تويت
التصوير الفوتوغرافي الحديث
التقنيات المهنية المتقدمة ..
إعادة اللمس بالقلم الرصاص ..
RETOUCHING WITH PENCIL
For a start , it is well to choose a negative on which the head is a good size two or three inches long , if possible . It is harder to retouch a small negative than to work on one of a moderate size . That is one reason why it is difficult to retouch very tiny portrait heads made with small cameras . The retouching must be very fine indeed if an enlargement is to be made from the small negative . The negative should be a good one - properly exposed and developed and well lighted . It should preferably be one that shows some freckles or similar blemishes , spots or uneven patches of color .
You should make a good print from the negative before you begin to do any work on it . A print more readily shows the spots or blemishes that are to be removed . You will find that a print is very helpful in deciding where and why the application of some retouching is needed on the negative .
Place the negative on the retouching desk and examine it carefully . Look for freckles and other blemishes . Remember that these appear as transparent or semi - transparent spots on the negative and they are to be rendered less transparent by the application of the pencil lead . Some of these spots may be quite easy to locate . Look for light blotches or patches , but be careful to distinguish these from the shadows that should be found on a properly lighted face .
When you have located one part that ought to be retouched and have applied the dope as directed , take up a sharpened pencil and , holding it loosely rather than too firmly , apply it very gently to the negative at the place where the lead is needed . Do not bring the pencil point too abruptly into contact with the negative or you may break the fine point . Do not apply the lead with any pressure .
CHOICE OF LEAD . If you find that the lead you are using does not leave a heavy enough deposit to cover a spot properly , use a softer lead . Do not try to get the lead to adhere by applying more pressure or the lead will break and you may spoil the negative by scratching it .
The degree of hardness of the lead will depend on the density of the negative you are working on . Use a fairly hard lead for thin negatives or for working on a thin part of a denser negative . Use a softer lead for a denser part where it is necessary to apply a heavier deposit of lead . You will find that a very small freckle may need just one touch of the pencil to obliterate it entirely ; a larger one will need more work .
APPLYING THE PENCIL . Suppose you are working on a small area or patch of uneven coloring . With any touch or stroke that seems natural to you , try to fill in that light area in such a way that it gradually builds up in density until it blends or merges into the surrounding area and is no longer visible .
You must never apply the pencil so that it shows as a separate line or mark . If any pencil mark shows , it is an indication that you are working too vigorously and are using too heavy a stroke . Density must be built up gradually and imperceptibly ; you cannot hurry the work and attempt to gain density more . quickly by using a heavy stroke .
If the lead you are using does not seem to make any further impression and the density does not increase with further working , switch to a softer lead .
When working on a transparent area , do not lift the pencil from the negative . with every separate stroke . Keep working in more or less continuous contact with the negative , lifting the pencil occasionally to see what progress is being made . Be very careful not to go over the edges of the blemish or you will only be adding density where it is not wanted .
KINDS OF STROKES . The actual strokes made by the pencil must not show as such . They may be dots , or comma - like marks , or tiny circular marks , or a sort of continuous figure eight , or even merely an indiscriminate scribbling . There is no particular stroke that is best . You want to fill in a light area on the negative so that it will be a little bit denser and will match the surrounding area . Just how you do it does not matter very much as long as the pencil marks do not show definitely as commas or circles or whatever they may be .
You may find after a little experience that certain pencil strokes will be more natural for you than others . The stroke in retouching is just as individual as a person's handwriting , and different people may use entirely different strokes in achieving the same results . Figure 22 shows some of the more common pencil strokes used by expert retouchers . Bear in mind that these are all greatly magnified , and that the actual stroke is so tiny that the individual lines cannot be seen .
On any properly retouched negative , it should be quite impossible to see where lead has been applied by looking through it . If the individual pencil marks show on the negative , the retouching is faulty and should be removed .
Figure 22 Greatly enlarged views of the four most common pencil strokes used in retouching of portrait negatives :
Stroke No. 1 To fill in a line , such as a wrinkle or a fold in material , use a number of short irregular parallel strokes . The length of the individual pencil strokes is determined by the width of the being filled in .
Stroke No. 2 The edge of a sharp shadow can be softened by a series of short parallel lines heavier at the begin ning and trailing off until they disappear away from the shadow .
Strokes No. 3 and 4 - For filling in larger areas , random loops or figure eights are very commonly used . Keep the loops ) quite small and tight .
THE ACTUAL WORK . The expert retoucher will try always to match the texture of the face being worked on . The texture of a young child's skin is very different from that of an old man and it appears different on a negative . Therefore , you should adapt the touch to the work in hand and vary it according to the age and sex of the subject .
Clean up all freckles and blemishes on the forehead first of all , working across from left to right . Do not , on any account , go over the whole surface , just pick out the light patches , work on them and fill them in until they match their surroundings and do not show . Take each one in turn until all are obliterated .
Do not attempt to do too much at first ; just fill in the obvious blemishes . When the entire face has been worked over more or less roughly in this way , you can go over it again and do a little more cleaning up .
Your aim at first should be to remove the more prominent and obvious defects in such a way that they cannot be seen at all . Try to make the application of lead just heavy enough so that the retouched spots exactly match the parts surrounding them . If you succeed in doing this , they disappear entirely . If the defects still show a little , a carefully placed touch or two of the pencil probably will be all that is required to remove them .
When you think you have filled in all the light patches evenly , sit a little farther back and study the work as a whole . You may find some inequalities and see places where a little more retouching is needed .
If the work is not fairly even and if there are places where the pencil marks show , rub on a little fresh dope ( this will wipe off all the retouching ) and do the retouching all over again .
Even this comparatively simple retouching demands a good deal of practice . If you will follow the instructions carefully as given here , you will acquire the knack of using the pencil in such a way that the effect of the pencil work will show rather than the work itself .
When you have worked out the freckles , blotches and uneven patches , then give some attention to the softening or removal of facial lines , such as wrinkles , crow's feet and furrows .
Certain lines and wrinkles may be toned down or even removed entirely without spoiling the likeness . Then there are other lines - character lines - that may perhaps be softened a little but which should never be removed altogether . Some are temporary lines produced by the subject's expression or lighting , while others . are permanent lines . A frowning expression , for example , will produce or accentuate the vertical furrow between the eyebrows just above the nose . This is one of the lines that may be strongly subdued . In portraits of many young people , this furrow may be removed altogether without destroying the likeness .
If on a young face there are horizontal wrinkles on the forehead , these may be removed entirely . Sometimes a child who is trying hard to be good and keep still will wrinkle up his forehead . Do not work on lines and wrinkles indiscriminately .
Another place where a good deal of work may be done is the shadow under the eye ; not the one immediately below the eye , but the second and lower one , which is often seen in a negative far more plainly than on the face . This lower shadow , if present , may be filled in to a large extent for it is usually seen on the face when people are tired . Its removal will brighten the expression considerably .
Lines in the neck may ordinarily be removed altogether except in the case of very old people . Even then , the lines may be softened if they are too prominent . Lines under and at the outer corners of the mouth are the ones accentuated in laughing and they should not be removed . However , if they are over - pronounced they may be softened .
Dimples or hollows in the cheeks or chin should be left alone but if they are too pronounced , the shadows may need a little blending and softening . It is possible and sometimes permissible to modify the corners of the mouth a little if they are drawn down so as to impart a disagreeable expression to the face . Often at slight touch or two is all that is needed to improve the expression in this respect .
When you have done all the retouching that seems necessary , sit back and get a general view of the whole face . It may be a little patchy in places ; there may be parts that need pulling together . With a very light but free movement of the pencil , work between the light patches , softening edges and blending them together .
Finally , make another print and study it carefully , comparing it with the print from the unretouched negative . Then , for practice , put on a little fresh dope , rub off all the work you have done and do the retouching all over again .
التقنيات المهنية المتقدمة ..
إعادة اللمس بالقلم الرصاص ..
RETOUCHING WITH PENCIL
For a start , it is well to choose a negative on which the head is a good size two or three inches long , if possible . It is harder to retouch a small negative than to work on one of a moderate size . That is one reason why it is difficult to retouch very tiny portrait heads made with small cameras . The retouching must be very fine indeed if an enlargement is to be made from the small negative . The negative should be a good one - properly exposed and developed and well lighted . It should preferably be one that shows some freckles or similar blemishes , spots or uneven patches of color .
You should make a good print from the negative before you begin to do any work on it . A print more readily shows the spots or blemishes that are to be removed . You will find that a print is very helpful in deciding where and why the application of some retouching is needed on the negative .
Place the negative on the retouching desk and examine it carefully . Look for freckles and other blemishes . Remember that these appear as transparent or semi - transparent spots on the negative and they are to be rendered less transparent by the application of the pencil lead . Some of these spots may be quite easy to locate . Look for light blotches or patches , but be careful to distinguish these from the shadows that should be found on a properly lighted face .
When you have located one part that ought to be retouched and have applied the dope as directed , take up a sharpened pencil and , holding it loosely rather than too firmly , apply it very gently to the negative at the place where the lead is needed . Do not bring the pencil point too abruptly into contact with the negative or you may break the fine point . Do not apply the lead with any pressure .
CHOICE OF LEAD . If you find that the lead you are using does not leave a heavy enough deposit to cover a spot properly , use a softer lead . Do not try to get the lead to adhere by applying more pressure or the lead will break and you may spoil the negative by scratching it .
The degree of hardness of the lead will depend on the density of the negative you are working on . Use a fairly hard lead for thin negatives or for working on a thin part of a denser negative . Use a softer lead for a denser part where it is necessary to apply a heavier deposit of lead . You will find that a very small freckle may need just one touch of the pencil to obliterate it entirely ; a larger one will need more work .
APPLYING THE PENCIL . Suppose you are working on a small area or patch of uneven coloring . With any touch or stroke that seems natural to you , try to fill in that light area in such a way that it gradually builds up in density until it blends or merges into the surrounding area and is no longer visible .
You must never apply the pencil so that it shows as a separate line or mark . If any pencil mark shows , it is an indication that you are working too vigorously and are using too heavy a stroke . Density must be built up gradually and imperceptibly ; you cannot hurry the work and attempt to gain density more . quickly by using a heavy stroke .
If the lead you are using does not seem to make any further impression and the density does not increase with further working , switch to a softer lead .
When working on a transparent area , do not lift the pencil from the negative . with every separate stroke . Keep working in more or less continuous contact with the negative , lifting the pencil occasionally to see what progress is being made . Be very careful not to go over the edges of the blemish or you will only be adding density where it is not wanted .
KINDS OF STROKES . The actual strokes made by the pencil must not show as such . They may be dots , or comma - like marks , or tiny circular marks , or a sort of continuous figure eight , or even merely an indiscriminate scribbling . There is no particular stroke that is best . You want to fill in a light area on the negative so that it will be a little bit denser and will match the surrounding area . Just how you do it does not matter very much as long as the pencil marks do not show definitely as commas or circles or whatever they may be .
You may find after a little experience that certain pencil strokes will be more natural for you than others . The stroke in retouching is just as individual as a person's handwriting , and different people may use entirely different strokes in achieving the same results . Figure 22 shows some of the more common pencil strokes used by expert retouchers . Bear in mind that these are all greatly magnified , and that the actual stroke is so tiny that the individual lines cannot be seen .
On any properly retouched negative , it should be quite impossible to see where lead has been applied by looking through it . If the individual pencil marks show on the negative , the retouching is faulty and should be removed .
Figure 22 Greatly enlarged views of the four most common pencil strokes used in retouching of portrait negatives :
Stroke No. 1 To fill in a line , such as a wrinkle or a fold in material , use a number of short irregular parallel strokes . The length of the individual pencil strokes is determined by the width of the being filled in .
Stroke No. 2 The edge of a sharp shadow can be softened by a series of short parallel lines heavier at the begin ning and trailing off until they disappear away from the shadow .
Strokes No. 3 and 4 - For filling in larger areas , random loops or figure eights are very commonly used . Keep the loops ) quite small and tight .
THE ACTUAL WORK . The expert retoucher will try always to match the texture of the face being worked on . The texture of a young child's skin is very different from that of an old man and it appears different on a negative . Therefore , you should adapt the touch to the work in hand and vary it according to the age and sex of the subject .
Clean up all freckles and blemishes on the forehead first of all , working across from left to right . Do not , on any account , go over the whole surface , just pick out the light patches , work on them and fill them in until they match their surroundings and do not show . Take each one in turn until all are obliterated .
Do not attempt to do too much at first ; just fill in the obvious blemishes . When the entire face has been worked over more or less roughly in this way , you can go over it again and do a little more cleaning up .
Your aim at first should be to remove the more prominent and obvious defects in such a way that they cannot be seen at all . Try to make the application of lead just heavy enough so that the retouched spots exactly match the parts surrounding them . If you succeed in doing this , they disappear entirely . If the defects still show a little , a carefully placed touch or two of the pencil probably will be all that is required to remove them .
When you think you have filled in all the light patches evenly , sit a little farther back and study the work as a whole . You may find some inequalities and see places where a little more retouching is needed .
If the work is not fairly even and if there are places where the pencil marks show , rub on a little fresh dope ( this will wipe off all the retouching ) and do the retouching all over again .
Even this comparatively simple retouching demands a good deal of practice . If you will follow the instructions carefully as given here , you will acquire the knack of using the pencil in such a way that the effect of the pencil work will show rather than the work itself .
When you have worked out the freckles , blotches and uneven patches , then give some attention to the softening or removal of facial lines , such as wrinkles , crow's feet and furrows .
Certain lines and wrinkles may be toned down or even removed entirely without spoiling the likeness . Then there are other lines - character lines - that may perhaps be softened a little but which should never be removed altogether . Some are temporary lines produced by the subject's expression or lighting , while others . are permanent lines . A frowning expression , for example , will produce or accentuate the vertical furrow between the eyebrows just above the nose . This is one of the lines that may be strongly subdued . In portraits of many young people , this furrow may be removed altogether without destroying the likeness .
If on a young face there are horizontal wrinkles on the forehead , these may be removed entirely . Sometimes a child who is trying hard to be good and keep still will wrinkle up his forehead . Do not work on lines and wrinkles indiscriminately .
Another place where a good deal of work may be done is the shadow under the eye ; not the one immediately below the eye , but the second and lower one , which is often seen in a negative far more plainly than on the face . This lower shadow , if present , may be filled in to a large extent for it is usually seen on the face when people are tired . Its removal will brighten the expression considerably .
Lines in the neck may ordinarily be removed altogether except in the case of very old people . Even then , the lines may be softened if they are too prominent . Lines under and at the outer corners of the mouth are the ones accentuated in laughing and they should not be removed . However , if they are over - pronounced they may be softened .
Dimples or hollows in the cheeks or chin should be left alone but if they are too pronounced , the shadows may need a little blending and softening . It is possible and sometimes permissible to modify the corners of the mouth a little if they are drawn down so as to impart a disagreeable expression to the face . Often at slight touch or two is all that is needed to improve the expression in this respect .
When you have done all the retouching that seems necessary , sit back and get a general view of the whole face . It may be a little patchy in places ; there may be parts that need pulling together . With a very light but free movement of the pencil , work between the light patches , softening edges and blending them together .
Finally , make another print and study it carefully , comparing it with the print from the unretouched negative . Then , for practice , put on a little fresh dope , rub off all the work you have done and do the retouching all over again .
تعليق