إبداع صور في المخبر .. كيف تعالج الصور .. كتاب التصوير الضوئي

Creating images in the lab .. How to process images .. The book of photography

How to process images
Creating images in the lab

- Color solarization:
Solarization of color images is quite possible, knowing that some types of subjects give better results than others, especially images that represent large, bright areas. We can obtain similar effects, but more easily, if the image is in black and white (see page 204) and then drawn on colored paper using filters. This stage of drawing, of course, provides a wide scope for working on the final result and eliminates the hesitations that come to mind when we turn a colored paper directly.

If color solarization is achieved from a color or black and white negative, these primitive elements must be very contrasting, which increases the normal color drawing.

When we use black and white negatives as the originals, we can easily monitor the contrast. This is thanks to the variety of negative films available. To make an image composed of the primary colors - red, blue and green - from an inverted black and white negative, you have to draw it under the red, blue and green primary filters. Do not forget that every change in filtering also brings with it a change in exposure time. Image processing is carried out as usual, regardless of the technique used.

With some precautions we can also reverse color positives: after exposure and in the middle of the first exposure, expose the film to colored light (red and blue give good results) and then continue processing as usual. With a little patience and rational processing, the margin of error can be reduced in terms of the time to cut off the exposure during exposure under colored light and also the intensity and duration of this light.


- Low prominence in colour:

The best way to achieve it is to start from a neutral combination of the negative and the black and white waveform (see page 204) drawn onto coloured paper through a coloured filter or filters. For unusual effects try to colour only some areas by placing the coloured filters in the light beam of the enlarger as if you were doing make-up in black and white. It is also possible to work from a coloured negative/positive pair with the neutralisation which gives the low prominence effect but the latter negative/positive must be very light and at the same time very contrasting. Moreover, a sandwich like this can lead to very long exposures on the coloured paper.

- Colour isohyla (or equal densities):
It is an application in colour to the isohyla explained for black and white on pages 204-205. The main cliché can be either positive or negative and either black and white or colour. It is drawn with great contrast to form the clichés to be selected. You must have a certain number of negatives and positives to select before you get the modified negative with intermediate tones down to just two or three values. We can also get a set of black and white negatives, each with a density value. The color image with equal densities is obtained by dragging the selected negatives through the blue, green and red filters (of different durations) onto the same sheet. The variety of effects that can be obtained in this way is endless, especially if we consider that other elements can be introduced at the same time. The recognition of the different clichés must be assured thanks to the method of holes and arrangement stones for the clichés placed in sequence in the enlarger or on the base. In any case, there is no other way to work in the complete darkness required by the use of color emulsions.

- Techniques using transmission:
The original can be either black and white or color, negative or positive. We can use filters or a transmitter to vary the visual quality and/or the color gradation. Stained glass windows, colored fabrics, and plastic sheets of different textures and colors are worth experimenting with to modify the normal appearance of the main image. You can even use filters that emit their own color and density but you have to move them slowly and continuously throughout the exposure time under the magnifier. Of course, these filters must be partially transparent so that the image is drawn on the sensitive paper.

- Color enhancement with filters:
For this image, the dominant general color has been increased during color extraction by choosing the filter. This method gives a scene a special atmosphere and allows the photographer to give his personal expression. Here the contrast between the window and the room is shown by the difference in colors

- Color photographs from black and white photographs:
First, your negative was drawn onto three or more pieces of black and white film of equal densities at different exposure times. The developed positives were then drawn in contact onto colored reversible paper and a highly saturated colored filter of a different color for each selected image was placed in front of the light source. After processing, the selected clichés were mounted and drawn in one batch onto colored paper.