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3D: a New Dimension

for Your Photography
John Wade
Florals On Ice
Ryuijie
DOUGLAS COLLINS
Interview with
Pierre Cordier: Father of
the Chemigram
JUSTINA HAN
Photographing the Land
of the Thunder Dragon
Daile Kaplan
Pop-Photographica
MICHAL GIEDROJC
Dream Portraits
Beyond Reality
Paul Sergeant
Cameras That Made
History Part I
RYAN SPENCER REED

Detroit: the American
Dream Left Behind
Gary Vann
Double Transfer
Adds High Interest
Alan Ross
Selective Digital
Masking Part II
March/April 2011
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THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
______________________________________________
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pg. 18
Contents
Portfolios
Feature
13
28
The history and startling beauty of

chemigram images by the master
Ice Forms
Traditional black and white plus ice
yields uncommon floral images
Ryuijie
Douglas Collins
18
Ryan Spencer Reed
Vernacular Spectacular
How Photographic Objects Have
Changed Our Idea of Photography
23
Daile Kaplan
Cameras That Made History Part I

A look at classic cameras from
the George Eastman House
Museum collection
Paul Sergeant
Dreams: Portraits In a
World Imagined
Manipulated environments transport
subjects somewhere beyond reality
Insight
40
Detroit Forsaken
Documentary of an industrial city the
American Dream left behind
Commentary
4
Father of the Chemigram:

An Interview with Pierre Cordier
Michal Giedrojc
36
Photographing the Land of the

Thunder Dragon
Documentary of enchanting people
and places of the Far East
Justina Han
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EDITORS NOTE:
March/April 2011
One of the initiatives we had when redesigning the new photo technique
magazine was that we wanted an expanded representation of international photographers and writers. For many years, the books on the
history of photography, other than those about the initial inventors,
focused almost exclusively on American photographers. Over the
past several decades, and with new editions of photo history books,
that trend has obviously opened to include a more worldly look at
people who use cameras as a means of expression. I also believe that
the unique qualities of different cultures, including American, does
influence vision and content. I imagine that this aspect of image
content, which adds something specic to that which is universal, is
of interest to photo technique readers, as well, because they as a group
also represent quite a number of locations worldwide.
To that end, here is a list of international photographers who have
been in our year and a half of publication, as well as some you will
meet in upcoming issues in 2011.
International writers since Jan 2010:
Abhay Sharma Canada
Paul Sergeant Canada
Cornelia Hediger formerly Switzerland
Chris Woodhouse UK
Gene Fedorov formerly Russia
Barry Haynes Canada
Jean-Christian Rostagni formerly France
Scott Linstead Canada
Fernando Souto formerly Uruguay
Dominick Chiapperini the Netherlands
Michael Poliza Germany and Africa
Douglas Capron Canada
Uwe and Bettina Steinmueller formerly Germany
Justina Han The Netherlands - formerly Korea
Michal Giedrojc Poland
Pierre Cordier (interviewed by Douglas Collins) Belgium
Ryuijie formerly Japan
Vol. 32 No. 2
Publisher S. Tinsley Preston III

Editor Paul R. Schranz
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I also think it is important to note that many of the articles we publish
are initiated as submissions from photo technique readers. In this way
we are building a family of concerned photographers who want to
share their experiences and techniques. We are the venue for them.
Someone recently told me she found the writing in photo technique
magazine friendly, open and encouraging. I hope we can continue in
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work and technical ideas from photographers using any process and
writing to us from anywhere.
Paul Schranz, Editor

photo technique magazine
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News
27
Whats Important and Exciting

in the Field of Photography:
Historic Photographic Process
Workshops
The AIPAD Photography Show
New York
Wendy Erickson
Innovations
35
Lexar Echo ZE
Back up your vulnerable files
pg. 43
Black Rapid RS-W1

Camera Sling
A camera strap made for female
photographers finally!
Chimera LiteShapers
Bend light to your will in the studio
Tech
8
3D: Add a New Dimension

to Your Pictures
Old-time stereo photography with
todays digital techniques
John Wade
33
The Double Transfer Technique

in Composite Productions
Give your images higher interest
Gary Vann
43
Selected Digital Masking

Part II
Alan Ross
pg. 35
____________________
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COMMENTARY:
Heart carving
African-American mementoes like this heart-shaped
object, which is lovingly hand-carved and notched, are
quite uncommon. Snapshots of proud family members
transform this plain three-dimensional folk object into a
domestic altarpiece.
Vernacular Spectacular
How Photographic Objects Have Changed
Our Idea of Photography
Daile Kaplan
During the past 30 years photographys status has been dramatically altered.
Once a marginal area of aesthetic endeavor that was seen as a mechanical art
form ridiculed by the academy and public alike, today it occupies center stage.
Contemporary artists uses of digital photographic imagery have been foregrounded in the media and at auction, which have also heightened awareness
of works by analogue practitioners. As the field has continued to develop, museum curators and private collectors have revisited vernacular photography in
all its guisessnapshots, family photo albums, commercial pictures, as well as
applications of photographs onto three-dimensional decorative and functional
photo objects. Such photo novelties were once consigned to the margins of fine art
discourse, occasionally dusted off as Folk or Outsider Art, but ultimately dismissed
as kitsch. The rich visual language and photographic references of photographic
objects, as well as how they reflect a convergence between art and daily life, were
overlooked. With renewed interest in vernacular photography, there have been a
host of sumptuously illustrated books and fine art museum exhibitions.
photo technique M/A 2011
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VERNACULAR SPECTACULAR DA ILE KAPLAN

As a photography specialist at a New York auction
house, I have come to characterize collecting as an
occupational hazard. Since the 1990s I have been
collecting examples of one-of-kind itemsjewelry,
clothing, furniture, mementos and souvenirs highlighted with photographs. Perhaps my background
as a curator made it inevitable that the myriad ways
in which images have been assimilated into both
the private and public spheres would become more
and more fascinating to me. Most of photographys
creative objects challenge traditional notions of
artistic display insofar as they were literally off the
wall, that is, freestanding, unique and handmade
items embedded with revered images of family
members. They were specially produced for the
home environment or meant to be stylish accessories. The application of pictures onto items, which
dates back to the emergence of daguerreotypy, may
be seen in 3D works by photographers and fine artists, jewelry-makers and craftsmen, homemakers
and hobbyists. This colorful convergence of photography and popular culture is one Ive termed pop
photographica.
Photography has always been directly linked to
technical developments in the publics imagination.
Think of the introduction of the remarkable verisimilitude of daguerreotypes to the You Press the
Button, We Do the Rest Kodaks, to the widespread
use of point-and-shoot cameras and the proliferation
of cellphone cameras. The medium has also lent
itself to a variety of substratescopper, iron, as well
as paper, glass, aluminum, leather, cotton, silk,
wood, china and ceramicwhich has resulted in
reliable forms of pictorial representation that were
ideally suited for material consumer goods. Each
advance has not only made image making more
accessible but, more importantly, influenced our
understanding of the extraordinary range of photographic expression.
More than a 150 years before the digital revolution
facilitated a customization of the photographic experience, the first photographic articles were created
in photographers studios. During the daguerreian
age, Victorian-era practitioners advertised services
applying images to luxury goods, quietly working
with artisans to explore unprecedented ways of satisfying consumers. Daguerreotypes and ambrotypes
were integrated onto a plethora of beautiful luxury
goodsperfume bottles, bracelets, rings, broaches,
earrings, watch fobs and fountain penswhich were
Daguerreian Hair Bracelet, Circa 1850

Luxury goods with daguerreotype portraits were introduced
in the 1840s and available until the early 1860s. This image of
a child was set into a bracelet made of woven hair, a popular
Victorian-era hobby.
seen as fashionable accessories conferring both

social standing and fine taste. Queen Victoria herself, an avid photographer and cultural taste-maker,
was the Royal familys photographer. She enjoyed
publicly championing the medium and was habitually depicted wearing daguerreian jewelry.
Mid-nineteenth Century upscale goods featuring
formal portraits typified a moral seriousness linked
to high standards of workmanship. But by the turn
of the 20th Century, pictures became more familiar, viewers looked for a new dimension to the
photographic experience. Specially made artifacts
embraced the zeitgeist of the proto-modernist period, where imagery took on a casual appearance and
objects became more spectacular and idiosyncratic.
After all, the public has never tired of making
pictures and wanting something more from the
photograph: a desire to control not only the picture
but the end-product itself.
The upscale market associated with the early
Victorian period was supplanted by a more democratic version, which was linked to a new generation of photographers and hobbyists who were
comfortable using a camera. Homemakers who relied on the still fashionable domestic arts and
were photographers themselves affixed snapshots,
cyanotypes and paper prints onto commemorative
objects, such as samplers, sewing kits, clothing and
jewelry, enjoying their pictures anew. The aura of
preciousness, status and value associated with the
one-of-a-kind daguerreotype gave way to a new
social reality characterized by a plethora of photographs, which underscored the mediums populist
phototechmag.com
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COMMENTARY:
impulse. Again, the public looked for something
more from images, which were recycled onto a host
of familiar objects.
Childs Pillow, Circa 1890

This lovely blue-toned pillow shows how cyanotype
printmaking was revisited in the looser style of Kodak-era
picture currency. It also demonstrates how photography
was frequently employed in tandem with what is traditionally
characterized as womens worksewing or embroidery.
Although it may seem that small-format cameras

obscured the hands-on virtuosity demanded of the
photo technician, true aficionados of photography
never lost sight of the importance of darkroom techniques. A wonderful book with the unassuming title,
Photographic Amusements, Including a Description of
a Number of Novel Effects Obtainable with a Camera,
which rst appeared in 1896 and was in its 32nd
printing in 1936, provided countless tips to the
enterprising photographer. Long before critics and
curators recognized the shotgun marriage between
popular and high art culture, it emerges as the definitive crossover tome. A chapter devoted to photographs on apples and eggs, for example, evokes the
deadpan tone of a 20th Century conceptual artists
statement:
To make a photograph in green on the red skin of
an apple is a wonderful but simple feat. Tie up the
selected fruit on a sunny bough in a thick yellow
paper bag for about three weeks before harvest time.
Paste a contrasty negative to the apple with white of
egg. Clear away leaves, so the sun gets clear access
to the fruit, and leave it on the tree until it becomes
red. If not then ripe, put it back into the opaque bag
for a day or two till ready to pick. The negative may
then be soaked off. Dont use a valuable negative,
but make a duplicate for this experiment.
Other chapters addressed Distorted Imagery, Collage and Composite Photographs and Photographing Snow Crystals, all of which were blueprints for
modernist practice of the 1920s. Interestingly, the
trajectory of photography continues to evolve in
unexpected ways, insofar as such amateur experiments often lead to the high art practices. Think of
Andr Kertszs distortions of female nudes, Wilson
Bentleys capture of snowakes, and Moholy-Nagys
photoplastiks (montages). Part fine art form and
populist phenomenon, the collective experience of
living in an image-based culture continues to change
our ideas of what photography is today.
Phone, 1975
With cellphone users increasingly reliant on mobile devices
to access pictures, this scarce home phone from the 1970s
demonstrates the ways in which consumers enjoyed
employing customized imagery of friends and family
members on mass-produced household products.
By the 1930s the integration of photographs onto

fine art works was an emerging practice. Julien
Levy envisioned his New York gallery as a showplace where examples of both fine and applied art
objects were sold. He intended to introduce a host of
artifactswastepaper baskets, decorative screens
demonstrating this new direction and commis-
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VERNACULAR SPECTACULAR DA ILE KAPLAN
Gordon Parks Pajamas, 2002

A photographer, painter, filmmaker, and artist, Parks enjoyed a multi-faceted career. His self-portrait
appears on these (never worn) silk pajamas in a personal and artistic colorful montage.
sioned Berenice Abbott to develop the prototypes.

Surrealist Man Ray was interested in dissolving
the boundaries between traditional disciplines
(painting, sculpture and photography) to create
mixed media, hybrid forms. His original metronome entitled Object to be Destroyed, which
created in 1923 (a facsimile was produced in
multiples in 1964), features a cut-out eye affixed to
the pendulum. Marcel Duchamp employed photographs in various artworks, including the Belle
Haleine Eau de Voilette perfume bottle on which
he appears as Rrose Slavy. Soon after, Robert
Rauschenberg embraced the vernacular, utilizing
snapshots and silkscreened images from both his
personal life and the mass media. His remarkable
Combines from the 1950s through 1960s are freestanding sculptures featuring street and studio
detritus, as well as found and family photographs.
Like the anonymous makers of pop photographica,
Rauschenberg recognized that his work was inspired by the narrow space between art and life.
In the last quarter of the 20th Century, visual artists
further blurred the line between photography, ne
art and popular culture. Cindy Sherman created

a magnificent Limoges dinner service featuring
herself as Madame de Pompadour. Vik Muniz produced upmarket ashtrays with his signature trompe
loeil images and Jack Pierson, ceramic curios.
Today shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads, handbags,
wallets and sportswear adorned with pictures
are ubiquitous. The future of pop photographica
is one in which the interdisciplinary nature of
photographic expression will continue to manifest,
further reducing the gap between art and life.
Technology is the new motivating force in popular
and mass culture and, yet again, photography has
unprecedented potential to change our understanding of the world.
Daile Kaplan is vice president, director of photographs and
auctioneer at Swann Galleries, NY and photographs specialist
on PBS televisions acclaimed Antiques Roadshow. An essayist
for the Smithsonian Institutions website, Kaplan is also author of
Premiere Nudes, Albert Arthur Allen (Twin Palms Publishers, 2001)
and Lewis Hine in Europe, The Lost Photographs (Abbeville
Press, 1988). She curated the exhibition Pop Photographica,
Photographys Objects in Everyday Life, 1842-1969 for the Art
Gallery of Ontario, 2002.
To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online

Forum: www.phototechforum.com
phototechmag.com
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TECH:
3D: Add a
New Dimension
to Your Pictures
John Wade
(Figure 1) Stereo pair from the Realist camera. Note the perspective differences between the two images, how the one on the right shows more detail
than the picture on the left.
Its difficult to avoid 3D these days. Movies at

your local multiplex are in 3D, television in 3D
is the latest innovation and Fuji has introduced
the first digital 3D camera. But theres nothing new
about three dimensional, or stereo, photography.
Stereo cameras have been around for years and
are still usable and very effective when you combine their old-time shooting methods with modern
digital techniques.
The reason we see in three dimensions is because

each eye sees a slightly different view. The brain
takes those two views, combines them and gives us
the illusion of depth. A stereo camera has two lenses, shooting two pictures at a time. When the pictures are viewed so that the left eye sees only the one
taken with the left lens and the right eye sees only
the one from the right lens, the brain does its magic
and you see a single image in three dimensions.
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3D: ADD A NEW DIMENSION TO YOUR PICTURES JOHN WADE
(Figure 2) Strong foreground interest and a composition that leads the eye towards a distant object makes the ideal
composition for a stereo picture.
Finding and Using a Stereo Camera

Early stereo cameras took glass plates. Later, they
took roll lm. But during a resurgence of interest
in the 1950s, many were made for 35mm. These
are the best to use today. You can nd them at
classic camera shows, from specialist dealers, in
thrift stores, at estate sales and on eBay.
The one used for this article was an American
Stereo Realist, made by David White & Co. Here
are its specifications: two lenses to shoot pictures
and a third between them to reflect its image to
the viewfinder; apertures between f/22 and f/3.5,
shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/150 second, and
focusing from 2 1/2 feet to infinity. The knob that
focuses the lenses is surrounded by a depth of
field scale, and its importance well come to soon.
Theres no automatic exposure, but that setting
was measured with a Nikon D80 digital SLR and
set manually on the Realist.
(Figure 3) Stereo Realist, rst made

in 1947 and still good today if you
combine its use with digital techniques.
Stereo pictures are all about depth. A picture where

everything is in the far distance, or in which the
phototechmag.com
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TECH:
(Figure 4) A strip of stereo negatives reversed digitally into positives.
get smaller. So stereo pictures should be shot at

the smallest practical aperture with the focus set
at the lens hyperfocal distance.
The easy way to do that with the Realist was to
set the infinity mark on the focusing knob against
f/16 on the depth of field scale, so that every
picture taken at f/16 was in focus from just under
ve feet to infinity. Shooting in sunny conditions
using ISO 200 lm, the Realists top shutter speed
of 1/150 second made an ideal match for the
small aperture.
Processing and Scanning

(Figure 5) A stereo pair mounted for viewing in a
cheap Vistascreen viewer.
subject is on a single flat plane, does not make good

3D. So the subject is best considered as a series
of layers, getting some object strongly in the foreground, including detail in the middle distance and
letting the far distance take care of itself. Subjects
like bridges, long roads or railway lines receding
into the distance make good stereo pictures.
A deep depth of field is important to keep everything sharp. Depth of field is the area of acceptable
sharpness in front of and behind the point where
the lens is focused, and it increases as apertures
10
Film from a stereo camera can be handled by

most processing outlets, but tell them to develop
only. Do not have them print or cut the lm. The
resulting negatives are unlikely to be the standard
24 x 36mm format. Stereo images are more likely
to be square 24 x 24mm images.
Different stereo cameras handle the spacing of the
picture pairs in different ways. The Realist does
it by shooting a pair of pictures with space between thats the equivalent of two frames. When
the film is wound, the next pair of pictures is
exposed beside the first two, leaving a space of
one more frame to be filled when the next pair is
shot. In this way matching pictures appear three
frames apart.
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3D: ADD A NEW DIMENSION TO YOUR PICTURES JOHN WADE
The next task is to scan the negatives. You can

do this with any modern scanner that handles
film. Set it to scan negative film, not positive,
and the scanners software turns negative images
into positives.
see the pictures. Avoid these and go for a viewer

that uses prints. Look for one made by a company
called Vistascreen. They were cheap and simple
when they were made; theyre even cheaper now,
but they still work.
You now need to differentiate between the righthand and left-hand images. Assuming the film is
wound left to right through the camera, look at
the frame numbers in the lm rebate, and the
image with the lower number of the pair is the
right-hand one. The Realist has an aid in the form
of a tiny notch at the film plane, in the bottom of
the right image area, which registers on the film at
the top of the right-hand picture. (Dont forget that
because lenses record their images upside down,
viewing a negative strip in the conventional way
means that the right-hand image is on the left.)
Next you need to make a template for your stereo

pictures that is the right size and shape to t the
viewer. If your viewer came with some old stereo
pictures, you can use one of those as the basis.
Otherwise, measure the size of the place where
the stereo pairs are to be slotted, plus the size and
position of the places where each image is to be
positioned. You can do this by trial and error by
drawing two squares where you think the pictures
should fall on a piece of paper, then viewing your
results through the viewers twin lenses. When
you find a place where the two squares meld into
one, youve hit the spot.
Scan each individual image at a high resolution

because you will be later viewing them in a viewer that considerably magnifies the pictures. For
that reason 35mm images are best scanned at
4000dpi.
Finding and Using a Viewer

To view the pictures, you need a stereo viewer,
which can be found in the same places as the
cameras. Many viewers of the past were made for
transparencies, with the viewer held to the light to
Using Photoshop to Make a Stereo Pair

What follows are details of how to make a stereo
pair using Photoshop, but you can use most image
manipulation or drawing programs for similar
results. With the rectangular marquee tool, draw a
rectangle the size and shape of your stereo card,
then put a 2pt border around it (edit > stroke, width
2px, color black). Repeat the action to draw squares
within the rectangle the size and position of your
stereo pictures). Turn the background into a layer
phototechmag.com
11
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TECH:
(Figure 6) Stereo print images placed on viewing card.
(layer > new > layer from background). Then use the magic
wand tool to highlight the center of each square and delete it.
Open the stereo pictures, then drag and drop them roughly
into position onto your stereo card. Send each one to the
back (layer > arrange > send to back). Take care to get the left
and right pictures in the correct positions. Size each picture
to fit the pre-drawn squares (edit > transform > scale). Flatten
layers (layer > atten image). Print on suitable photo paper.
_______________________________________
The first time you look at a stereo image, you might not
see it clearly. But give your eyes and brain a few seconds
to adjust, and suddenly the picture pops into focus in all
the glory of three dimensions. And once youve seen your
pictures in stereo or 3D, youre going to be hooked.
John Wade began his journalistic career on local newspapers, working his way
from junior reporter to deputy editor. He was editor of Photography magazine
in the UK for seven years before becoming a freelance writer and photographer
25 years ago. He has written more than 30 books on photographic history and
photo techniques and has lately turned his attention to self-publishing his own
books on classic cameras.
To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online Forum: ___
www.
phototechforum.com
____________
Product Resources
________________________________
12
Cameras: Stereo Realist Stereo Camera, Nikon D80 Digital SLR for
exposure measurement and non-stereo photography; Film: 35mm
Color; Computer: Mac Pro OS 10.4; Software: Adobe Photoshop;
Scanner: Epson Stylus S21; Paper: Epson Premium Glossy; Other:
Vistascreen Viewer.
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FATHER OF THE CHEMIGRAM: PIERRE CORDIER DOUGLAS COLLINS
Chemigram 1/5/70 III, detail. Collection of the artist.
Father of the Chemigram:

An Interview with Pierre Cordier
Douglas Collins
Pierre Cordier (born 1933) is a Belgian artist. A former lecturer at the cole Nationale des Arts Visuels in Brussels, he
is known in the art world through his practice of the chemigram technique. He lives and works in Brussels. After exhibiting at MoMA in New York (1967), the Muse d'Art Moderne
in Brussels (1988), the Centre Pompidou in Paris (2008), and
the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (2010), he is currently having a show of his early photographs of the French
poet and singer, Georges Brassens, at the Cit de la Musique
in Paris. New York cameraless photographer Douglas Collins
recently interviewed Pierre Cordier for photo technique.
D. C. Youre known as the inventor or the father of the
chemigram. Could you explain for us what a chemigram is?
P. C. To explain what a chemigram is, the best way is to dene it: the chemigram combines the physics of painting
(varnish, wax, oil) with the chemistry of photography (photo
emulsion, developer, xer); without a camera, without an
enlarger, and in daylight. Ive rened this denition over a
long time, and while it seems complicated, it really isnt.
Making a chemigram is no more difcult than making an

apple turnover.
To decide whether Im its inventor, you have to recall that
in 1839, the Anno Lucis, no fewer than 24 investigators
claimed the title of inventor of the photographic process.
Years later historians decided it was Nicphore Nipce
who deserved the title. So while its true that the German,
Edmund Kesting, and the Frenchman, Maurice Tabard,
made some images in the 30s and 40s by painting xer
and developer onto photo paper, they didnt make use of
resists. You could say that the inventor is not the rst to
achieve a result, but the one who develops the technique.
The term inventor matters little for meits the results
obtained that count.
D. C. Why this word chemigram?
P. C. To me it seemed useful to give a name to these images that were so different. In 1958, the year I registered
the name chimigramme in French (and in 1979, the word
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PORTFOLIO:
Chemigram 19/2/71 II, detail D4. Collection of the artist.
chemigram in English), the word chemistry didnt have

the pejorative connotations it has for some today. Since my
procedure featured photographic chemistry, I coined the
word chemigram. Looking back I might have done better
to use the word physico chemigram, since the way I work
grants great importance to the physical phenomena arising
from the resists. But that term is too cumbersome.
I have to insist that were talking about chemigram with an
i. If I weren't so pugnacious in late 80s, there would be two
ways of spelling it today, one with an i and one with an
o. Norman Sarachek, a well known American practitioner,
sportingly dropped the o in favor of the i. But its clear
that I have never intended to patent the technique itself.
D. C. Give us an insight into what this combination of the
physics of painting and the chemistry of photography that
you speak of actually means.
P. C. My work is about transdisciplinarity, an intersection
of painting, photography and graphic design. Its been that
way since my rst attempts back in 1956, when I made a
dedication (graphics) on photographic paper (photography)
using nail polish (painting) to a young German girl named
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Erikaand the rst chemigram was born. Little by little I

learned to manage my materials, photographic as well as
pictorial, and I developed a procedure: for example, take a
piece of photo paper, in daylight, coat it with a resist like
varnish, make various incisions, then soak it alternatively,
whichever way you want, in developer and xer. This causes
the physical transformation of the resist, and the chemigram
emerges with a myriad of different details. To explore a
chemigram, you often need eagle eyes, a magnifying glass
or a microscope. Sometimes, a seemingly insignicant detail
reveals a whole world. Like the messages hidden by spies
in the dot of an i.
D. C. What is the place of chemigrams in the visual arts
generally, and in particular within photography?
P. C. Im neither a painter nor a photographer, but a little
of each. Too often theres a temptation to link chemigrams
to either painting or photography, or sometimes to whats
called lensless photography. But the chemigram is not
photography,which means writing with light, because the
chemigram is done in daylight. Moreover, this is the difference between chemigrams and photograms; even if both
are made without camera or enlarger, the photogram is a
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Chemigram 14/6/91 from La Suma of Jorge Luis Borges. Collection of the artist.
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INSIGHT:
Getting back to the art world, I had the opportunity to do a
semesters training with Otto Steinert in Germany, and at its
completion I was invited to show at the Subjektive Fotografie
3 in Cologne in 1958. I also met Gottfried Jger, who enlisted me as a founder of the avant garde group Generative
Fotografie. In 1961 I met the painter Saul Steinberg. By the
1970s I met Aaron Siskind, who introduced me into artistic
circles in America and became my spiritual father. I should
also mention Manfred Mohr, a pioneer in computer art, with
whom I collaborated in 1972and there are many others
who throughout my life have given me artistic sustenance
and stimulation.
D. C. You've created many homages in your chemigrams,
to Muybridge, Marey, Borges, etc. Why?
P. C. The homages were an opportunity to demonstrate my
admiration for these great gures, and also to thank them.
The idea came to me when I was giving my classes on the
history of photography. In 1972 I was among the rst to
make a tribute to a photographer, my homage to Muybridge.
Then I did one to Marey. At the time photographers were not
very popular people and I saw this as a way to spread the
word. Other homages were more personal, such as the ones
I did for Borges.
D. C. Youve advocated various ways of creating the chemigram. Could you tell us more?
Self-Portrait, Saarbrcken,1958. Collection of the artist.
technique where you write with light, while in chemigrams

you write with chemicals. So chemigrams dont t into any
preordained category, but share multiple connections with
both photography and painting. Also, the role of resists is
crucial; most have a function in the manufacture of paint
(varnish, wax, oil) but undergo physical transformations, not
chemical, such as cracking, eroding, unsticking, dissolving.
D. C. What inuences led you to the creation of the chemigram?
P. C. In art Im an autodidact, but many artists have inuenced me along the way. In my formative years, my favorite
painters were Paul Klee and Max Ernst. Georges Brassens
also had a pivotal role in my choice of becoming an artist;
Brassens is to the francophone world what Bob Dylan is to
Americans. In his song Le mauvais sujet repenti, a young
woman becomes a prostitute and a man teaches her to
really move that place where your back looks like the
moon because without technique a gift is nothing but a
cheap trick. I would invert this to say: Without a gift, the
chemigram technique is nothing but a cheap trick. It's the
basis, the backbone, and like the jazz artists who've always
inspired me, Duke and Monk, youve got to play riffs along it
to make it really work.
16
P. C. Chemigrams essentially are restrained by the careful

choice of resist, and these are limitless. Anything that can
stick even a few seconds to the paper can make a chemigram. Each resist has its own characteryou can recognize
it like a face. I have used in my writings the expression
portrait of matter for a reason. A chemigramist knows he
will get fuzzy forms with soft resists (honey, syrup) and sharp
forms with hard resists like varnishes or adhesives. And
yet, among resists, varnish is king, because it is the most
controllable. You can make chemigrams just by using developer and xer, but that moves it closer to watercolors. Ill
give you a metaphor. From a technical point of view, if you
compare painting to walking, photography to the automobile
and the computer to the airplane, then the chemigram is
like the bicycle simple, quick and cheap. Whoever limits
himself to drawing on photo paper with developer and xer
reminds me of a bicyclist walking alongside his bike.
D. C. For many years you taught the history of photography
in Brussels. You also conducted workshops in France, Belgium, the United States, even in Japan. Has this led to a
school of practitioners, or are chemigrams still seen as an
anomaly, something strange?
P. C. To my knowledge there is no organized school of practitioners, but there are a great number of chemigramists
practicing around the world. Today, it has become one of the
established procedures of alternative photography. Through
my workshops and my teaching Ive continuously tried to
spread it as widely as possible, and sharing my methods has
always been one of my basic values. I feel the chemigram
has a long life ahead of it.
Douglas Collins is a printmaker and cameraless photographer. He
teaches chemigrams at the Manhattan Graphics Center in New York
City. Special thanks to Shirley Chantraine, assistant to Pierre Cordier.
http://www.pierrecordier.com.

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Chemigram 29/11/57 I. Paris, Centre Pompidou
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PORTFOLIO:
Detroit Forsaken
Ryan Spencer Reed
These are not the ruins of Rome nor the tombs

of Egypt. While the echoes of the past resonate,
this community is extinguishing in the present.
The story of Detroit is one of the most significant representations of a nation in transition.
As a photographer, I began an anthropological
exploration there in the spring of 2009 and
continue today through a kind of architectural
archaeology. This is a story about things left
behind painted with a heavy heart by dim and
murky lighta story told amidst the death of
the American Industrial Revolution.
Like the structures depicted, the individual
prints are intended as artifacts of beauty, time
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DETROIT FORSAKEN RYAN SPENCER REED
While Detroit grapples with the dominating remains of abandoned automobile manufacturing facilities, this once fine example of a Packard decays in an
abandoned rail yard.
and consequence. For that reason, I chose to capture this

body of work using film and cameras that, like their
subject, were built without any planned obsolescence.
Ironically, both have found themselves in a world that
struggles to justify practical uses for them. I find this turn
intriguing and discover solace in knowing that some of
the last images made of these buildings will have been
created with an archival permanence in mind through
a medium and mechanism fitting their vintage. Nearly
devoid of the human form, these images unveil the
Arsenal of Democracy as it remains in the wake of unsustainable business practices following the aftermath
of World War II. As a body of work, they become instrumental in creating an economic imperative for more
sustainable business practices. If this story is evidence of
a countrys misspent youth, then the revelation of peak

oil and the long overdue correction to the bubbles that
formed following the Great War mark the harsh wakeup
call that is adulthood.
My passion for storytelling emerged when I fully recognized and appreciated the power of imagery to inuence
and inform. This revelation came in my last years of
schooling, and I soon found myself drifting off the beaten
pre-med and physics path, the pursuit for which I first
entered university. For the first time, I felt I had encountered something that would keep me aligned to my
principals. The summer following graduation, I set off to
East Africa to cover critical social issues with a camera.
Once there, I fell immediately into photographing the
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PORTFOLIO:
Motor Citys stage for Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and other musical giants: The Vanity Ballrooms now hollow dance floor
suggests the opulence provided by the manufacturing spoils of the 1930s and 40s.
aftermath of nearly two decades of war in Sudan. I spent

the next couple years formulating a visual narrative that
portrayed what I had seen while still maintaining, and
whenever possible highlighting, the dignity with which
the Sudanese lived their lives amidst such trauma.
Coming home, I felt a great deal of responsibility to do
something with that work. Given the news medias limited interest in the subject, and genre at large, I needed to
nd new outlets and new audiences. I contacted universities and proposed the concept of building a symposiumlike atmosphere where my exhibition could serve as a
cultural backdrop. From 2003 to the present, I have been
able to bring my work to nearly 200 venues through lectures and traveling exhibits on Sudan titled, The Cost of
Silence. They helped to raise the level of debate and, in
the hands of Sudan advocates, served to illustrate the
need for action.
This was a very inspiring time for me. However, as I
traveled throughout North America to speak publicly on
a crisis half a world away, I began to take interest in the
economic situation domestically. I sensed for years that
my nation was increasingly disoriented, and what I was
seeing while traveling solidied my concern. I was com-
20
pelled to record what I could of the decline of American

power wherever I lectured, building a substantial archive
on the subject. The city of Detroit was always in the back
of my mind as a necessary destination for this project.
In 2008, the requests for the Sudan work had dwindled
significantly, affording me the time to finally explore it. I
was immediately overwhelmed by the scale of economic
decline in Detroit. It took months to become visually and
conceptually acclimated to the project, and over a year
and a half to work out how to tell its story.
One of the most ominous challenges to overcome was
that Detroit had been covered abundantly and for a
great many years. I was, however, lured by the sirens
of strangeness in the Detroit landscapes. I internalized
tremendous respect for the structures and the people
who built and once occupied them, and I could not help
myself from trying to formulate a visual expression of
my feelings upon seeing them left for waste. The history
was so incredibly rich, and in some way still tangible;
like it could be inhaled through the damp, metallic air of
vacant corridors.
I knew the project would stretch my imagination and
challenge me to make a different kind of imagery than
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DETROIT FORSAKEN RYAN SPENCER REED

I had made previously in Sudan. Since I was no longer
focused on making pictures for news magazines, I was
free to explore a far less literal interpretation of a subject
matter. For this body of work, I tried to construct a very
basic, and more importantly familiar, representation of
daily American life using the many relics I found. With
help from locals, I sought out the places where people
once worked, worshiped and learned, where they were
entertained, and where they were taken care of in their
old age, in an attempt to nd the icons through which to
personify the stillness.
To make the most of the available light in these scenes,
I broadened films wide dynamic range by a process
using a slight adaptation of Barry Thorntons two-bath
developer. By stretching what the film had to offer I could
control the extreme contrast of photographing an interior that may happen to include harsh light sources, such
as windows or holes in a ceiling. I mixed the two solutions using powder chemicals procured from The Photographers Formulary. Bath A, comprised of developing
agents Metol and Sodium Sulte, soaks into the film with
little actual development occurring. When Bath B hits the
saturated emulation, however, the developer from Bath
A is activated by the accelerant Sodium Metaborate. The
magic of this process is that the developer will exhaust
more quickly where silver is more prevalent in the highlights limiting the negatives density. Meanwhile, where
sparse amounts of light struck the film in the shadow
areas, development will continue to bring out shadow
detail. This process allowed me to expose for the mood
I wanted to create while preserving simultaneously both
highlight and deep shadow detail.
Michigan Central Station stood as a testament of Detroits grandeur

to all incoming rail passengers. This half-million sq. ft. architectural
feat pumped thousands along its since diverted rails. As jobs
decreased, expressways expanded and affluent areas of the city
were left for suburban life, the station was closed in 1988. Despite
community support to salvage the building, Detroit City Council
voted in April 2009 to have the structure demolished.
I used a Hasselblad 343 scanner to yield digital files from

which to make prints on an Epson fitted with John Cones
Piezography K-7 inks. The many dilutions of carbon pigment inks in this system yield velvety blacks with smooth
tonal transitions. I feel they enhance the three-dimensional experience of a scene represented on paper and
are reminiscent of platinum prints, which is a process I
am currently pursuing for producing a future edition of
this body of work.
to the splendor of Americas bygone industrial age.

I took the approach of less is more by framing only the
main entryway instead of revealing the entire building.
I obscured it slightly with subtle camera motion during a long exposure. Finally, I composed the frame to
include a white plastic bag caught on concertina wire
and moved by the wind to give the appearance of an
atmospheric fog.
Whenever appropriate, I incorporated anonymity as a

method for these pictures to collectively work on the
psyche of the viewer. In one instance, I wanted to include
an image of the famed Michigan Central Station. The
building is sought after by photographers, due to the
phenomenal architecture employed, combined with the
high degree of degradation in its current state. It simply
has an alluring prominence, and has, therefore, been
photographed prolifically. Not withstanding, I still felt
the building offered a unique opportunity to contribute
In another example, creating a slightly distorted image

of a house was less an exercise to illustrate that particular
house than it was about conjuring the suggestion of
the American Dream of home ownership. In doing so,
I hope to give a viewer more access to the intended
themes, feelings and mood than would be possible with
a very literal rendition and an otherwise closed image. I
am relying on the viewer to subconsciously complete the
picture with his or her own experiencesto see more than
just a blurry picture of a house. I hope they will recognize
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PORTFOLIO:
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; vacant homes are bandaged with plywood to prevent vandals from entering through wounded windows.
Once exquisite homes now invite scavengers looking to profit from scrap metal, masonry and architectural elements.
the home where they grew up or another meaningful

place in the likeness of that picture, similar to an image
in a dream that stays just out of reach. If I can extract
that kind of participation within the momentary pause
at each photographic punctuation along the narrative
arch of my stories, then I will have succeeded in making
a connection.
To continue with this project, I now want to delve back
into the state of the broader union as it has been impacted
by allowing Detroit to falternot the literal city, but the
value structure and way of life that made it a symbol for
the 20th Century worker. I intend to explore this theme
through many of the communities made necessary by
Detroit: the former steel-mill, textile, paper, automobile
and mining towns.
to Motowns lead, and are most likely doomed to follow in

her footsteps. What remains is a drained and evaporated
city landscapeone that is haunting, seductive and alive
with ghosts.
Ryan Spencer Reeds work has been exhibited at the New York
Historical Society, The Boston Institute for Contemporary Art, the
Chicago Field Museum of Natural History and the George Eastman
House, Rochester, NY. In 2003, he attended the Eddie Addams
Workshop by invitation. In 2006, he was awarded the Soros
Foundations Open Society Institute Documentary Photography
Projects Distribution Grant to help his work on Sudan reach additional
audiences. He continues to exhibit and lecture on the Sudan and
photograph extensively on the theme of the hubris of power amidst
the twilight of the American industrial revolution. The first chapter of
photographs on Detroit is now completed and ready for exhibition. He
is a native of Ludington, MI. To view the rest of this series, please visit:
www.ryanspencerreed.com.
To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online Forum:

www.phototechforum.com
Product Resources
A city at the intersection of countless geopolitical and

socioeconomic faultlines, Detroit was a monolith of
human achievement. Few cities have had more influence
on the growth of a civilization. Few cities have so rapidly
fallen from grace. As an economic bellwether, she now
lives a cautionary tale for all those great cities that danced
Cameras: Leica M3, Leica M4-P, Hasselblad X-Pan II, Leica

M9; Paper: Ilford HP5; Chemistry: Variation of Barry Thorntons
2-bath developer mixed from raw chemicals, Kodak Fixer,
Hass Intellifaucet K375 (water temperature and ow control);
Computer: Apple G4 tower; Software: Adobe Photoshop;
Scanner: Imacon/Hasselblad 343; Printer: Epson 7800; Inks:
John Cones Carbon Inks; Paper: Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308.
22 photo technique M/A 2011
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DREAMS: PORTRAITS IN A WORLD IMAGINED MICHAL GIEDROJC
Lion
Dreams: Portraits
In a World Imagined
Michal Giedrojc
My adventure with photography started quite long ago,

but I have been taking photographs with conscious engagement for just four years. During this time I have
learned how to use the possibilities which software programs offer to create my own imagined world.
Creative photography helps me in multi-stage work,
and I do not limit myself to clicking the shutter. To this
should be added the conceptual stage, the selection stage
and the most beautiful for me, the production stage.
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PORTFOLIO:
Fly
Several hours, or several dozen hours, spent on creating

an image, or rather on photo manipulation, is a kind of
purication for me, a kind of journey to my imagination, and this time gives me real happiness in the process of creating.
Most of my Dreams series photos are connected with
dream subject matterthese are visions of the world
which exists only in my imagination. People presented
in my photos are entangled between something that
is real and what is hallucinatoryencountered only in
dreams. They ask themselves the question of whether

the reality they live in is the authors vision, or perhaps
it is their own. The situation in which they nd themselves is uncomfortable. Apparently, they feel like strangers in this sleepy reality, and they probably would
not like to nd themselves in this situation in a real
world. Truthfully, I am often tired of situations which
I observe in reality, so I try to imagine them as if they
were happening in my dreams, as if my imagination
would transform a real vision into a hallucinatory one. I
create situations that might materialize in actuality, and
24 photo technique M/A 2011
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DREAMS: PORTRAITS IN A WORLD IMAGINED MICHAL GIEDROJC
Fly II
I wait to see how my imagination and sensitivity will

filter them so that for a viewer they become pictures
straight from someones dream. In my imagined world
there are often very prosaic situations, performed by
ordinary people. My photographs offer a lot of possibilities of interpretation. I do not expect one proper
way of understanding my photographs; I want them
very much to be interpreted individually and separately.
Another aspect of the Dreams series is creation of a
veil of secrecy. Dreams are similar to that secrecywe
know that they exist, most of us have dreams, and we

have a general scientific knowledge about the dreaming
process. However, the bigger problem appears when it
comes to interpretation of particular dreams.
There are countless methods of interpretation and
levels on which dreams operate, and so it is with my
photographseach image is a different story, which can
be explained in any number of ways by the viewers.
The photographs which I create have a common denominatorthe dreamand I create my images upon
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PORTFOLIO:
only a supplement which helps us in work. I do not
surround myself with several dozen lensesI do not
have one piece of equipment for this occasion and
another one for that one. Whenever I talk about the
equipment I use, I can see great curiosity in peoples
eyes, and when I talk about what I use to create
photographs the curiosity turns to disbelief. My rst
photographs (or trials) were made with a Canon 300D
reflex camera and I used the kit lens which came with
the Canon camera. Now I use a Canon 50D with a lens,
with which I have taken most of my photographsa
Tamron 17-50/2.8. This is the perfect focal length for
me because it gives me lots of possibilities. I have never
used lenses with focal lengths bigger than 100mm. The
equipment I have now fulfills my expectations, for the
most part.
Between
these foundations. This gives me a wide field of possibilities to present the world the way I perceive it when I
squint my eyes.
People I photograph are not professional models. In
many cases, they are my acquaintances, friends, family,
as well as people who like my photographs and wanted
to be photographed by me. I really like working with
people who do not have any experience in professional
modeling. This challenge is definitely much greater for
me because it requires a totally different relationship
with an inexperienced model. Working on this series,
I often had to explain the reason why I wanted to take
a particular photograph. Then I described the project
and everything connected with that particular image,
as I had to inspire condence so that the person could
open up and start to pose the way I wanted. There is
no objectivity or attempt to present the real character
of the people who stand in front of my camera. Ill turn
beauty into ugliness and ugliness into beauty. Ill let the
beauty be beautiful and ugliness to stay ugly...let the
mood decide the outcome. Several people do appear as
subjects in my images more than once, because these
are people who I like to collaborate with. Every moment
of these sessions is an unforgettable experience in itself.
I am sure that I will disappoint those who are waiting
for the information about what kind of equipment I use
to create my photographs. I believe that equipment is
26
None of the Dreams series photographs was taken with

the use of professional studio lights, but only with the
use of a Canon 580 EXII flash, which I think is the best
flash for Canon cameras available on the market. I tried
to use available light as much as possible. If I could, and
in many cases this was not possible, I would only use
available light, especially when the sun gently peeps
through clouds or fog sends delicately diffused light,
which in an unbelievable way intensifies sleepiness of
my photographs and creates atmosphere.
My images arise with the help of photomontage. I
put myself into the role of a director of dreams, both
mine and those of the people in the photographs.
This technique allows me to interfere freely in the
creation of the reality, as well as to move people from
one landscape to another. It is a unique connection
of technique and dreams which co-exist, creating the
climate I desire.
My photographs are printed on Hahnemuhle 310g
paper, 40x40 inches, in limited editions of 15 prints.
Born in 1980 in Slupsk, Poland, Michal Giedrojc may be considered
an emerging artist with impressive accomplishments in his four-year
career. His photography has been published in Pokochaj Fotografi,
Hebe, Descry, Digital Camera, Eyemazing and Soura. Honors
include first place, International Competition of Young in Jarosaw,
Poland; silver medal, International Digital Biennial Ripolette Image,
Spain; Honorable Mention, International Photo Awards in 2009 and
2010; and Honorable Mention, Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3),
2009 and 2010. He exhibits internationally. Visit his website, ___
http://
giedrojcmichal.com/.
___________

Product Resources
Camera: Canon 50D; Lens: Tamron 17-50/ 2.8; Flash: Canon
580 EXII; Paper: Hahnemuhle 310g.
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NEWS: Wendy Erickson
George Eastman House workshop image, made with a modern-day historic process.
HISTORIC
PHOTOGRAPHIC
PROCESS WORKSHOPS
Interested in historic photographic processes?
Make a journey to the George Eastman House
where you can participate in a workshop in
Collodion emulsion printing-out-paper, The
Carbon Print or perhaps The Nipce process,
which are among many workshops they offer
using historic photographic processes. An added bonus, participants view vintage examples
of the historic process they are studying from
the George Eastman house collections.
How about a trip to England? Additional workshops are held at the Fox Talbot Museum at
Lacock Abbey, the historic home of Fox Talbot,
located near Chippeham, Wiltshire, in the UK.
All workshops and schedules are posted on
the George Eastman House website, but here
is a sneak peak at just a few of the offerings
in 2011:
Collodion Emulsion Printing-out Paper
March 14-16, at George Eastman House
Learn how to formulate and coat paper by
hand and process this silver chloride emulsion.
Instructor: Mark Osterman, the Museums
process historian
The Carbon Print: History & Technique

April 11-14, at George Eastman House
The workshops ll fast, especially the ones in

the UK.
Learn how to make carbon tissues from scratch

in your own home using common materials and
easy-to-make equipment.
Instructor: Mark Osterman
The George Eastman House

900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
Tel: 585-271-3361
www.eastmanhouse.org
Dawn of Photography
July 11-15, at the Fox Talbot Museum at
Lacock Abbey
Learn the process of photogenic drawing.
Instructors: Mark Osterman and France Scully
Osterman
Wet & Dry Collodion on Glass

July 18-22, at the Fox Talbot Museum at
Lacock Abbey
This is a rare opportunity to learn how to coat
collodion negatives and work in a portable darkroom to make images on the grounds of beautiful historic Lacock Abbey.
Instructors: Mark Osterman and France Scully
Osterman
The First Photograph: The Nipce Processes

November 7-10, at George Eastman House
A unique hands-on workshop exploring the very
rst permanent photographic processes, participants will learn the fascinating evolution (and
how to make) heliographs and physautotypes.
Instructor: Mark Osterman
THE AIPAD
PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW
NEW YORK
If you are up for some wintry weather, or
nd yourself in the Big Apple the beginning
of March, why not visit the AIPAD Photography show March 17-20 at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City?
You'll get to see work from more than 70
photographic galleries from around the
world. Showcasing 19th Century to current
day photographs, this show is never disappointing. Admission is $40 for exhibition
access Thursday through Sunday and includes a show catalog.
For more information, visit the AIPAD
website at www.aipad.com.
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Ice Forms
Ryuijie
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ICE FORMS RYUIJIE
Ice Form 113
I began photographing in the mid seventies. The

Monterey Peninsula has a vibrant photographic tradition (think Ansel Adams and Edward Weston), and
has attracted many photographers to its stunning
landscapes and shorelines. Surrounded by this kind of
community, I became obsessed with photography. I
spent every spare moment with my camera or locked
away in the darkroom. Those first few years were
amazing; each new print seemed to be getting better,
and my understanding of the medium was expanding.
Then one day nothing seemed to be working. I could
not make a photograph that satisfied me. The harder I
tried, the worse it got; I started to panic.
Its been over 30 years since that rst creative block.
Ive learned that during these lulls, if I focus my energy
in other directions, such as the practical business side of
photographygetting my work out therethat inspiration will eventually return. The first 15 years of my
photographic career were spent photographing landscapes, still lifes, nudes and abstractions in the West
Coast style of large format straight photography. In
1990 I was introduced to platinum printing, and spent
the next two years obsessively producing 4x 5 platinum prints until I hit another creative block. When I
had regrouped, I came back to the camera with a new
idea: it became the body of work I call Ice Forms. The
work involves freezing botanicals in blocks of ice and
photographing them. My inspiration for the work is
simply my love for still life, plus an accumulation of
visual experiences: looking through a piece of amber
or watching the light streaming through my glass of
iced tea.
I began mentally juggling all the variables. What size
tray could my freezer accommodate? What owers
should I try rst? The camera would denitely be my
4x 5, since I envisioned the photographs as 20" x 24"
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FEATURE:
Ice Form 51
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ICE FORMS RYUIJIE
Ice Form 76
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FEATURE:
silver gelatin prints. I wanted the printed subject matter to be larger than life and I wanted the color of the
prints to be warm.
base paper. To obtain a similar toning effect, I borrowed a technique from my friend Hal Gage, a ne
art photographer working in Alaska.
I use an 11" x14" stainless steel darkroom tray to make

the block of ice. The botanicals are placed in the tray,
covered with water and put in the freezer. Occasionally
the plants will float, and in this case I place the plant in a
thin layer of water, which freezes quickly. Once the ice
sets, I add water to the desired level. The block of ice
is usually about three inches thick. I have been asked
many times if I use any special water. I dont; it comes
out of the tap. I do add a small amount of Photoflo
to the water to break down the surface tension. The
quality of the ice is never the same. Sometimes it
freezes clear, sometimes milky. Sometimes bubbles or
fractures will form. Also, there are two sides to the ice,
the surface against the tray and the top surface. They
are always different. All of these variations make the
outcomes unpredictable.
The print is developed in Kodak Dektol developer at

a dilution of 3 parts water to 1 part developer, with
times ranging from 2 to 3 minutes. The print is stopped
and put through two baths of plain hypo. (My xer
formula is 2000 ml of water, 200 grams of sodium
thiosulfate, and 10 grams of sodium bisulfate). The
prints are xed for 5 minutes in each of the two baths.
After a short rinse, the prints are put into a bath of
Kodak Hypo Clear, (mixed according to the manufacturers specications) and selenium. I use 60 ml of
selenium to 2000 ml of clearing agent at 90 degrees,
and tone the prints for 2 to 3 minutes. After a 15-minute
wash, the prints are toned again to obtain their nal
color. According to Gages method, I use Kodak Polytoner, with 20 ml of toner to 1000 ml of water at room
temperature. I place the print in the toner for 30 seconds and then transfer the print to a water bath. The
print stays in the water, without agitation, sometimes
up to 20 minutes, until the desired color is obtained.
(Note: Kodak Polytoner is no longer available. You
can nd a substitute formula in the Darkroom Cookbook
by Steve Anchell, third edition). The prints are then
washed for one hour.
The first flowers I photographed were tulips, purchased at a local grocery. I placed a few of the flowers
in a tray of water and a day later brought them out
of the freezer to photograph. I heated the bottom of
the tray with hot water and the block of ice slipped
right out. My first photographs were done with natural
light. I put the block of ice on a windowsill, just as
light from the sun was beaming in. It soon became
clear that using natural light was not practical, given
seasonal changes and my daily schedule. It was often
impossible to be home at the opportune moment. All
the lighting of the Ice Forms is now done with a Bowens
4000 strobe. The block of ice is placed on an acrylic
stand with the strobe three feet behind it.
I photograph using a 4x 5 Galvin view camera and a
150mm Sinar lens. My lm of choice for almost 30
years was Kodak Ektapan, developed in D-23. Now
that Ektapan is no longer available, I am using Ilford
FP-4, rating it at ASA 150 and developing it in HC110 mixed 1:30 (from the concentrate) for 14 minutes
at 70 degrees.
The 4x 5 negative is placed in a Beseler 45 MCRX enlarger equipped with an Ilford 500H variable contrast
head and 150mm EL Nikkor enlarging lens. In the
early eighties I was printing on Oriental Center paper,
split toning the photographs in a very strong selenium
solution. This produced a print with tones that went
from a reddish brown to a cool blue. As with so many
silver papers, Center is no longer available. I had to
nd a substitute, so I chose Ilford Multigrade IV ber
32
As I mentioned before, the nal result of each image

is unpredictable. Ill be alternately delighted or disappointed by the results. One thing Im sure of: unexpected outcomes keep me coming back! This process
becomes my opportunity to create order from chaos.
My newest body of work nds me careening in a totally new direction. The current work, entitled Kanchi
(The Quiet Place), combines my love of free-diving
with my skill at platinum printing. The images are
impressionistic portrayals of the life and landscape beneath the oceans surface.
Born in Japan in 1954, Ryuijie came to the US as a child. After
serving in the military and college graduation he entered a career
in lithography in Monterey, CA until viewing an exhibition of
Jerry Uelsmanns work propelled him into the practice of fine art
photography. He is known for exquisite platinum and palladium
prints, as well as traditional black and white work. In addition to
exhibitions and collections, he has published portfolios and three
books and has been featured in photography magazines including
Lenswork, Black&White and View Camera.
See www.kanchiunderwater.com and www.ryuijie.com.

Product Resources
Camera: 4x5 Galvin view camera; Lens: 150mm Sinar;
Lighting: Bowens 4000 strobe; Film: Ilford FP-4; Chemistry:
HC-110 developer, Kodak Dektol developer; Paper: Ilford
Multigrade IV.
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THE DOUBLE TRANSFER TECHNIQUE GARY W. VANN
The Double
Transfer Technique
in Composite
Productions
Gary W. Vann
Fine art and commercial photographers generally
produce high quality images, but sometimes the
intermediate or final product is lacking in viewer
appeal or purpose. Creating as much interest as
possible in images is becoming more important
when presenting concepts to clients and print options to viewers. Often various objects and figures,
when added to a scene, provide an extra dimension,
making the base image more interesting and plausible. Objects and figures may be added by a staged
production, as a cinematographer operates a set
on location, or they may be imaged separately and
transferred directly by editing in Photoshop.
Creating composite productions has become common practice in commercial photography for many
years, but is not generally practiced in fine art
photography. However, while editing it is possible
to transfer a specific selection of a base image to
a secondary image and then back to the original
base image.
This double transfer can enhance the value of the
final product. Many times the double transfer is
used during the work-up process, to identify one of
several options available for use in a specific scene.
The second image or multiple secondary images
may arise from inventory, or more commonly may
be produced specifically for the base image. In this
way, the final print becomes a composite production
of multiple images, which will have greater value
for viewers.
I have used as an example of this process a base
image (Figure 1), which was captured at night. This
(Figure 1) Base image, made in an alley at night showing

interesting shadows and architectural details.
image was technically satisfactory but not especially interesting for most viewers. In this case,
the windowpanes were selected and transferred
into the second image, which was captured nearby
(Figures 2 & 3) and then transferred back into the
base image. The resulting composite production
of a man peering onto a lighted window at night
creates an extra element of mystery and interest
(final image).
The initial selection of the panes in the base image
was made with feather set to 0, and each pane was
added to form multiple selections of the window.
A second image (Figure 2) was captured of a man
peering into a lighted window nearby. Since this
image was acquired on site, it has roughly equivalent spatial relationships to the initial image, so no
resizing was needed. For other secondary images,
resizing may be necessary. If multiple layers remain
on this second image, merge them using layer/
merge visible. (The PC shortcut is shift + ctrl + E,
and the Mac shortcut is shift + cmd + E). Where
multiple layers are involved with the base image, it
is necessary to reselect the panes by right clicking
on the mask thumbnail in the layer and choosing
Add Layer Mask to Selection. With the panes reselected and the background layer active, use the
move tool (V) to drag the panes image over to the
second image and position it appropriately. If the
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TECH:
(Figure 2) Composed in the same alley

with a man peering into a lighted window.
Final Composite Image
magnication tool (Z) and the move tool for exact

alignment. Once the second transfer has been
made, the resulting image can be further adjusted
by double clicking on the layer using the blend
modes or by using any of the adjustment layers.
(Figure 3) Selection of windowpanes, transferred from the base to

the second image and adjusted into position. The panes have been
reselected for the double transfer.
background is active, the background information

will be moved to the second image. If only the
panes layer is active, only that layer will be moved.
Either will work fine in most cases. (See the first
transfer.) After making this transfer, depending
upon how it looks, it may be necessary to resize the
second image.
Then reselect the panes by right clicking on the
layer mask and choose Select Layer Transparency.
Activate the background layer and drag the image
back to the base image. The second transfer can
be moved, so it will snap into position. To adjust
the transfer exactly, it may be necessary to use the
34
When using filters, it is a good idea to create a new

layer. After reselecting the panes by right clicking
on the layer mask and Select Layer Transparency,
click on Layer/New/Layer via copy. This produces
Layer 1 Copy. Reselect the panes again and click
on Filter/Distort/Glass. The parameters of this filter were adjusted as: Distortion 6, Smoothness 4,
Texture Frosted and Scaling 135. This produces a
slightly better visual effect. By using the Double
Transfer technique, the final composite production
will provide a marked improvement over the initial
base image.
Gary W. Vann has received awards in PX3 & IPA, together with excellence and merit awards in B&W magazine. Public collections include
the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; the Guggenheim Gallery
at Chapman University, Orange, CA; and the Southeast Museum of
Photography, Daytona, FL. He conducts workshops on digital editing
techniques, night photography and the art of bookbinding. He is the
author of Hand Made Photo Books - A Complete Instructional Guide.
Product Resources
Camera: Contax 645, Phase 1 P45 back; Lens: 35mm Carl
Zeiss Lens; Tripod: Gitzo 1227 mk2, Arca Swiss B1 monoball,
Other: Kapture Group Multishot Long exposure control;
Software: Adobe Photoshop.
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INNOVATIONS:
Lexar Echo ZE
A Small Backup for Vulnerable Files
GEAR FOR WOMEN

Black Rapid RS-W1 Camera Sling
When you download image les to your computer in the eld,

there is a dangerous time when, if you reformat your card immediately, those computer les are the only existing les of
your work. Lexar has released the Echo ZE back-up drive to
give you a small but powerful piece of insurance.
Ive spent the better part of the past 30 years making photographsall the while carrying my camera like anyone else: neck
strap, no neck strap, hand strap, no strap. Before I got my DSLR,
I had been using medium format for many years and just carried
the cameras in a bag, using them without any straps. Going
back to a 35mm format camera presented some challenges.
The darn strap constantly fell off my shoulder, especially with
a longer lens, and the camera usually went ying. Then I got a
hand strapbetter, but not perfect. What to do?
This USB drive measures approximately 7/8 inch encased. It

sticks out of a laptop only about 1/4 inch when placed in the
USB port. When you rst use this plug and play drive, there
is an application software for PC and MAC that allows you to
select the specic type of les you want to back up, i.e., just
your RAW format les. In many cases, the drive can just stay in
the computer. From that point on, the backups are automatic.
If you need to retrieve a le or les, simply select Restore,
choose your les and destination, and click Restore.
The Echo ZE comes in 8, 16, and 32GB sizes. The les can be
encrypted in case your drive is lost. You also get a free 2GB
online backup space that makes a virtual copy of your drive as
an additional backup. Additional backup space is also available
for a fee ($69 per year for unlimited use or $34.99 for 30GB
use). www.lexar.com
Reviewed by Paul Schranz
The RS-W1 Camera Sling made by Black Rapid is a camera

strap designed specifically for women. Worn diagonally across
the body, its an innovative way to stay hands free while still
carrying your camera, and it makes picture making instantly
accessible. Its especially good when you are on the move. The
RS-W1 is an adjustable and comfortable tting sling with instant camera access. The camera stays near your hip (attached
at the tripod socket) and slides up as you raise the camera to
eye level. You can easily adjust and use it over a coat in cooler
weather, or withouteither way, it works well.
Black Rapid offers an award-winning array of sling straps for all
photographers, (male and female), using the same principles,
including the new RS-DR-2 slim double strap model for
carrying two cameras. Also available are Mods, add-ons (such
as pockets for cell phones, memory cards, straps, buckles
and more) that make it easy to have everything at hand. Visit
the companys website for video demos on t and use and
ordering information. http://www.blackrapid.com
Reviewed by Wendy Erickson
Chimera LiteShapers
Anyone who has tried to control lighting to a specic shape will
appreciate Chimeras new LiteShapers. These four Velcro-attached panels t into the Velcro on the edges of a light box.
These panels can be used in one or more groups and they have
a wired core that allows you to bend them into innite shape
congurations that can change the actual shape of the light
source. The four-panel sets come in small and medium sizes.
Studio photographers will nd LiteShapers amazingly useful.
www.chimera.com
Reviewed by Paul Schranz
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PORTFOLIO:
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Photographing the Land of

the Thunder Dragon
Justina Han
I began photographing in Asia about ten years ago.
I started doing documentary photography in New York
when I was studying photography, and moving on from
there I photographed in Vietnam, Cambodia and, of
course, Korea, where I was born and raised. In the past
four years, I have photographed very extensively in
Bhutan, the last Buddhist kingdom of the Himalayas,
and that work has resulted in two gallery exhibitions and
a book, called Simply BhutanLand of the Thunder Dragon.
I think all my Asia work is similar in theme. I like to
photograph people in their everyday lives, not posed.
36
I dont do landscapes or architecture or abstracts. I want

to show how people live, and their emotions and experiences. I find that its harder and harder to get pure images like that, even in places like Cambodia and Vietnam.
People pose for you, and they want money in exchange
for being photographed. Its not like that in Bhutan. They
are very open and curious about you, and their way of
life is more pure, simple and happy, at least as I see it.
I learned about Bhutan after reading a novel by Isabel
Allende, called Kingdom of the Golden Dragon. The book
is set in a fictional land, but I loved its description of a
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Gangtey, Bhutan
utopian kingdom where the people live for happiness,

not competition and materialism, and the King rules
for the benefit of the people. When I learned that the
novels setting is based on Bhutan, I became curious
about the country and eventually made up my mind to
go there. I fell in love with Bhutan and its people almost
immediately. Almost everyone I met there was happy
and honestnot naive, but good people.
I am always telling people that I feel like my photographs
of Bhutan were meant to be. I live in the Netherlands,
and completely by luck I met the Netherlands Honorary
Consul to Bhutan on the plane flight home from my
rst visit there. She and I became good friends, and it
was her idea to have an exhibition of my photographs
in Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan. She also arranged for
Her Majesty Tshering Pem Wangchuck, who was then
the Queen of the 4th King of Bhutan, to see my images. The Queen liked them very much. (Her Majesty is
now the Queen Mother of the 5th King of Bhutan.) The
Queen is the president of the Bhutan Youth Development
Fund, and my husband, Roel, and I became very involved

with the Fund. We started the Druk Yul Foundation to
benefit the Bhutan Youth Development Fund. All the
proceeds from the print exhibition in Thimpu and from
sales of my book go to the Bhutan Youth Development
Fund. And I am very pleased and humbled that the
Queen wrote a foreword for my book and later came
to the Netherlands for an exhibition of my photographs
from her beautiful country. This was the first visit to
Holland by the Bhutanese royal family.
I have always shot most of my work with a Leica M6
camera and a 21mm Leica lens. If you do documentary
style photography with a 21mm lens, many of your
images will be of groups of people, and you also see the
environment around them. I like this view. You get more
of a sense of how people are interacting with each other
and what they are doing. But also, if you can get close
enough to your subject, I think even with the 21mm
you can get a real sense of intimacy with one or two
people as your subject, but you still see the environment
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PORTFOLIO:
Paro, Bhutan
around them. I like this dual sense of the person and

the world they live in, all in the same image. One of
the reasons I love to photograph in Bhutan is that it is
much easier to get close to subjects there because the
Bhutanese are so open and not suspicious.
For my documentary work, I almost always shoot
B&W film. I use Fuji Neopan in ISO 100, 400 and
1600. Like everyone else, I use a digital camera for
family snapshots, and Ive made some color documentary photographs, but mainly I am a B&W film
photographer. I print my own work in a traditional
wet darkroom on Ilford paper.
I work in B&W because I want to see the image itself,
not the color. What I mean by that is things like the
lines, shapes, the expressions on peoples faces, maybe
a sense of movement. When you shoot in color, the
color is often the element that dominates the picture;
for these photographs I didnt want that. I want to see
those other elements. Also, many photographers use
color when they photograph in these locations, so I
have seen that kind of look before. I would like to
38
Shanghai, China
create something different. Especially in Bhutan, the

landscape is so beautiful, its very tempting to photograph in color, but I wanted to show a different view
of the country.
I dont usually approach my subjects and ask if I
can photograph them. This is because Im looking
for natural behaviornormal everyday life. I move
quickly and shoot quickly, and I try to be inconspicuous. And children, of course, often like to make
a game out of it; they will play in front of your camera without any direction from you at all. Once in
Vietnam, a mentally disturbed woman tried to attack
me (even though I was not photographing her), and
the police had to be called. But, overall, I have had
very few problems. I try to be open and friendlythis
actually comes naturally to me. And I have found that
many times people who will not let you photograph
them at first will lose their suspicion if you talk with
them for awhile.
I love children and I love to photograph them. Ive
made many of my best images of children. Im not sure
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PHOTOGRAPHING THE LAND OF THE THUNDER DRAGON JUSTINA HAN
Beijing, China
why they like to play in front of my camera so much,

but I dont try to analyze it. We dont need to talk to
each other. There is a natural communication without
words and somehow, together, we create magical
moments. This has been true for me nearly everywhere
I have photographed.
I never use a flash or artificial light, and I love to
photograph at night. So this means that many times
Im shooting with a very slow shutter speed. But I love
the images this produces. I love especially the sense
of movement, and I like the look, like a painting, that
comes from the streaks of light and the blurriness.
So for me, this is part of my style. It is just a different
way of seeing. Some photographers look for perfect
sharpness, and they make very beautiful pictures that
way, but this is not what Im looking for.
The primary end goal for my work is gallery exhibitions and print sales. When I have a large enough
body of work on a subject or a theme, or if there is a
request from a publisheror in one case for me it was
a request from a companyits very nice to collect it
into a book. I like the impact of large prints and gallery exhibitions, but exhibits are temporary. A book, of
course, is more permanent and can reach more people.
For the future, I want to continue photographing in
Asia. As an Asian myself, I feel a kinship with the
people and the cultures of so many of the places in
Asia, not just Korea where I am from. I want to show
people the beauty of this part of the world and of the
people who live there.
Justina Han was born in Busan, South Korea in 1964 where she lived
until her family moved to Seoul in her teens. In 1985, she moved to the
U.S. to study communications design at UCLA. After a few years, she
redirected her studies to fashion design at Otis Parsons (L.A.), eventually
moving to New York and graduating from Parsons in 1996 with a BFA
in Photography. She interned with Chester Higgins Jr. of the New York
Times. Han has traveled and photographed extensively in Europe, the
Americas and especially, Asia. She is now based in New York and The
Netherlands.

Product Resources
Camera: Leica M6; Lens: Leica 21mm; Film: Fuji Neopan;
Paper: Ilford.
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INSIGHT:
Giroux Daguerreotype camera
Cameras
That
Made History
Part I
Paul Sergeant
40
This is the rst of two articles that describe unique objects

held within the collection of the George Eastman House. This
rst section will review cameras of the 19th Century, while
the next section will focus on camera technology of the 20th
Century. All images are shot by Barbra Galasso and used with
the permission of the George Eastman House, International
Museum of Photography and lm, Rochester, NY.
George Eastman House is the worlds oldest photography museum and one of the worlds preeminent film
archives. The museum opened its doors to the public
in 1949 and combines the worlds leading collections
of photography and motion picture film with the
pleasures of the Colonial Revival mansion that George
Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company, called
home from 1905 to 1932.
The technology artifacts housed within the archives
of the museum are regarded as one of the largest collections of photographic and cinematographic equipment in the world. It is one of the most comprehensive
collections held by any institution in North America
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CAMERAS THAT MADE HISTORY - PART I PAUL SERGEANT

and only equaled in quality by three other holdings
around the globe. It contains photographic objects
from the 19th Century to contemporary forms of
photographic technology. This includes cameras,
processing equipment, motion picture devices,
lm and a plethora of other examples of historic
photographic apparatus. A number of pieces within the collection are unique, representing distinguished historical ownership or signicant scientic achievement.
The Giroux Daguerreotype camera

Let us look first at a camera that created a name
for itselfliterally. The year was 1839 and the world
was told of a new invention that could capture and
preserve the likeness of a person. Just two days after
that announcement, on August 21, 1839, an advertisement was published in La Gazette du France. The
Giroux Daguerreotype camera would be the first
camera commercially introduced and manufactured in great quantity. Roughly two months before
Franois Arago announced the new Daguerreotype
process, a contract was drawn up between the partnership of Daguerre/Nipce and Alphonse Giroux.
This contract granted the rights to sell the materials
and equipment required to produce the daguerreotype photograph. This camera was an adapted
version of the one used by Daguerre to create his
first images on silver plated copper plates. It was
sold as a complete daguerreotype system including
the camera, lens, plate holder, iodine box for sensitizing, mercury box for development and a variety
of other objects needed to successfully produce
these unique images.
This camera allowed the individual the chance to
produce a new form of visual technology. It took
unique photographic positives that measured 8.5 x
6.5 inches (whole-plate). The camera cost roughly
400 French Francs in 1839, an average yearly
salary. Although not affordable to everybody, it
did allow certain individuals the opportunity to
experiment with this new technology and, in turn,
an ever-increasing amount of people the chance to
get photographed. For these reasons, the Giroux
Daguerreotype camera deserves to be seen as
one of the main cameras that helped shape photographic history.
Disdris carte-de-visite camera

Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disdri was a French
photographer who had started out utilizing the
Disdris carte-de-visite camera
Waiting on Content
Carte-de-viste print. Duc de Coimbra, 1860, Andr-Adolphe-Eugne Disdri
Daguerreotype process, but he is best known for his

creative version of the carte de visite, a small photographic image mounted on a card. He patented a
method for producing multiple images on one wetcollodion plate, thus maximizing the available
space. The camera was specially constructed by an
unidentified French manufacturer from Disdris
specifications to produce these multiple imaged
plates. The camera is a double-box type with a
repeating back; this allowed the plate holder to
easily side from side to side, doubling the number
of photographs per plate. The invention of the
phototechmag.com
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INSIGHT:
of Rochester, New York manufactured
the box camera for the Eastman Dry Plate
& Film Company. One of the rst massproduced point-and-shoot cameras, the
Kodak helped revolutionize the photographic market with its simplicity of use
and total freedom from the hazards of
darkroom chemistry. When it was released in 1888 the Kodak cost $25, which
was quite expensive for the time. However, with this initial cost, the purchase
included a pre-loaded roll of sensitized
lm, enough for one hundred 2-inch
circular images. Once you had nished
shooting the roll, you would pay an
additional $10 and the roll-loaded camera would be returned to Rochester, NY.
Once received there, the film would be
developed, prints made and a new roll
loaded before being sent back to the
owner. This ease of use became Eastmans
main selling point and helped him to coin
the slogan, You press the button, we do
the rest.
Kodak camera, 1888
carte-de-visite camera by Disdri not

only allowed the production of multiple
photographs on one plate, but it also
lowered the cost of photography, making
it more accessible to the masses. This new
form of the photograph quickly spread
throughout the world. Disdris status as
a photographer grew very quickly and
was escalated even further when in May
1859, Napoleon III, as legend has it,
interrupted his march to war to pose for
his photograph in Disdris studio.
This was the first successful camera to use

roll film. This camera also marked the beginning of photography as a tool and pastime for the common person. Just as the
carte de visite had allowed a fast and inexpensive photograph, the Kodak camera
shifted the evolution of the photograph,
taking it out of the professionals hands
and putting into your own. Thanks to the
development and success of this first roll
film camera, the Eastman Kodak Company would grow to become the largest
photofinishing company in the world.
The newfound fame that surrounded

Disdri and the fact that these photos
could be easily reproduced inexpensively
and in great quantity brought about the
decline of the daguerreotype and ushered
in the age of the wet-plate. Disdris cartede-visite camera played a pivotal role in
the evolution of the photograph and is
another camera that changed the world
of photography.
For more information on the Museum, visit their

website, www.eastmanhouse.org. To purchase a
copy of Camera by Todd Gustavson, source of
much of the information for this article, visit
http:
//www.amazon.com / Camera-History_____________________________
Photography-Daguerreotype-Digital/dp/140275
_____________________________
6569
___
___________________
Kodak Camera 1888Before the name Kodak became synonymous with photography and lm, it was
not the name of a company, but that of a
small hand-held camera. Frank Brownell
42
Paul Sergeant is a Toronto native who has focused on

the creation of fine art photography and its history.
He studied at the Ontario College of Art & Design
where he received the prestigious photographic
art medal in 2006. He has recently completed
his Masters degree in Photographic Preservation
and Collections Management from Ryerson
University, which included an academic program
at George Eastman House, Rochester, NY. He is
currently Archive and Print Manager for Canadian
photographer Edward Burtynsky.
To ask a question or comment on this article, visit

our online Forum: www.phototechforum.com
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SELECTIVE DIGITAL MASKING - PART II ALAN ROSS
Selective Digital
Masking Part II: A Versatile
Method of Darkroom
Printing Control
Alan Ross
Today the most logical and practical approach to making
graduated masks for traditional printing is through using
the computer. A classicist in my own work, I like to work
in black and white with view cameras. I tray-develop my
lm and make gelatin silver prints, but I dont consider
myself a purist. I enthusiastically embrace the creative
potential afforded by the growth of digital technology as
tools I have available to further my aesthetic. I currently
have no personal interest in using the computer to
create new visions, but I use it as a tool to enable me
to make better prints of images I already have on film.
The graduated-burn masks made with the computer
can be used in conjunction with all the basic selective
masking techniques. In many cases, the computer may
afford a more efficient means of achieving the effects of
penciling or cutting holes in mask material.
The Layers feature, among others, in Adobe Photoshop
or Elements is what makes these programs so perfect for
Selective Masking. A color inkjet or laser printer capable of printing on transparency film is also necessary. As with working with most darkroom printing
techniques, the process is one of trial and refinement.
All the equipment mentioned below should be placed
in close proximity to your darkroom to facilitate making
adjustments to masks without undue running around.
What You Need:

1) Computer. Mac or PC. Laptops can be brought into
the darkroom to make adjustments while looking at a
wet test print.
2) Photoshop or Elements with Layers capabilities.
3) Scanner. Load the image into your computer. While
a high quality flatbed scanner is a good investment for
most serious photographers, a scan by the simplest of
scanners will suffice for this process. The scanned image
must be the same size as the negative. Fiber-base paper
Dusk, Alabama Hills. The final, straight print utilizing digital Selective
Masking techniques. All dodging and burning for this print are incorporated
into mask layers.
swells when wet and shrinks in drying and will most

likely end up smaller than the films size.
4) Printer. You will need a printer capable of printing on
inkjet transparency film or other printable transparent
media. If you are making masks for contact printing
of negatives larger than 8 x10, you will need suitable
media and a printer capable of printing the same size as
your negative.
5) Transparent media. Printable film for overhead-projection slides is available at ofce supply stores in
8.5 x11 inch sheets. For larger sizes, an excellent option
is HP Clear Film available in 24-inch by 75-foot rolls.
Pixels and Dektol can coexist! Each technique can be
used in combination with every other technique! Maybe
not always on the same piece of mylar or inkjet film, but
different problems can be dealt with on separate pieces
of materialcreate a multi-layered package.
Remember, Selective Masking is controlled dodging. If
you want to burn an area, hold back everything else,
then increase the exposure time to compensate. The
extra exposure in the area that is not held back results
in a burn.
In using Photoshop for Selective Masking, we use it as a
painting tool rather than for image manipulation. The
principal function of a scan of the negative is to serve as
a guide as to where to paint.
To get acquainted with the most basic techniques for such
a burn, we need to know how to create what amounts
phototechmag.com
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TECH:
to a custom graduated neutral-density filter.
Rather than using actual images, practice using just whites, blacks and grays.
The two primary concepts to grasp for maximum control are:
s7HITEPRINTSASclear
s "LACK CAN BE ANY GRAY YOU WANT ,AUNCH
Photoshop and go to File > New. In the dialog box that appears, give it a title and make it
8 x10 inches in size, 72 pixels/inch, grayscale
with White background (Figure 1).
(Figure 1)
Create a new Layer and call it black, Normal

Mode. Go to Select > All, then Edit > Fill >
Black (Figure 2). We now have what appears to
be an entirely black file but heres where real
control comes into play. Click the arrow on
the Opacity box for this Layer in the Layers
Window and a slider will appear. Drag it to
the left, and the black becomes a paler and
paler gray (Figure 3). With my printer, an
opacity of about 37% is 1/3 stop, 50% is stop
and 70% is about a full stop. Now for the Burn.
Create a new Layer as we did above and call
it burn 1. Go to the toolbar and click the
Gradient tool, then go to the Gradient options
in the top left corner of the screen. First, select
the Linear gradient, then click the Gradient
Picker. A small dialog box will open. From it
choose Foreground color to Clear.
(Figure 2)
(Figure 3) The Black layer in Figure 2, with its opacity set at 60% and 25%.
(Figure 4) Screen capture on the left shows pertinent control boxes and direction of
cursor-drag for the white gradient. Capture on the right: the result.
44
Make sure your foreground and background

colors are set for default black and white.
Click the curved double-arrow so that white
is the foreground color. The Gradient tool
should still be selected. Our new burn 1
Layer should be active and at the top of the list
in the Layers window. Place the cursor at the
top of the image and drag down to where
the horizon would be. We now have a neutraldensity filter that goes smoothly from pure
white (clear) at the top down to whatever gray
we might like for our base density (Figure 4).
To experiment with a more abrupt transition
from White to Gray, turn the previous sky
burn layer off and create a new Layer, calling it burn 2. This time, start closer to the
middle and click-drag down to the horizon.
The length of the drag is the length of the
gradient (Figure 5). Corner burns are done
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exactly the same way. Start at a corner and click-drag to
where you want the gradient to end. The Radial Gradient tool can be useful in this case (at right of the Linear
Gradient button).
For more flexibility with the shape of a curved burn, use
the Elliptical Marquee; however, since it wants to select
complete ellipses or circles, you need to start dragging
from well outside the image area into the image. To do
this, Zoom Out on the image, making it fairly small on
the desktop. Grab the Resize corner on the lower right
and drag out until the image is surrounded by a large
working field. You can then drag in to the image to select
the desired area. The Marquee tool, however, selects a
hard edge rather than a gradient, so to have a smooth
transition from white to gray, feather the selection: Select
> Modify > Feather. A dialog box appears asking how
broad a feather you want. This requires experimenting,
but if you do anything you dont like, you can go back
by deleting the action from the History Window. In this
case, I chose a 100 pixel feather and could preview the
effect by clicking on the Quick Mask tool. The area
shown in red is the area not selected. If you like what
you see, exit the Quick Mask and fill your selection with
White (Figure 6).
Next try an outward curve in the top left corner rather
than the inward one just described. In a new layer, take
the Elliptical Marquee and drag from outside the lower
right corner toward the top left. Note that the Quick
Mask shows that it is the corner area that is not selected.
In this case, choose Select > Inverse, and now it is the
corner that is the active selection, and you can proceed
in the manner of the top right burn (Figure 7). [Tip:
while in Quick Mask mode, you can use the Eraser tool
to add or subtract from the selection. If Black is the
foreground color, the eraser adds to the selection; if you
toggle so White is foreground, it will subtract.]
Finally, keep in mind that all of the burns done so far are
each on their own separate Layers, and consequently
can be managed independently of other layers. Figure
8 shows both curved burn 1 and curved burn 2 as
visible, with burn 2 at 100% Opacity and burn 1 reduced
to about 70%. If we printed our mask with this view, we
would have one film with two burns the top left getting
more burn than the top right.
Local BurnsUsing Image Elements

To Guide Us
A few basic manual and digital masking techniques
can transform what once was a fairly difcult image
to print into a straight, simple, press of the timers
Expose button. Figure 9 shows a straight, full-scale print
(Figure 5) A more abrupt gradient.
(Figure 6) Using the Elliptical Marquee to create a curved corner burn.
(Figure 7) (1) Dragging the Elliptical Marquee for an outside curve. (2) Using
the eraser to clean up selected area pre Select Inverse. (3) Final burn fill.
of Dusk, Alabama Hills. This is pretty much the scene

as it appeared, but not how I visualized it. I wanted
quiet drama, but this is just plain quiet. To get more
vibrancy in the foreground, I needed to use a higher
than normal contrast. This, in turn, made the clouds
very white, requiring extensive burning-in. Even though
basic exposure times with a mask package in place are
phototechmag.com
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TECH:
work with a digital mask, I dont have to remove the
lm from the enlarger after setting everything up.
Once the scan has been made, the first step is setting
the file up for accurate alignment of multiple masks. I
create a new layer I call reg marks. Since I often use
more than one layer print-out, these marks make it easy
to keep each transparency aligned with the rest. Using
the pencil tool, I draw a small outline at each corner of
the image (or use the Line tool, but each stroke creates
a new Layer to be flattened later). I also always draw
the letter F at the top. Some masks are so subtle that
without some indication, it would be difficult to tell
which way is up. The letter F only reads correctly in
one orientation.
(Figure 8) The effect of independent control of several layers. Top left burn is set at
100% opacity. Black is set at 50%, meaning the top left will get stop of burning.
Top right is set at 70% meaning that it will get probably about stop burn.
Next, create the black layer, just as in the earlier exercise. A white layer between the scan Background and
the black layer is optional. The reg mark layer should
always be the top-most layer since we always want it
to print.
I started by making a burn layer. I wanted to isolate the
foreground from the sky, and decided the best way
to do this was to take advantage of the light clouds
immediately above the horizon. Making the image layer active, I took the Magic Wand tool, and after some
experimenting with its sensitivity, I was able to shiftclick the clouds until I had a pretty clean break between
the foreground and sky. I used the Quick Mask to verify
my selection, and while still in Quick Mask, I used the
Rectangular Marquee to select large chunks of sky area,
then used the eraser to complete the sky selection and
feathered it slightly so the edge would be a bit fuzzy
(Figure 10).
(Figure 9) A straight full-scale print before masking
necessarily longer than with no mask, the total exposure time is almost always a good deal shorter. The
reason is that all of the dodging and burning controls
occur simultaneously.
Making a Digital Mask

The first step in making a digital mask is getting the image
into the computer, with a direct scan of the negative at
100% size the preferred method. Grayscale mode is
fine, as is comparatively low resolution. For 8x10 films,
I often use 72dpi, 150dpi for 4x5 and 300dpi for smaller
films. If Im working with a negative Ive never printed
before, I make a scan of the film before I put it in the
enlarger. This way, if I get into it and decide I want to
46
With the sky now fully selected, I created a new Layer

named top burn. In this case, I wanted to burn the entire sky down relative to the foreground, so I filled the
still-selected sky with white rather than using a gradient
as in our earlier practice (Figure 11).
Now was time for the first test in the darkroom. Rather
than use a whole 8.5 x11 sheet of transparency film for a
4x5 negative, in Page Setup I created custom paper sizes
to accommodate various sizes of film. I use 5.5 x 8.5 for
4x5 and 4.25 x11 for 6 x7 and smaller. I position the
image at the leading edge so I can cut off the mask and
keep using that lm until its too short to run through
the printer.
With the negative in the masking carrier on a light
table, I positioned the inkjet mask, aligning the regis-
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(Figure 10) Selecting the sky in Quick Mask mode.
(Figure 11) A sky burn layer with the Black layer set at 50% opacity for a burn
of about stop.
tration marks with the corners of the negative, and

taped it in place. I may want to do some pencil masking
as well as the digital, so I taped a blank piece of artists
mylar on top.
The first test print pointed out several things that required adjustment:
s 4HE SKY WAS TOO DARK RELATIVE TO THE FOREGROUND )
could reduce the Black opacity and reduce the exposure
time, but the bright clouds were still too light, so I opted
to decrease the White opacity instead. This allowed me
to create another layer above the Top Burn where I
could paint some white over the too-bright cloud areas.
I increased the Black opacity a bit so the clouds got
comparatively more exposure.
s4HEWHOLEDARKMASSOFCLOUDSINTHETOPLEFTCORNER
and a bit of darker clouds in the top right were darker
than I wanted relative to the lower sky, so I created yet
another layer called TR dodge. I wanted the bulk of
the clouds to be lighter, so I made an abrupt gradient
in black, as in Figure 5, this time dragging the cursor
diagonally. I did the same thing in the top right corner.
I made guesses at various opacities, printed a new mask
with all layers except the Background layer visible, and
replaced the original mask on the carrier. The next test
was almost just right, needing only a bit of a burn in the
central foreground and some hand penciling to balance
out various areas.
I used the Elliptical Marquee to select the area I wanted
to burn and feathered it, checking the appearance in
Quick Mask mode. It was what I wanted, so I created
yet another layer called foreground burn, filling the
area with white. It didnt need much of a burn, so I
chose an opacity of about 30%.
(Figure 12) The final masks for Dusk, Alabama Hills.
All of my preferred dodging and burning for this negative was now embodied in just two pieces of transparent media. To make positioning the films easier for
future printings, I put tiny snippets of double-stick tape
between the top corners of the two films, holding them
in position relative to each other. See Figure 12 for the
finished masks.
This last exercise may have seemed too easy to be true,
but like many other things, the more you do something
the more likely a hunch will turn out to be pretty
close to the mark. One big advantage to masking is
consistency from print to printbut if you are only going
to be making a few prints from a negative, you might
just as easily do some traditional dodging and burning.
Likewise, a mask package might get you 90% of where
you want to be, but it might be more efficient to simply
add an easy sky-burn rather than another mask.
Photographer and master printer Alan Ross has been Ansel Adams
exclusive printer for over 36 years. His experience includes operating a
commercial studio with projects ranging from ad campaigns to murals
for the National Park Service. Since 1993, he has devoted his energies to
his personal work, teaching and work for select clients, including Boeing,
Nike, IBM and MCI. His photography hangs in collections and galleries
throughout the country and internationally, and he has lectured and led
workshops in locations from Yosemite to China.
For a more in-depth discussion of Ross masking process, visit his
website, www.alanrossphotography.com.

phototechmag.com
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Marketplace
Ad Index
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See some amazing work

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or submit your own portfolio.
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___________
_______________
______
___________
___________
____________
_____________
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___________________________
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Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out

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variations on the photographic arts

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3D: a New Dimension

RYAN SPENCER REED

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The history and startling beauty of

Ryan Spencer Reed

Cameras That Made History Part I

Father of the Chemigram:

Photographing the Land of the

Publisher S. Tinsley Preston III

Advertising Sales Manager

Paul Schranz, Editor

Books, back issues, and collector prints may

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. by St. Croix Press Inc.

Whats Important and Exciting

Black Rapid RS-W1

3D: Add a New Dimension

The Double Transfer Technique

Selected Digital Masking

photo technique M/A 2011

VERNACULAR SPECTACULAR DA ILE KAPLAN

Daguerreian Hair Bracelet, Circa 1850

seen as fashionable accessories conferring both

Childs Pillow, Circa 1890

Although it may seem that small-format cameras

By the 1930s the integration of photographs onto

photo technique M/A 2011

VERNACULAR SPECTACULAR DA ILE KAPLAN

Gordon Parks Pajamas, 2002

sioned Berenice Abbott to develop the prototypes.

art and popular culture. Cindy Sherman created

To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online

Its difficult to avoid 3D these days. Movies at

The reason we see in three dimensions is because

photo technique M/A 2011

3D: ADD A NEW DIMENSION TO YOUR PICTURES JOHN WADE

Finding and Using a Stereo Camera

(Figure 3) Stereo Realist, rst made

Stereo pictures are all about depth. A picture where

(Figure 4) A strip of stereo negatives reversed digitally into positives.

get smaller. So stereo pictures should be shot at

Processing and Scanning

subject is on a single flat plane, does not make good

Film from a stereo camera can be handled by

photo technique M/A 2011

3D: ADD A NEW DIMENSION TO YOUR PICTURES JOHN WADE

The next task is to scan the negatives. You can

see the pictures. Avoid these and go for a viewer

Next you need to make a template for your stereo

Scan each individual image at a high resolution

Finding and Using a Viewer

Using Photoshop to Make a Stereo Pair

(Figure 6) Stereo print images placed on viewing card.

photo technique M/A 2011

FATHER OF THE CHEMIGRAM: PIERRE CORDIER DOUGLAS COLLINS

Chemigram 1/5/70 III, detail. Collection of the artist.

Father of the Chemigram:

Making a chemigram is no more difcult than making an

Chemigram 19/2/71 II, detail D4. Collection of the artist.