What is "tonality"

[alanrockwood]

I hear a lot of comments about "tonality" of black and white films. What does "tonality" mean?

 

[baachitraka]

Something that we see in between textured blacks and textured whites in prints.

 

[alanrockwood]

Something that we see in between textured blacks and textured whites in prints.

I realize my reply is a bit flippant, but do you mean gray?

Or more seriously, what aspect of the in-between grays constitute tonality?

 

[Light Guru]

See definition #2
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/tonality

 

[Kawaiithulhu]

Catch-all phrase for the range, key and contrast of a print. It's faster to say "that photographer uses a distinctive tonality" than "that photographer uses a distinctive range, key and contrast range."

Many Karsh portraits http://121clicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/yousuf_karsh_01.jpg are low key, high contrast, that is their tonality. As an example.

So yeah, like alanrockwood said, all that stuff between black and white

 

[markbarendt]

It is used to describe the transition of/between/across tones, whether gray or colored.

The usage of the word "tonality" is often just jargon because it is regularly used in an undefined manner.

For example, "The tonality of the print from a 4x5 negative has better tonality than a print from 35mm film". How it is "better" is not defined in that sentence so in that case it's just jargon.

Conversely in these examples, "The tonality of slow films is smoother than that of fast films" or "I like the rough tonality that small, pushed, fast film negatives bring to my street photography" we actually get an idea that our brains can understand.

 

[Slixtiesix]

It describes the range of tones that can be realized between the extremes of black and white. Although this comparison is a quite flawed, I would explain it with the help of computer technology. Early computers only were able to display 8 different colors, which is a rather "bad" tonality". Later they had 32, 64, 256 colors and then millions, so the tonality became more differentiated.

 

[cliveh]

I would suggest it is a significant variance of shades between black and white to suit the subject in question.

 

[markbarendt]

Michael I agree that the film curve is one representation of the tonality.

I do think that another dimension of tonality is related to print magnification.

 

[Curt]

I think tonality is a changing, subjective quality (for lack of a more specific description). It, tonality, is continuous within our ability to perceive it.

 

[Pioneer]

Tonality is the difference in brightness among various hues of the same color. When looked at side by side, two leaves can be the same color of green. But because they are oriented slightly differently while hanging on the tree, each leaf is reflecting light at various levels. You detect this difference in brightness and interpret it as tonality.

 

[markbarendt]

What I'm getting at Michael is that as the film format gets larger the transition between tones looks smoother because there is more detail available. If there are 100 steps from .6 density to .7 with 35mm film then there may be 400 steps along the same line with a 4x5.

It also seems to me that the curve only measures/represents one dimension, photography uses two.

 

[markbarendt]

I'm not suggesting sensitometry is a bad tool, quite the contrary, but it has it's limits.

For example in the Tri-X TMY comparison you bring up, the curve doesn't have a way of representing differences in say granularity, sharpness, or resolution. Curves can't tell us which of the two films will look rougher or smoother than the other.

 

[Ian Grant]

Tonality in an image is a combination of the film, the developer and the final print. It's not just the curve and the tonal range of the film which can be manipulated to suit ones goals.

Many press photographers and their printers/editors preferred a harsher more graphic (limited tonal range) which is usually associated with push processing films as well.

You can change the tonality at the printing stage by choice of paper grade and in an ideal world you shoot & process your negatives to give you a choice of how you can interpret it in the darkroom.

If you look at early Ansel Adams prints their tonal range is quite different to prints he made years later off the same negatives, early prints are harsher with more contrast, later prints have much greater tonality (range of continuous tones).

Ian

 

[markbarendt]

They can if you have a microdensitometer!!

I'm not saying' it can't be measured, I'm saying the H&D curve doesn't have a way/a dimension to represent the "smoothness/roughness".

 

[Xmas]

Well there are those that pick a paper grade to upen up a range of mid tones then split grade burning detail in highlights and dodging shadows.

Just as much control as ph0t0h0p but nice tonality where it is wanted?

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