result the left edge of the shadow of the card fell very close to the left edge of the print, or else you had something in your darkroom that reflects stray light onto the print. Clearly not right, and it may take a little detective work to find the cause, but it should be easily correctable.

I have an image of my wife and sons in my office made using a circular vignette, matte paper, hand colored. Very classic - very nice.

Unless the outside dimensions of the card were fairly small in relation to the size of the oval cut, my guess would be that the spill is reflecting off surrounding objects, Mike. You might try making a little "light corral" out of black foamcore - about 3-4" wide/high, taped at the corners, to surround your easel.

What Donald said.


Michael