What is Selective Masking?
What is Selective Masking and what it can do for you!
Over the years Ive (Alan Ross) evolved a technique I have come to refer to as Selective Masking. I use the term selective because it is a physical, hands-on method of tonal control in analog printing, rather that the photometric unsharp masking. In its basic form, its not techno-anything; it simply is a means of solidifying your own dodging and burning preferences into a package which remains absolutely constant from print to print. You can change your mind about how you want that package to perform; you can dodge and burn in greater detail than with traditional methods and with absolute consistency from print to print. It works with either a diffusion enlarger or in contact printing. It does NOT work with condenser enlargers.
Carried to the nth degree, Selective Masking can transform the job of printing a challenging negative from one of agonizing difficulty to the mere push of a button: a straight print from the untouched, unmodified original negative. Any size print. Local contrast changes can be made, and that oh-so-smooth gradual sky burn can be built into the mask package. Its a technique Id been sharing with friends and students for several years, and in 1999 I put the techniques on paper in the form of several articles published in ViewCamera Magazine. This 2010 series includes some updates to the original text and illustrations in Part I; Parts II and III have been completely rewritten.
For the CD and other materials see my Darkroom and Education Products page.
What is Selective Masking and what it can do for you!
Over the years Ive (Alan Ross) evolved a technique I have come to refer to as Selective Masking. I use the term selective because it is a physical, hands-on method of tonal control in analog printing, rather that the photometric unsharp masking. In its basic form, its not techno-anything; it simply is a means of solidifying your own dodging and burning preferences into a package which remains absolutely constant from print to print. You can change your mind about how you want that package to perform; you can dodge and burn in greater detail than with traditional methods and with absolute consistency from print to print. It works with either a diffusion enlarger or in contact printing. It does NOT work with condenser enlargers.
Carried to the nth degree, Selective Masking can transform the job of printing a challenging negative from one of agonizing difficulty to the mere push of a button: a straight print from the untouched, unmodified original negative. Any size print. Local contrast changes can be made, and that oh-so-smooth gradual sky burn can be built into the mask package. Its a technique Id been sharing with friends and students for several years, and in 1999 I put the techniques on paper in the form of several articles published in ViewCamera Magazine. This 2010 series includes some updates to the original text and illustrations in Part I; Parts II and III have been completely rewritten.
For the CD and other materials see my Darkroom and Education Products page.
