paccoj's Blog

by paccoj
Description: Hand Tinted Black and White Photos.
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Exposure for Specific Tones.

Posted on Oct 15, 2007 5:54 AM

How is it possible to decide in advance what tone an important area will have in the final Photograph ? It is quite simple if you know that for any area of uniform brightness, a reflected-light meter will recommend an exposure that will render that brightness in the middle gray in the Black and White Photo.
Two areas often metered when calculating exposures this way are skin tones and shadow areas. An exposure for a portrait is often based on the skin tone of the subject. The other area frequently metered as a basis for exposure is the darkest area in which the photographer wants to keep a full sense of texture and detail.
One object that can be metered is the palm of your hand. Another useful substitution reading is from a gray test card, it reflects 18 % of the light falling on it and a white side that reflects 90 % of the light. A gray card is often used to balance the light in a studio setup or when copying an object such as a painting. It is also useful in color photography as a standard against which the color balance of a print can be matched.
With our digital camera all of the above want apply. Most digital cameras are automated and advanced that you simply point and shoot. Choosing your f/stops or apertures are not important in obtaining a quality print or a rendition of any scene. The photographer hands are tied and creativity takes a back seat.
I will never shoot a digital camera due to those restraints and a lack of negative, which I will need to create my Hand Tinted Black and White photo Art. I love to manipulate my fully manual camera to interpret each scene. The unaided eye will give you unlimited freedom to allow you to capture each scene as you like. Roll film will some day return to our main stream because the burden and lack of freedom of our digital cameras. The rules of taking photos the classic way still apply in the Art world. Technology has become a stumbling block for our Art world, but true artist don't need any computer aides.

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How Time and Temperture Affect Development.

Posted on Oct 15, 2007 5:51 AM

I develop my Black and White Prints the Classic way. I take advantage of the
Print paper or film emulsion by extending or reducing the development time.
I try to reveal unseen details and textures in my Black and white Photo Art.
My Prints are in the zones III through VII, mostly middle grays. I do this to
enhance any of my colors that I choose to use on my prints. For example the color
red place on a middle gray takes on a different mood than your typical red.
The colors become more intense and vivid. This is what makes Hand Tinting so
unique. You can bend or break rules that gives you more latitude in the final
Black and White Photo. I use my "2 zone Technique" to determine where I should
place my colors. I use the rules of third as a guide in creating my Photo Art.
All of my Photos are a work of Art. Never computer aided in any way. My Photos
are original and signed.
Of all the creative controls at a Photographer disposal and most useful
is development time. The longer the developer is allowed to act on the film,
the greater the number of silver bromide crystal converted to metallic silver,
the darker the negative seems to become. The ability of development time to
control contrast and density is due primarily to the way the film emulsion is
constructed. The crystals of silver bromide that will develop into the negative
image lie both on below the surface of the emulsion. As exposure increases,
the number of exposed crystals and their depth in the emulsion increase. When
the develop goes to work, it gets at the surface crystals immediately but
needs extra time to soak into the emulsion and develop the crystal below the
surface. This applies to Photo Print paper as well.
The temperture of the developer also needs to be taken into account. Most
Photographic chemicals and even the wash water take longer to work as their
temperture drops. All solutions work faster at higher tempertures. The
higher the temperture, the shorter the develop time needed. The recommended
temperture is 68 F,(29 C);this temperture combines the most efficient chemical
activity with the least softening of the film emulsion and in addition is a
practical temperture to maintain in the average darkroom. Higher tempertures
may be recommended with very dilute devlopers.
I develop my Black and White Prints the Classic way. This allows me the freedom
to obtain any type of Print. I print some of my Photos to show more details and
texture ,some are Print to show details in the shadow areas. I try to expose my
shoulder and toe in the middle gray zone.

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Inside a Modern view camera.

Posted on Oct 1, 2007 2:37 AM

I use my view (6cm X 7cm) camera because it allows me the freedom that lets me capture my visions and imaginations on film. There is no limit on what the view camera can accomplish. The user can manipulate the movements the same way a conductor dictates to his orchestra how to play a passage of music. It is my best asset and I find new ways to invent my Photos.
Unlike most cameras, which are permanently aligned so that the lens and film are exactly parallel, a view camera can be deliberately unaligned. The view camera can change and control an image due to its movements. Two basic movements are swings and tilts. Swings are movements around the vertical axis of either lens or film, that is, either twisted to the left or right. Tilts are movements around the horizontal axis of the lens or film, that is it is tipped forward or backward.
The first movements, rise and fall, change the placement of the image on the film by changing the position of the film by changing the position of the film or lens relative to one another. Rise and fall of the back changes the location of the image but does not effect its shape
Shift is a sideways movements of either the front or the back of the camera. It is exactly the same as rise and fall except the movements takes place from side to side. Image shape does not change with back-shift, but does change slightly with front shift. Shift of the lens affects the spatial relationship of objects because the lens is now viewing them from a different point.
A front-tilt, does not change distances inside the camera and thus does not affect image size or shape. But it does affect focus by altering the len's focal plane. When the angle between film and lens is changed by tilting the back of the camera, the shape of the object changes considerably and the focus changes some what.
Swing is a sideways twisting of either the front or the back of the camera around the vertical axis. A back-swing just like a back-tilt moves one part of the film closer to the lens while moving another part farther away. Front-swing, since it involves swiveling the lens to the left or right, skews the focal plane of the lens to one side or another. The general effect of this is to this is to create a sharply defined zone of focus that travels at angle across an object.
The practical application of the four movements are virtually endless. Some are subtle and complex, particularly when used in combination.

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Why buy Black and White Photo Art.

Posted on Oct 1, 2007 2:26 AM

I want to bring Hand Tinting back in the main stream. Since we have our computers and high tech soft ware we fail to realize that computer generated imagery or photos are not the same as in the past. The reason is, that the computer lacks Zone "A" and Zone "B". Its merely a copy. All computer generated photos or prints will oxidize or fade. The sole purpose of making Photographs are to record and document historical events. Archiving Photos that are computer generated defeats this goal. In museums you will only find Black and White Photos, they know that any other type of print won't last long enough to achieve their objective.
When we look back in the early 1800's we see images that were produced that still exist today. What if our Great masters used pixels to record there Art. They would have never dreamed of wasting there time and effort to gain fame by employing methods other than the Classical techniques to create their Art. When history is written, those who have negatives and Hand developed Prints will have works of Arts that will be priceless.
The Great masters such Van Goghs, Picasso's, rembrandts, Cezanne's, Seraut's, El greco,s, Constables, Botticellis, Angelico's and Bounnarroti's would not exist today as we know them if they had used digital assisted soft ware to create their works of Art. I have over 50,000 images and over 90,000 negatives that will be worth more as time passes on. Photo Art has been around in the main stream for quite some time. No one has change or improved on what George Eastman, Joeseph Niepce, Giovanni Battista, Thomas Wedgwood and Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre attempted . The computer can never allow any one the freedom that gives you the ability to capture an image as on sees it. Ansel Adams was the last person to that gave us a new set of rules and technique.
I have develop a "2" Zone that takes his ideas and the other great Photographers of the past and improve how we see and reproduce our Photos.
Don't miss out, if you can have the luck of buying a old Photo of the past, you will own tommorrows Picassos' Van Goghs' or even an Rembrandt.
The only worth while investment in todays Art Market will be a Hand Tinted Photograph. The other Great works of Art merely exchange owners and becomes more expensive in the process.

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Why I use my 2 zone Technique.

Posted on Sep 21, 2007 4:08 AM

My 2 Zone Technique in Theory.
Based on the concept of visual change in negative exposure of one stop ( a factor 2x). This change in tone is referred to as a zone in
Black and White photography. Most prints contain about 9 zones. The 18 % reflectance grey card responds to zone V (5). In the Munsell system of color notation, middle value of 5 has a reflectance of approximately 18 %.
I print all of my Black and White Photos in the range of zone 3 to zone 8, it give me 5 zones to Hand color in the final print. Only the neutral colors ( Blacks , Greys, and Whites), have no hue and zero chroma.
In my Prints I add color to predetermined points of interest in the fore ground , middle ground, and back ground. I will also add colors to the bottom, in the middle and on the top of each print. This enhances the third dimension and gives the print some what of a fourth dimension. The colors have a tendencey to levitate and float.
I use only color film to create my Black and White Photo Art. Color films have three layers and Black and White Film have only two
layers. I find that color films record the true mood of each scene as it really is. Reds are red, blues are blue, and greens are green.
Black and white films records the tones and not the hues and the chroma of each scene as it exist. I use my color prints to aide in my color balancing process Hand tinting each black and white print.
I have a simple formula that I created, to acheive my color balance and color contrast of each final print. The foreground = A, middle = B, back =
C. The bottom = 3, middle = 2, and top = 3. I can place my hues of color in one the cubes to create unimaginable illusions of
Grandeur.

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I use color film to produce my Hand Tinted Black and White Photos. Color Photographs begins as Black-and-White negatives. Color film consist of three layers of emulsion, each layer basically the same in Black-and-White film, but responding to only one-third of the color spectrum. The top layer responds to Blue light, the middle layer to green light and the bottom layer to red light. When this film is exposed to color light and then developed, the result is a multilayered Black-and-white negative.
Those who used Kodak for color film in the early 70's remember the old Blue dot flash. Kodak had their film produced on the Blue side of the color spectrum (blue balanced). Kodak had on the top layer of their emulsion more Blue color couplers than other brands. Kodak film responded very well to cool colors. Their film produced very cool colors
Afga film had their film produced more on the Red side of the color spectrum (red balanced). Afga had on the bottom layer of their emulsion more Red color couplers than other brands. Their film produce very warm and rich colors.
Fuji film had their film produced more on the Green side of the color spectrum (Green balanced). Fuji had more color couplers on the middle layers than other brands. They produced vivid green colors, cool in nature.
Most Photographers don't understand why they choose a particular brand of film. I choose my film based on my on interpretation of each scene, this allows me to manipulate Zone "B".
When I Hand Tint my Black and White Photos, I can exploit the mood and feeling of each Photo based on the actual scene. I use Black and White photo paper to create my Photo Art.
I have a color Photo to guide and help in placement of the colors that I apply to each Photo. This give me the freedom to choose each color and areas which I decide to highlight. This is where I implement my "2 Zone Technique" to reveal the often hidden details that you will see only on the color print. This is where the fun begins. Feel free to try for your self the next time you want to create a Black and White Photo try using color film. After all color film is merely Black and White film with two additional layers added to the film emulsion. Have fun, and good Luck.

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My 2 zone Technique.

Posted on Sep 21, 2007 3:54 AM

My 2 Zone technique for Hand Coloring Black and White Photographs.
True Photography consist of two key zones. (Zone A covers subject to film), better known as a negative, ( Zone B covers film to Print), other wise known as a positive. In true photography one can not exist with the other. Digital photography merely records the scene in pixel format, it lacks the required zones which are needed to create a true positive print.
I have added a Zone C to my Black and White Photo Art, this zone determines where colors on the final Black and White print. This Technique allows full control of contrast, composition, and balance of each individual photo.
My Hand coloring Techniques elevates the viewer chromatic thresholds. Color contrast can be easily manipulated to suit artist mood
or expressions simultaneously. I can enhance visual differences between two areas of different luminance or illumination.
I try to highlight the obvious positive in each Photo, I also attempt to accentuate the unseen Beauties of our world.

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Hand Tinted Photos the "Classic way".

Posted on Sep 21, 2007 3:44 AM

I Specialize in Hand Tinting Black and White Photos the
"Classic way ". I have developed a 2 zone technique to create
my Black and White Photo Art. My photos art is Original and
signed. Never computer aided in any way. I have been in the
field over 25 years. I can create a work of art from any black and
white or color negative the "Classic way". I Hand Tone my photos
with Sepia, Selenium, Copper, Gold, Platinum-Palladium, Nickel,
Coffee, and Tea. My Photo Art meets and exceeds Archive
standards.

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