Professional Documents
Culture Documents
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
IN CUBA WITH THE
FUJI X100
The Afghan
Masking Part III Box Camera Project
Digital Tools for B&W Digital Image Editing
Darkroom Contrast Control with DxO Software
Alan Ross
MASTERING
THE CAMERA
PORTFOLIO HISTOGRAM
Tadas Naujokaitis
AMAZING BIRDS
Exposed:
Mike Mitchell Ilford MG Art
MUSINGS ABOUT 300 Paper
LIGHT & PHOTOGRAPHY David Vestal
Three Color
March/April 2012 Gum Printing with
ClassicINSTA App
phototechmag.com
Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out For navigation instructions please click here Search Issue | Next Page
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Photographs shown by Kat Kiernan, Lisa McCarthy and Igor Kraguljac. See their portfolios at phototechmag.com>galleries.
_________
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
pg. 8
Image Mark Schacter
Technique
CONTENTS: 8 Digital Image Editing
From Potential to Impact Using
DxO Software
Mark Schacter
Feature
30 Masking Part III 12 Mastering the Camera
Using Digital Tools for Black and White Histogram for Better Exposure
Contrast Control in the Darkroom A Basic Tool Easy to Put Into Practice
Alan Ross David H. Wells
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
pg. 40
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
On Photography
5 Lucas Birk and the Afghan Box
Camera Project
The kamra-e-faoree in Afghanistan
Robert Hirsch
Portfolio pg. 5
Image Lucas Birk
Harvey Stein
David H. Wells
Postagram
The Modern Way to Send Postcards
on the Run
On the Cover
Tadas Naujokaitis
Image Tadas Naujokaitis
Marsh Tit 2
___________________
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
The Vernal Equinox arrives on March 20th in the Northern Hemisphere Editor Wendy Erickson
and likely not a moment too soon. More daylight hours are welcome, as Creative Director Lisa Cordova
are warmer temperatures and the return of all things green sprouting from
Production Roberta Knight
the Earth.
Online Content Coordinator Bree Lamb
All things being equal, youll find a nice balance of traditional and digital
Newstand Distribution
technique in this issue. For those of you craving some wit and wisdom
Curtis Circulation Company
in your darkroom, David Vestal does not disappoint with his review of
730 River Road, New Milford, NJ 07646-3048
new Ilford MG Art 300. Youll even get a dose of photo history at the 201-634-7400 Fax: 201-634-7499
same time. Alan Ross provides the third installment of his Masking series,
this time demonstrating digital imaging tools for contrast adjustments in Retail Distribution
the darkroom. And our friend Tom Persinger gets hands-on with another 6600 W. Touhy Ave., Niles, IL 60714-4516
historic process, Gum printing. 847-647-2900
Mark Schacter joins us from Canada writing a Digital Editing how-to Advertising Sales Manager
using DxO Software and David H. Wells gives plenty of good reasons to Roberta Knight
use the histogram on the back of your camera. Steve Anchell road tests the rknight@prestonpub.com
______________
luminous and modern images. See what you imagine when you look at
Reader Services
them. All the way from Alaska, Charles Mason wraps it up on Page 48.
Books, back issues and collector prints may
be ordered with VISA, MasterCard, or
We also have exciting newsthis Spring the photo technique website has a American Express by calling 866-295-2900
new look, and new content. Our design goal is to make it easy to view Mon-Fri. 8 am-4 pm Central Time or email
and navigate. We want our website (phototechmag.com)
____________ to be a resource circulation@phototechmag.com.
__________________
and a friendly place you can call homeover the next few months youll
see new exclusive online-only articles for subscribers and unique content See phototechmag.com for guidelines, instructions
such as guest bloggers, podcasts and videos from photographers about and restrictions for editorial submissions to
photography. Please spend some time on our site, and as always, let us photo technique.
know what you think.
Mention of any photographic formula/ product does
not constitute endorsement by photo technique.
What a great time of year to find some balance in your own photography.
photo technique (ISSN 1083-9070) is published
bimonthly by Preston Publications, Div. Preston
Industries, Inc., 6600 W. Touhy Ave., Niles, IL
Wendy Erickson 60714-4516. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago,
Editor, photo technique magazine IL and additional mailing ofces. Copyright 2012;
reproduction without permission strictly prohibited.
Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40030346
Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station
A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5 email:
circulation@phototechmag.com
________________
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
qM
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
LUKAS BIRK AND THE AFGHAN BOX CAMERA PROJECT ROBERT HIRSCH
RH: Tell me about your background. RH: How did you fund your work?
LB: I was born in 1982 in Bregenz, Austria where I LB: The project was funded via kickstarter.com. I re-
trained and worked in journalism and radio before ceived $6000 in donations and we funded the rest.
studying media art in London. After meeting Sean
Foley in India in 2002, we began collaborating. RH: What differences do you see between portraits
I provide the visuals and Sean, whose background is in made with a box camera and those done with a digital
anthropology, writes. We went to Afghanistan in 2008 camera?
phototechmag.com 5
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
qM
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
ON PHOTOGRAPHY
Box camera portrait of photographer of Baba Sher, Kabul, Box camera portrait of photographer of Abdul Satar, Kabul,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, 2011
LB: The box camera portraits have a limited contrast and another with fixer, as well as a light tight box for
range, rough edges, and the handling of chemicals the unexposed paper. After developing the paper in
and paper produces an image with a feeling from a the camera, I take it out and wash it in a separate tank.
different time. Digital portraits are clean, precise, de- Then I place the paper negative on a holder in front of
tailed and more attached to reality. the camera and repeat the process to produce a posi-
tive. Finally, I fix and wash the pictures.
RH: Describe your camera and its operation.
RH: What is the state of photography in Afghanistan?
LB: I have a 20 x 12 x 12-inch wooden box. I cut a
hole in the front to fit the focusing part of an old LB: When the Taliban ruled, photography was pro-
Ernemann Rapid plate camera to a Carl Zeiss lens hibited and makers destroyed or hid their equipment.
so I could utilize an aperture and shutter. I use a Now Kabul has dozens of studios with small digital
grade #3 or #4 photographic paper with an ISO of cameras for portraits or identication photographs.
5. Therefore, I work in bright, outdoor light, giving People use personal cameras to take photos of families
me an exposure of about f/5.6 at 1/30 of a second. and friends.
Photographers without a shutter lift their lens cover
and count to 1 to make an exposure; in the winter RH: Tell me about the hand-colored portraits.
they count 1- 2 - 3 and then cover the lens.
LB: Hand coloring is regarded as high art and most
I cut a round 4-inch wide hole in the side of the box photo studios display examples. Unfortunately, we
that is covered with black cloth, which allows me to did not find a single photographer in Kabul who now
put paper into the camera for exposure. In the back of does the process. In Mazar-e-Sharif, we worked with a
the box I installed glass to put photographic paper on photographer who still had these hard-to-get materials
top of, along with a tray containing Kodak developer and we made a how-to-hand-color video.
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
LUKAS BIRK AND THE AFGHAN BOX CAMERA PROJECT ROBERT HIRSCH
LB: The photographers were kind and patient, appre- RH: What else do you hope to achieve?
ciating I wanted to record their history. While photo-
graphing on the street with the box camera I was met LB: The research is finished and I plan to return to
with curious eyes. Afghanistan in the near future to revisit the photogra-
phers. The project deserves exposure. I want to tour
RH: What have your learned from your work? with the camera, exhibit the images, and set up work-
shops. These cameras are easy to build, fun to use,
LB: I experienced hospitality and generosity. Asad and can help people understand how photography
Ullah, a photographer in his late 60s, gave me an In- works. Ultimately, I would like everything to go to a
dian Vageswari plate camera without accepting any- museum.
thing in return. All he said was, If you make a book
about Afghan photography bring me a copy. I am RH: What should one consider when making photo-
currently taking pictures with it! What more can I say? graphs?
phototechmag.com 7
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
TECHNIQUE
Image Editing:
From Potential to Impact
Mark Schacter
While the fun of taking photographs is the thrill of
the huntthe search for promising materialthe fun
of editing is translating the promise into images that
have impact.
Figure 1 - VFW Post 3943, Woodland Beach, Michigan For my book, Roads, published in 2010, I shot about
10,000 photographs, of which 160 appeared in print.
For my forthcoming book, provisionally entitled Sweet
Seas, A Portrait of the Great Lakes to be published in Oc-
tober, I again shot about 10,000 photographs of which
about 200 will probably appear in print. In order to
go from 10,000 to 200, I had to decide which of the
10,000 had potential to be compelling images, and
realize that potential through editing.
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q qMqM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
the viewer wondering what happened/is happening place for military veterans. Irony and pathos jumped
here? or what does this mean? or what was the out at meit seemed a compelling visual commentary
photographer thinking? on how well (or not) we honor and remember military
men and women.
While still on the road I would have reduced a typi-
cal weeks output of 1500 photographs to about 500 The scene also had robust compositional bones:
semi-finalists that would in turn yield about 30 fin- the poles vertical lines beside the strong horizontal
ished images. The 500 were reviewed again on a large roofline and the slashing diagonals of the utility wires.
screen at homesame elimination criteria, but with The texture of the painted cinderblocksmultiple rec-
higher standards. The idea was to limit precious edit- tangles within the larger rectangle of the walladded
ing time to shots that are serious contenders. more stark geometry. The crowning touchgiven the
military story line that interested mewas the Ameri-
Example: a shot of Veterans of Foreign War Post 3943 can flag. (It was a calm day; I had to wait for a puff of
in Woodland Beach, Michigan on Lake Erie, 30 miles air to extend the f lag!).
from downtown Detroitone of about 200 photo-
graphs I took that day. Figure 1 shows the original My first processing step was to use DxO Optics Pro
photograph direct from my memory card, before edit- to convert the RAW image file to a 16-bit TIFF. DxO
ing. At this stage it is a shot with potential, but is still Optics Pros powerful feature is its capacity to correct
several steps removed from being a finished product. the unique optical distortions inherent to your own
What caught my eye as I drove past that scene was the particular combination of camera body and lens. And
story: the stark, lonely, forgotten-looking meeting it does a lot of other good things too.
phototechmag.com 9
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q qMqM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
TECHNIQUE
s ) ADJUSTED GAMMA AND LOCAL CONTRAST AND STOPPED Mark Schacter lives in Ottawa, Canada.
down the exposure slightly. His current book, Roads, is available
through bookstores and online booksellers
worldwide. Visit his website at
Figure 2 shows the black and white image produced www.luxetveritas.net.
by DxO Optics Pro. Now working with the TIFF file
produced by DxO Optics Pro, I made final adjust- Resources
Websites: dxo.com
ments with Adobe Photoshop:
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
________________
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
TECHNIQUE
Histogram of Route 95
RAW vs JPG
A couple important caveats when it comes to histo-
grams and exposure. The art of making a good histo-
gram applies only to making good RAW files. This
is because, in many ways, JPGs are a lot like slides!
A JPG is a processed file where the original RAW
colors and tones have been processed, tweaked,
adjusted, clipped, reworked and generally degraded
Route 95 to fit a universal file format. The good news is a pro-
cessed file can be viewed by anyone with a computer.
The bad news is much of the best image data has
Mastering the Camera to be thrown out in that same process. In the best
of all worlds, a perfect JPG, like a perfect slide, can
Histogram for Better sometimes be a thing of beauty.
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
phototechmag.com 13
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
TECHNIQUE
to evaluate exposure. Use the histogram to evaluate of the tones are to the right of the midpoint in the
your exposureknowing this often means ignoring same histogram.
what look might appear like overexposed images on
the camera monitor. For one-time film shooters this is enormously im-
portant. With film, the steps from solid black to solid
HISTOGRAM MATH white were equal in value. In digital imaging they are
Why is this? Lets go back a bit to the mechanics and not equal. Again, 25% of your tones are to the left of
especially the mathematics of the histogram. All of the the midpoint and 75% of the tones are to the right of
colors in any image are made up of some combination the midpoint. Repeat that to yourself a few times if you
of red, green and blue tones. An image of a gray card are a former film shooter like me.
will in fact be made up of 128 red tones, 128 green
tones and 128 blue tones. An image that is mostly red So how does that play out in getting the best exposure?
(or green or blue) will have a higher number of that First, it means that the tones to the left of the midpoint
one color and lower numbers of the others. That is how are best thought of as bad tones since there is more
we get the colors in our images, by mixing varying space between them (since only 25% of them are on
amounts of red, green and blue. that side but they take up 50% of the histogram). The
gaps between the bad tones result in coarse trans-
Now go back to the histogram itself and remember itions in your final image. For example, instead of the
that the left to right axis measures the spread of the red tone going smoothly from red to slightly brighter
tones. Then throw in the idea of the red x green x red, that transition looks coarse and obvious.
blue calculation. What that means is that because of
the mathematics, only 25% of your possible tones are On the other side of the same midpoint, the opposite
to the left of the midpoint in the histogram and 75% is true. 75% of the tones are crammed into 50% of the
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
real estate of the histogram, so those are good tones, the image, be spread across the image with a bias to
where you have less space between tones, resulting in the right (the better tones) and have as little clipping
smoother tonal transitions in your final prints. on either side as possible. Other than that, any shape
is as good as any other.
Also, the space between tones on the side with the bad
tones, to the left, exaggerates any noise, especially The point is to get a good exposure for a RAW file,
if your image is underexposed and the histogram is even if it looks too light as seen on the back of your
pushed far to the left. A key to reducing or eliminating camera. Do this to avoid a combed histogram,
noise is to expose your RAW file properly, which in which results when you take a digital file that looks
most cases yields a histogram as far to the right as good but it is in fact underexposed. In that file you are
possible, as long as you do not cut off tones. The wasting the best tones (the ones to the right). In order
mantra or rule to repeat over and over is expose to to get a good print with a full range of tones you will
the RIGHT! have to go into a program like Photoshop, spread the
tones out and push them to the right. As you do that,
Cutting off tones or clipping is a problem if you cut off gaps are created as you spread the darker tones apart,
many tones. This applies to both ends of the histogram, moving tones that were to the left into the middle or
whether on the dark side to the left or on the light side right side. The resulting gaps between the tones result
to the right. On the other hand, if the only tones that in the dreaded combed histogram and a print with
are cut off are small and obviously pure white, such coarse tonal transition, bad colors and noise.
as car headlights or bits of shiny chrome, that is not
a problem. Digital imaging is the classic example of garbage-in
garbage-out. With a little care, any photographer can
While the horizontal axis measures the quality of use histograms to get the best exposure possible for
tones, the vertical axis simply measures quantity. If by their digital images. The two parts of the screen on the
chance the histogram goes upward and off the chart," back of your camera are like apples and pickup trucks.
nothing is wrong. It means that your image has a high On one hand, they have nothing in common. But like
quantity of tones and that the histogram display you on an apple farm, knowing what to do with each one
are looking at is not big enough to show that. makes the whole thing work for the best.
THE GOOD HISTOGRAM Editors Note: The histograms for the images shown are for the FINAL
This leads us to what a good histogram looks like. images made with well exposed RAW files that have been processed to
look the way they are in the article. Those histograms are NOT the
There are many shapes that your histograms can be, original histograms of the capture RAW files. Check out the link to Davids
most of which are equally valid. There is no single podcast on Histograms, featured on our website at phototechmag.com
perfect, typical or required histogram. A histogram
David H. Wells is a freelance documentary
Photograph baileyphoto. com
with two spikes, one to the left and one to the right photographer affiliated with Aurora Photos.
with few or no tones in between, is probably a sil- See his work at: davidhwells.com. He
specializes in intercultural communications
houette (or a close up of a zebra). A histogram with a and the use of light and shadow to enhance
giant spike of middle tones but no blacks or white is visual narratives. Twice awarded Fulbright
fellowships for work in India, his photography
something that is a middle tone in color and has lots of regularly appears in leading international
bits of texture, like grains of beach sand for example. magazines. A frequent teacher of
photography workshops, his blog, The Wells
A perfect histogram should represent the tones in Point, appears at thewellspoint.com.
phototechmag.com 15
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
PORTFOLIO
Imagine a species of life vastly more evolved than human beings. Imagine it as a completely
different ordering of life, so cognizant that knowledge itself is the very tissue of its body.
Imagine it cares to tutor you, show you what it knows. Now close your eyes. When you
open them again you will see this being in front of you. It is everywhere, it is light.
My photographs in the last six years have all been experiments. Lets see what happens if
I do this...or this...or this. Lets see what happens if I set up conditions in the studio where
light is always changing. Lets see what happens if I eliminate optical representation of
the material world. Lets see what forms just might be bred when sheer consciousness
encounters unmitigated light.
These images are descendants of a single photograph that was the very climax of a
mystical experience I had in 1969. Recently I was sitting in a cluster of river birches by
the Potomac River mentally revisiting that experience in view of what Ive been learning
about the brain. Some scientists would have us believe that what we call God is only an
artifact of complex neurological processes. Just then I heard a Harley approaching on the
road behind me. I reflexively turned toward it just as a portly guy in the passenger seat
aMTTML\WUMI\\PM\WXWNPQ[T]VO["/WLQ[ZMIT ;QVKM!![]KP\PQVO[PI^MPIXXMVML
to me a lot.
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
qM
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Lumi-Gnosis 1, 2005
phototechmag.com 17
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
qM
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
PORTFOLIO
Human vision develops by building what science calls a formative visual imagination,
a kind of mental lexicon of forms and associated meanings. It continues to grow for our
whole lives. This accounts for why one person can look at one of these photographs
and ask if theyre looking at a flame while another laughs and says unequivocally thats
Daffy Duck. I sense that there may be yet another way to engage this imagery. The Quaker
tradition speaks of opening to light, a practice that may require silencing cognitive
associations and like the Quakers, waiting until something else enters awareness.
One evening last July, I was sitting in the front row of the auction room at Christies in
New York. When the final hammer came down the room erupted into applause and cheers.
During the entire auction Id been saying to myself this is really happening and its
really happening to me! Six years earlier Id realized it was time to do the real work of
my life no matter what the cost. I refinanced my house to do it and the images on these
pages are the result. It was devastating when I later lost the house to foreclosure but
that evening Christies completely turned my life around yet again when they auctioned
prints of photographs Id done of the Beatles when I was only 18 years old. Resurrecting
those images had more than financial value. Id come to realize that my own sensitivity
to light actually began at a Beatles concert in 1964 when there was no choice but
to take my cues from what light was presenting to me. Ive also learned something
inexpressible and profoundly humbling about the way life can work.
In its infancy photography was considered the litmus test for reality. Photography has
come so far but not nearly as far as reality. From the study of light, some thinkers have
concluded that there is no objective reality apart from the consciousness thats observing
it. Doesnt that make reality a purely local phenomenon, a kind of soft-edged sphere
with consciousness at the center? So couldnt it be said that consciousness is always
moving from reality to reality? Could the ultimate reality weve always looked for be this
movement of consciousness which Ive come to call transality? But what if consciousness,
like photons, can be in more than one place at the same time? What if theres a stage of
consciousness that is at once within and beyond all realities? I suspect we can approach
such questions as we come to embrace the other major paradox of light, its relative speed.
The speed of light is 186,282,397 miles per second. Einstein proved that even if you are
traveling at, lets say 185,000,000 miles per second, a beam of light that goes past you, is
still going 186,282,397 miles per second faster than you are!
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Lumi-Gnosis 4, 2006
phototechmag.com 19
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
PORTFOLIO
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
BUSINESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The tintype is a 19th Century photographic process, in which uses glass instead of metal, the tintype quickly
which a photograph is produced on a piece of lacquered caught on in America as the photograph for the mas-
iron. The process, also known as a melainotyope and ses. It was fast, cheap, mobile and much more durable
ferrotype, was popularized in the mid 19th Century than other processes available at the time. A tintype
as a sort-of first version of the instant photograph. In can be coated, sensitized, exposed, developed, fixed,
recent years, as photographic technology continues to
develop in alignment with the digital age, the tintype
and other 19th Century processes have gone through
a resurgence. Since starting The Tintype Studio this
past summer, Ive come to realize, through its history
and social context, that the tintype process is as
relevant today as it ever was, not only as a portrait
medium, but also as an artistic one.
The Tintype
The tintype process was first conceived by Adolphe-
Alexandre Martin in 1853, shortly after Fredrick Scott
Archer invented the wet-plate collodion process, and
was later patented in the United States and Great
Britain in 1856. Almost identical to the ambrotype, Tintype Studio
phototechmag.com 21
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
BUSINESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
exposures with the added bonus of are now expensive and require a
not needing to worry about sub- great amount of knowledge and
jects moving during exposure. The equipment to produce, people are
TOAE ended up being a great more than willing to pay for not only
success. We fought off the 12-hour the tintype, but also the experience
days of extreme heat and produced itself. In the brief amount of time
over 100 plates. Since then, we have weve been doing this Ive found
gone on to produce tintypes at the that people really understand and
Sunnyside Art Fair, The Wedding appreciate its value. This is what we
Collection Exhibition at Stephen want to achieve with The Tintype
Bulger Gallery and our first indoor Studionot only producing a unique
portrait session. product, but a unique experience.
_________________
phototechmag.com 23
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Workshops
TAKE A WORKSHOP WITH ONE OF
OUR WRITERS
Did you know that many of our writers and contributors
offer Workshops in photography? A workshop is a great
Steve Anchell
Large Format and the Digital Negative Tillman Crane setting up a view camera for a demonstration at Turnbridge
June 10 15, Condon, Montana Church in North Dakota
Steve also offers private workshops ongoing throughout
the year in Salem, Oregon.
steveanchell.com
Download & Send
Tillman Crane
Spirit of Structure: Western Remnants of the Erie Canal
April 15 20, New York POSTAGRAM APP
Spirit of Structure: Abandoned Farms of North Dakota Heres a new spin on sending
May 13 18, Rugby, North Dakota photos. Make a photograph
Extraordinary Images in Ordinary Places, with your phone using the
July 15 20, Maine Media Workshops Instagram
_________ App, edit it as
needed, then download the
Platinum Printing in the 21st Century Postagram
__________ App and send a
July 27 31, Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, NJ printed postcard of that image
tillmancrane.com to anyone for 99 cents!
Harvey Stein
Peru Photo Workshop POSTAGRAM ASSIGNMENT:
May 26 June 4, through photoexperience.net Wed love to see YOUR Postagrams! Well feature
Lighting for the Portrait, 100 of the best Postagram images we receive on
Two weekends, May 12 13, 19 20, icp.org the photo technique website! And, well pick three
lucky winners at random from all the submissions,
Coney Island: Day & Night for a one year print subscription to photo technique!
July 9 13, icp.org
Photographing People The THEME for this Postagram Assignment is:
July 23 27, icp.org NATURE
harveysteinphoto.com DEADLINE: Postagrams must be received
by April 30th
David H. Wells
Address your postagram to:
Introduction to the Photo Essay POSTAGRAM
March 2-4, Brooks Workshops, Santa Barbara, CA c/o photo technique Magazine
Light, Shadow, Night and Twilight 6600 W. Touhy Avenue
June 11 15, International Photo Center, Niles, IL 60714
Helsinki, Finland
davidhwells.com/workshops/index.html Include your name, email address and phone number in the body of
the message, along with anything else you want to write!
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Willow Tit
phototechmag.com 25
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
PORTFOLIO
After you find the things which are needed for your
photo, set them up. This depends on your particular
idea and might be as simple as planting a few flowers
in the yard and strewing some seeds nearby. Still and
all, its more convenient to use the previously built
blind and the feeder and to put a piece of grass or a
big moss-grown stump on the feeder. Then make a few
holes and hide some sunflower seeds there. To take a
My Feeder
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Nuthatch
picture of a bird on the top of a smaller rotten stump, My ideas are often very simple, such as a tit on a fall
merely set some food where you cannot see it through colored twig, a nuthatch on a mossy forest floor or a
the viewfinder; it can be the feeders platform or the greenfinch near a few flowers. Its up to you to decide
other side of the stump. Lastly, if you want a bird to sit what photos you want to create. Some of them will
on a twig, place it above food. come quickly while others might take several days
or weeks, but the process isnt likely to be boring.
I found a branch with a nice lichen and a piece of Since its difficult to set up perches and other objects
moss with two mushrooms. I needed birds to sit in perfectly on the first try, dont forget to review and
the exact position to make it work. This was fairly analyze images on location. Make a few changes if
easy: using adhesive tape, I fixed the branch above the results dont satisfy you. Simply experiment. Time
some sunflower seeds and later in my camera screen flies, believe me.
I saw what I had imagineda willow tit and the lich-
en next to each other. In the second setup, I put a Light & Composition
handful of seeds by the mushrooms. After a while a Before going outside and putting all this into practice,
marsh tit landed on the moss and I pressed the shutter there are a few more things to remember about light
button. It looked like the bird was pretending to be the and composition. Soft lighting makes morning the
third mushroom! best time to photograph birds. Evening is no worse in
phototechmag.com 27
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
PORTFOLIO
Green Finch
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Tadas Naujokaitis
was born in Lithuania
in 1994. He started
watching birds when
he was eight-years-
old. His father had an
old Zenit TTL camera,
and in 2004 his father
taught him how to use
it. Since then he has
photographed birds.
Resources
Camera: Canon EOS 50D; Lens: Canon EF
100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens
phototechmag.com 29
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
FEATURE
Bay Window, Animas Forks, Colorado, 2009. The final, straight print utilizing digital Selective Masking techniques. All dodging and
burning for this print are incorporated into mask layers.
Alan Ross
Part I (Nov/Dec, 2010) introduced an inexpensive, low-tech All three articles explain how to make a variety of masks
technique for hands-free dodging and burning of an image by to achieve controlled results while printing conventional neg-
using pencil or markers on mylar masks placed above the atives on silver halide photographic paper in the darkroom.
negative in a traditional darkroom. Part II (March/April, Other important requirements: These masking techniques re-
2011) introduced the use of Photoshop or Elements to create quire use of a diffusion enlarger or contact printing, a special,
masks on inkjet transparency film to make hands-free grad- inexpensive, negative carrier, a computer with Photoshop or
uated-burns of skies and other areas. Part III expands on the Elements, a scanner that preferably will scan film, an inkjet
use of the computer in the traditional darkroom for making printer capable of printing on transparent media such as
prints with multiple contrasts on variable-contrast paper. overhead projection film available at most office supply stores.
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
One of the greatest technological advances for the higher contrast mask for the room, with the windows,
darkroom enthusiast was the introduction of variable- etc, being clear. That would let me reduce the contrast
contrast papers. Not only were they great for the bank in the enlarger to offset the now mask-increased
account, since one package would suffice for any contrast in the room. That, in turn, would cause the
given size instead of three to six, but it became pos- windows to get more exposure than the rest of the
sible to have more than one contrast in a single sheet image, AND at a lower contrast.
of paper. Some of the procedures typically relied upon
for multi-contrast printing, while ultimately produc- Since I already had a 300dpi grayscale scan of the
ing the desired result, require the use of special aux- whole negative, I didnt need to pull the negative from
iliary printing filters or enlarger settings which have the carrier and take time to make a mask scan. As I
to be changed for one action, then reset to original always do, I started out by making a Reg Marks Layer
status for subsequent prints. Time consuming at best, (See Part II) indicating the image corners. Because it
and occasionally aggravating. takes color to make a contrast change on VC paper
I next converted the file from grayscale to RGB
So far, we have applied Selective Masking techniques (File>Mode>RGB, do not f latten Layers).
ranging from a low-tech I just want to make these
rocks a bit lighter to computer-savvy methods for a My approach to this mask is exactly the same as for
smooth, graduated sky-burn. Now its time to take the samecontrast masksthe only difference being
techniques discussed in Part II to the next level. We are that instead of a Black Layer modified to gray, I will
now going to go from Grayscale to RGBkind of like use a color: magenta to burn in with a lower contrast,
the BW-to-Technicolor segue in the Wizard of Oz. or yellow to burn in at a higher contrast. In this case
it will be magenta. Just as with the examples in Part
Simple Multiple-Contrasts II, the areas to be burned in will be in appropriately
separate Layers with the target areas painted or filled
in with white.
phototechmag.com 31
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
FEATURE
My original enlarger filtration for my basic test print s Yellow dodges blacks more than highlightsthis
was 20M. It happened that magenta set at 50% opacity results in a decrease in local contrast.
with my inkjet film and printer was approximately
20M so that was my initialand very happily my final s 2EMEMBER THAT 3ELECTIVE -ASKING IS CONTROLLED
mask setting. (This doesnt always happen!) dodging! If you need to burn-in an area, you need to
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
All Images Alan Ross Ansel Adams and Georgia OKeeffe, Carmel, 1976.
This is an image from 35mm that I was never able
to print successfully without getting into multiple
contrasts. There was a great deal of flare coming from
the window behind OKeeffe. If I got the contrast right
for Ansel, everything else had way too much contrast.
If I got OKeeffe right, Ansel was just a dark gray mess.
This mask essentially allowed me to make the print
using four different contrasts. The sky area printed at
the basic contrast set in the enlarger. Magenta dodges
whites more than blacks, so contrast was increased
in that area. Yellow dodges blacks more than whites,
so contrast was decreased in that area. The mix of
magenta and yellow simply dodged that area without
much change in basic contrast. I still had to do some
traditional burning and a bit of pre-exposure, but the
mask gave me the contrast control I needed.
Ansel Adams and Georgia OKeeffe, Carmel, 1976
increase your exposure to get the burn-in value you ative carrier with a piece of opal-glass or diffusing plex,
need then dodge everything else via mask. he could have taped a piece of mylar over the image,
added a touch of pencil density and been master of his
Having used Selective Masking in one form or another printing desires!
for maybe 25 years, I have to say that it has completely
changed my approach to printing. I can control the And now its your turn to deal with troublesome
densities of multiple areas, small and large, that I images you could never master before! Have Fun!
could never dream of dealing with before.
Editors note: You can find Part I and Part II of Alans articles on
phototechmag.com
Ansel would have loved it, too. When we were making
prints for his Portfolio VII in 1976, one of the images Photographer and master printer Alan
Ross has been Ansel Adams exclusive
was Cemetery Statue and Oil Derricks. It was basic-ally printer for over 36 years. His experience
includes operating a commercial studio
easy to print, but the statues face needed a slight with projects ranging from ad campaigns
bit of dodging. As much of a master printer as Ansel
Image Barbara Higgins
phototechmag.com 33
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
TECHNIQUE
I must start with results or it will take too long to get Multigrade Fixer or Hypam diluted 1+4: one part
there, as it did in my darkroom. Heres most of what stock fixer plus four parts water. Another way is to
Ive learned about Ilford/Harmans new Multigrade fix for just 2 minutes in Multigrade or Hypam fixer
Art 300 black and white paper. It is a whole new kind diluted 1+9, but when I tried that, thinking it was
of printing paper, technically inbetween conventional conservative and safe, it got me into trouble. Except
fiber-base and RC papers. It comes up quickly in the for this papers persistent tendency to stain, and to
developer and the prints wash more quickly than produce bleached areas within the picture in spite of
what Ilford now calls baryta FB, but not so quickly careful handling, I feel I almost have it under control
as RC papers. now. About one print in every four or five still shows
such defects in my darkroom for no known reason.
Conventional FB processing, although with luck it The paper seems somewhat temperamental. Or it
works, is no way to handle this paper. I had to learn might be any of a multitude of unknown variables.
an approach thats new to me. After development and
the stop bath, it works best with quick fixingjust My guess is that these defects may result from new-
one minute in a strong, non-hardening rapid fixer. product bugs that need to be worked out, as happened
The directions that come with the paper specify Ilford around 1970 with early RC papers. Mating a radically
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Its not a fast paper (ISO 100 and 50 with Multigrade Manuel Alvarez Bravo in studio, cropped, Mexico DF 7/1987
filters, 200 without) and printing dense negatives can
get you into reciprocity-failure extended times that to the eye. Its a rough-textured matte paper, much
make life difficult. I gave up on an otherwise promising like what Kodak used to call tapestry, and has a
negative when its test exposures got up to several sort of subtexture, an eggshell sheen that helps the
minutes. The tones come up quickly in development, blacks look black. It looks and feels like a thick, rough
at about 12 to 15 seconds, and development proceeds watercolor or charcoal paper. This texture seems to
normally. There is considerable dry-down. If in doubt, have been chosen for its artistic character after a
you could use Ansel Adamss shortcut by drying a survey to find out what art photographers want. Im
test print in a microwave oven and comparing it to a not one of them. When youre drawing in charcoal
similar wet print. a definite tooth on the paper is useful. In a photo
print it has no function. Its a cosmetic vanity. My Art
Processing each print by itself from development 300 prints show me that this conspicuous texture is
through its final wash in a tray before starting to tolerable in light prints with no large dark areas, but
process the next print is easy and relatively safe, and, of interferes annoyingly with dark prints. That texture
course, time-consuming. MG Art 300 is not designed competes for the viewers attention against the photos
for batch processing, as I learned when trying it got dark details, which, in effect, it largely wipes out. For
me in big trouble: for instance, five prints, all good me this is quite a good paper for light prints, but poor
when they went into a water-filled holding tray after a for dark ones. Other things being equal, Id much
first fixing bath, were all badly stained, and some also rather have MG Smooth 300, which doesnt exist
showed bleached white areas a little later, when I took but probably could. I dont know what new problems
them out to put them through their second fixer. such a change might bring, but to me the prospect of a
smooth semi-matte paper, on this thick base and with
There was no warning and no way to save them. This this emulsion, and just enough shine so it doesnt kill
taught me to use rapid fixer at 1+4 for just one minute, the blacks, is more desirable.
and to process each print by itself without delay. Not
convenient, but any good print deserves all the time History enters here. Around 1900, photographers such
and care it requires. as Alfred Stieglitz, Clarence White, Edward Steichen
and Gertrude Ksebier were anxious to win recog-
Although the papers D-Max is a low 1.4 (as against nition for photography as an art medium. The public
MG IV FBs approximately 2.0), its black looks deep perception was, and largely still is, that photography is
phototechmag.com 35
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
TECHNIQUE
a chemical and mechanical process that cant possibly than as a historical record. FSA photos look just like
be art. In truth, as someone accurately said, Anything what they are, not a bad thing for any art form. That
can be art, but very little is. The photo artists of that was The Photo Depression.
time fought back by inventing The Photo Secession.
Their tactics included making photographs that look- In 1969 there was a breakthrough: Lee Witkins new
ed like handmade drawings or etchings. It may have photo gallery in New York had an Ansel Adams show
been Steichen who once got such a photo accepted in that sold out at $150 per print, and suddenly photo-
a general art exhibition, until the jury found out it was graphy was Art. Other galleries opened, many run
a photograph and rejected it in horror. The Photo Seces- by art dealers who knew nothing of photography.
sionists imitated other media to get their pictures past They wanted and got photos that dont look like
the art museum door. Some of their best workmuch photos, conforming to the familiar esthetic of 1930s
of its really goodnow sells for millions of dollars. camera clubs: tricky and artistic. And now The Photo
Recession is very big. Some excellent work is done in
In the 1930s a few photographers concerned with this mode, and many of todays art dealers, curators,
social problems fought poverty by showing the public critics and collectors prize it far above most straight
what Lewis Hine said had to be corrected. The US photography, as do many art photographers. I feel that
Department of Agricultures Farm Security Admin- its good for them and for me to differ in our tastes.
istration, directed by Roy Stryker, sent some able
photographers out to show how bad things were on In short, MG Art 300 is made for Photo Recessionists
dustbowl farms. The pictures were given free to the but not for me. I like photos that look like photos. In
press, so people saw them. Conservative congressmen testing this paper I printed pictures that I felt could
hated them, just as they would today. The FSA work survive in spite of its artistic texture. Im sure that
of those few photographers is now prized more as art many whose letterheads say Fine Art Photography
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Manuel Alvarez Bravo at home, Mexico DF 7/1987. This image shows the difculty I encountered with MG Art 300 in the darker areas of the
print image.
will love MG Art 300 just as it is. I wish them well and chemical along with it and requires considerable drain
often enjoy their work, but I dont expect to use this time before the next chemical. Count the drain time
paper often. If it had a more photo-friendly surface, after each chemical, say 20 seconds for an 11x14-inch
Id use it more. Its excellent for a few of my photos, print, as part of its processing time. Heres a sequence
but not for many of them. Incidentally, one test report that works for me:
on MG Art 300 says it doesnt scan well because of its
surface texture, which the writer otherwise adores. His Development, 2 minutes or more with constant agitation
problem may be with his scanner. For me it scanned in Bromophen; 3 minutes or more in Warmtone. Most
quite nicely in spite of a surface texture I dont like. other paper developers should work as well.
phototechmag.com 37
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
TECHNIQUE
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Resources
When I print again on MG Art 300, Ill try toning in
Websites: ilfordphoto.com
the initial washing-aid bath, one print at a time, from
development to drying. But before that, once I have
the print exposure, Ill expose four prints, one after
another, then process them one at a time.
phototechmag.com 39
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
ROAD TEST
Woman in Room
It takes practice to paint a realistic picture. It takes In 1981, at the suggestion of photographer David
practice to play a guitar. It takes practice to capture Scheinbaum, I decided to see what could be done us-
the decisive moment with a camera. And just like with ing a hand held 35mm camera. At the time, I was using
painting or guitar playing, while you can use almost a Nikon F with a Photomic meter. It did not take long
any brush or guitar, it helps to have a good-quality to realize the limitations inherent in using a single lens
sable brush for oil painting, an electric guitar for rock- reflex camera (SLR) for hand-held street photography.
n-roll, and a viewfinder camera for street photography. These include mirror shake; losing sight of your sub-
ject with each exposure, if only for an instant; they
I began street photography in the 1970s using an are loud due to mirror slap; and the singular fact that
8x10-inch Agfa-Ansco large-format camera. I would an SLR camera is big, bulky and threatening to the
set my Majestic tripod up on a sidewalk in downtown photographic subject.
Los Angeles and take formal photos of the street.
Occasionally, I would ask someone to stop and allow In 1982, I purchased a Leica M3. Leica invented the
me to make a portrait of them, other times I just 35mm camera. The early models were viewfinder cam-
photographed the ebb and flow of the city. eras with a rangefinder focusing system. The range-
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Vintage Car
finder system juxtaposes a second, shadow image of None of this means that the viewfinder is a camera for
the subject in the viewfinder. When the subject is all reasons. Like any tool it has its limitations. One of
in focus the shadow image disappears. As a result, the major limitations of the viewfinder is that it is not
Leica M cameras are usually referred to as rangefinder able to accept lenses much longer than 135mm in a
rather than viewfinder cameras, but they are still 35mm format as the barrel of the lens would obstruct
within the viewfinder family. the viewfinder window. If you were photographing
Alaskan Brown Bears I would recommend using a
When using a viewfinder camera you look directly Nikon D3 with a 600mm prime lens. Otherwise, you
through a window in order to compose the image, might end up as a brown bag lunch.
not through the lens, as with an SLR. The window
is sometimes located directly above the lens but quite With the advent of digital photography, there have
often it is found above and to the left of the lens. been several attempts to create a viable viewfinder
camera. These include the Epson RD-1 and the Leica
The advantage of using a viewfinder over an SLR in- M8 and M9; the M9 being to viewfinder photography
cludes no mirror shake, allowing handheld exposures what the Leica M7 still is to film. Most recently, Fuji
at slower shutter speeds (I am able to photograph has introduced a promising viewfinder camera in an
hand-held at speeds as slow as second); small and attempt to fill the niche, the Fuji X100.
inconspicuous (read: non-threatening to the subject);
lightweight; and quiet. But most important, because When I first heard about this camera, I hoped that I
you are looking directly through the viewfinder and had found a digital replacement for my Leica M3 and
there is no reflex mirror to obscure your view for even M7 film cameras. Then reports from users began to
an instant, you never lose sight of your subject. This is creep in, especially reviews I read on the web. Most
critical for capturing the decisive moment. If only for of these extolled the virtues of the super sharp, crisp
this last reason and no other, the viewfinder system is, Fuji lens while lamenting how slow the camera was in
in my experience, the best for street photography. practice. I decided to find out for myself. As it happens,
phototechmag.com 41
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
ROAD TEST
Ferry
I visit Cuba twice a year for humanitarian purposes may take some practice, I told you that at the begin-
and while there I usually find time to photograph. ning of this article, but try to get used to watching your
What better way to test a street camera than to take it subject in realtime through the optical viewfinder.
with me on my next visit?
Within the optical viewfinder only enable the shutter
The X100 is compact, lightweight, quiet and unob- speed, aperture and ISO, along with the exposure
trusive, all-important attributes for a street camera. mode and exposure compensation. Anything else will
Unfortunately, the image buffer is small, around eight simply interfere with your visual connection to your
frames using RAW; the write time between exposures subject. You do not need any other distractions in the
is slow; and there is a slight delay when the shutter is viewfinder window.
released. It also has more features and functions than
just about any camera I have ever used. Many of these Turn off ISO Auto Control and set the Fn Button for
come configured as defaults. ISO Sensitivity. The ability to change ISO at random
is one of the most important innovations of digital
I found that when I reconfigured the X100 to turn off photography. To be able to do it on the fly, using the Fn
all the bells and whistles it worked more efficiently Button, is a blessing for streetphotographers.
and by the end of my trip I was racking up a higher
percentage of fine images than in the first few weeks. Finally, digital cameras live off battery power. And
If you are interested in using this camera to capture while everything should be done to save on battery
the decisive moment then the following are the settings usage it is important not to do so at the expense of
and controls I recommend using. speed, focus or capture. For this reason, turn off the
OVF Power Save Mode and enable Quick Start Mode.
First, only use the optical viewfinder. It may be tempt-
ing to use the enhanced electronic viewfinder (digital Capturing the decisive moment and having it in-focus
viewfinder) in low light but it will slow you down. Yes, it is what matters most to a street photographer. For
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
that reason, my method is to preset my aperture for At the same time, my left thumb and index finger hold
the depth-of-field I need, within the limitations of the the f/stop dial surrounding the lens, ready to increase
ambient lighting conditions. I then rely entirely upon or decrease depth-of-field as needed.
the accuracy of the Aperture Priority mode and the
exposure compensation dial. This is the reason I like to While not making apologies for this camera, I
have exposure compensation appear in the viewfinder found that once I had configured it according to the
window, so I can keep track of any exposure changes guidelines above and became accustomed to using it,
without having to look at the dial. the delays in exposure enabled me to better anticipate
the decisive moment.
When using this camera I like to keep my thumb on
the exposure compensation dial. When framing an It does not take much to become a good street
image I move my thumb from the exposure compen- photographer. All you need is to practice and use the
sation dial and place it on the easily accessible AE/ right camera for the job.
AFL lock button on the back of the camera. Pressing
and holding the AE/AFL button locks in the focus on
the selected subject. Steve Anchell has been a photographer,
writer, and teacher for forty-one years.
Photo Marcia Brenden
phototechmag.com 43
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
TECHNIQUE
ClassicINSTA App>
Three Color Gum Printing
Tom Persinger
How do you proceed if you enjoy creating photographs you to choose one of four cameras, which provide
with your phone-camera, but are bored with inkjet the format, and easily swipe through eleven unique
output? While youd like to try a historic process, you filters such as black and white, saturated, toy camera,
dont want to sacrice full color for monochrome. sepia and many others. The many options offer great
Luckily, more photographic possibilities are now possibility for experimentation.
available than at any other time in history. With over
150 years worth of various techniques to explore, its a Contrary to popular belief three color gum is a simple
wonderful time to be a photographer. though somewhat time consuming process. At first
you may encounter a few small obstacles, but once
A few months ago, I introduced the Hipstanotype, these are hurdled, the results are wonderful.
a fun combination of the digital and handmade,
which merges the Hipstamatic photo app with the Id like to thank long-time F295 member and con-
19th Century cyanotype process. Here we will ex- tributor Dave Molnar whos currently an MFA student
plore the Classic INSTA app and create a final print in Photography at the Art Institute of Boston for
using what is arguably the most beautiful and delicate sharing his knowledge of the process. Im confident
photographic technique of the past 100 years, the my success wouldnt have come so quickly if it hadnt
three colored gum bichromate process. On their web- been for Daves kind sharing of information.
site, ClassicINSTA claims that their app turns an
iPhone into a perfect instant camera. It reproduces Creating the Digital Negatives
all features of an instant camera, from the operations The three color gum process requires three unique
to the results... It is more accurate to say that their negatives: one each for the blue, yellow and red layers.
algorithms alter images to reproduce the look and Applying a simple curve derived from Christina Z.
format of several classic instant films. The app allows Andersons method, will make the negatives more
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Selecting Paper
Well be making three separate printsone for each
coloron each sheet. One of the most important
considerations is aligning (known as registering) each yellow and then red. I usually print one color per
new layer with the previous. A papers dimensional session and suggest mixing only as much chemistry as
stability can complicate this task. I recommend trying needed. The following ratios work well for 6x6" prints
300gm Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper; many (adjust quantities accordingly):
have had good success with the stability of this paper
without additional preparation. 1. Mix .25g of prussian blue with 2.5ml gum arabic
and stir until dissolved. Then add 2.5ml of the 13%
Sensitizer and Supplies potassium dichromate solution.
Create a 13% stock sensitizer solution of Potassium
Dichromate by mixing 13g Potassium Dichromate 2. Mix .5g of cadmium yellow with 2.5ml gum arabic
with 100ml of distilled water. Stir until completely and stir until dissolved. Then add 2.5ml of the 13%
dissolved. If stored in a brown bottle, it will last indef- potassium dichromate solution.
initely. NOTE: Potassium Dichromate is a known car-
cinogen and toxic. Its highly recommended to wear a 3. Mix .5g of alizarin crimson with 2.5ml gum arabic
respirator, gloves and apron. When handling it follow and stir until dissolved. Then add 2.5ml of the 13%
all warning labels and handle carefully. You will also potassium dichromate solution.
need gum arabic and watercolor pigments. Ive had
good success with Grumbacher brand in prussian Dip your foam brush into the emulsion and apply to
blue, cadmium yellow medium and alizarin crimson. an area of your paper thats slightly larger than the
negative. Brush on the emulsion until it becomes
Pigment and Sensitizer Ratios slightly tacky and then stop. Do not overwork it.
Creating a three color gum print generally requires
three printing sessions; one for each color. Common Let the paper air dry for five minutes. Then use a blow
practice is to print the blue layer first followed by dryer to dry it completely.
phototechmag.com 45
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
TECHNIQUE
Place the negative on top of the sensitized paper, place Repeat the above steps for each subsequent color.
in a contact frame or between two sheets of glass, and When applying the second and third layers, the
then place under the UV light. Times may vary but to simplest way Ive found to register them is to align
begin try 6 min. for blue, 8 min. for yellow and 8 min. the registration marks on the negative with the ones
for red. on the print before coating with emulsion. A light
table makes this easier, but is not essential. When the
Gum prints develop in plain tap water. Fill a tray with negative is accurately positioned, attach it along one
water (~75F) and slide the print face down into the edge using Scotch brand Magic Tape and then fold
water, careful not to trap any air bubbles, so it floats. it away from the print area. Proceed to carefully coat
Let sit undisturbed (5min), gently remove the print with the next layer of emulsion and dry as before.
and submerge it into a fresh tray of water (5min), and
then move it to a 3rd tray and let sit (20 min.) At first, I suggest creating three or four of the same
prints with slightly different exposure times for each
Hang or lie flat face up on a screen out of direct light layer. Lightly pencil notes on the back regarding ex-
to dry. posure time, order, and pigment. This notation system
will make it easy to compare differences and will
expedite the completion of a satisfactory print as well
as provide invaluable data for future reference.
Resources
Download the curve here: http://www.f295.org/site/?p=2094; App:
http://misskiwi.com/classic; Gum Resources: freestylephoto.biz
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
qM
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Marketplace Ad Index
Dynalite, Inc. C4
_____________
_____
dynalite.com
EZWebPlayer.com 39
EZWebPlayer.com
Subscribe Focal Point 47
fpointinc.com
to photo technique
magazine HP Marketing Corp 3
hpmarketingcorp.com
Sto-Fen Products 47
Participate in discussions, stofen.com
giveaways and network
with other photographers
worldwide.
To Advertise Contact:
We look forward to seeing Roberta Knight
you there! rknight@prestonpub.com
___________________
phototechmag.com
Bryce McQuillan John Reuter
Technique
Exclusive Subscriber Content - John Reuter exposes the hidden negative in Fuji FP100C
Media Caf - Kevin Pepper, Extraordinary Panning Photography
Technical Lounge
- Tillman Crane, Survey of Contemporary B&W Films
Editors Blog
Guest Bloggers Portfolios
The Vault - Bryce McQuillan, Up-Close and Personal
- Jean-Christian Rostagni, Occupy Wall Street
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
qM
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
Page 48
Well technically, I guess this is the mask of a Dalek, a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants, from
the British Dr. Who television series. The model is my daughter Hannah, who was seven at the time
the photo was taken in our yard in Fairbanks, Alaska. We were actually in the process of returning the
mask, as it was a birthday gift for her brother Zachary, but proved to be so uncomfortable he couldnt
wear it. I convinced Hannah to put it on for a couple of frames before I boxed it up. Thats about the
limit of her tolerance for modeling for photos. In fact, she says I actually paid her a $5 modeling fee
at the time. The photograph was made with my Hasselblad camera and 80mm lens on Kodak Portra
400 film, scanned on a Nikon 9000.
Charles Mason first picked up a camera in 1970, at age 11. He has rarely put it down since. Charles, along
with his wife Julie, moved from Virginia to Alaska in 1984. After several years at the local newspaper, and
then completing an Art masters degree in Documentary Photography, Charles was hired as the professor
of photojournalism and photography at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1990. He still rabidly pursues
his own work, along with teaching, and is currently working on two projects, one on zoos and one on kudzu.
Notable awards include POY honors, the Oskar Barnack Award at World Press Photo, and a Rasmuson
Foundation Individual Artist Fellowship. A recent publication of note is the cover of the bestselling book
Water for Elephants, which was shot at a small circus in Fairbanks. To see more of Charles work, check
out masonphotos.com.
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND
qM
qM
Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page q
q
M
qM
MQmags
THE WORLDS NEWSSTAND