how to achieve this tonality

[javierternero]

It seems to me that he starts with a contrasty negative and printed using a diffuser enlarger. Then the prints gets also some kind of toning, (selenium?)
Beautiful prints.

[Doremus Scudder]

The look is a combination of soft lighting, full exposure and rather full development. Using a film with a long toe, like 320TriX will help.

Doremus

[Ulophot]

Above, Jac noted the low resolution and "light cast into shadows." This suggests the use of diffusion in the englarging process, which spreads the areas of higher light intensity (i.e., the thinnest areas of the negative, shadows) into the adjacent areas. This can be accomplished in various ways. 35mm master photojournalist w. Eugene Smith used a piece of matte-black-sprayed aluminum window screen or a piece of nylon women's stocking stretched over a small round frame, held under the lens for some part of the exposure. In his case, he was using it primarily to take the edge off 1950-'60's Tri-X grain, but it it was also coherent with his larger vision. One can also use a sheet of tracing paper directly over the print surface to create a stronger affect. In all cases, the diffusion must be kept in motion while in use.

[bob carnie]

This is a method I use for Blacks

In the split print I will use lower grade to set the tones, and with the 5 filter I will use a pictrol or black nylon for some or all of the exposure.

[radek]

I do appreciate your help! Thank you very much It seems there are many ways to get what I want. I was suggested to shoot on the toe, but I cannot find any informative articles on the Internet on this subject- can somebody briefly explain me what it means? Someone also suggested overexposure and full development- aren't they both contradictory suggestions? BTW I saw an interview with Konopka and he said his negatives are rather underexposed. With contact printing- the examples in my link are contact prints- it is impossible to diffuse the light through any screens under the enlarging lens. Maybe I should use special lens (vintage one?) on my camera to obtain similar effect? So many questions... Once again, thanks for your help, and I'll be grateful for furher ideas

[Pere Casals]

I do appreciate your help! Thank you very much It seems there are many ways to get what I want. I was suggested to shoot on the toe, but I cannot find any informative articles on the Internet on this subject- can somebody briefly explain me what it means? Someone also suggested overexposure and full development- aren't they both contradictory suggestions? BTW I saw an interview with Konopka and he said his negatives are rather underexposed. With contact printing- the examples in my link are contact prints- it is impossible to diffuse the light through any screens under the enlarging lens. Maybe I should use special lens (vintage one?) on my camera to obtain similar effect? So many questions... Once again, thanks for your help, and I'll be grateful for furher ideas

With normal development (time that shows film datasheet with D-76), by ISO speed definition, areas that are 3.3 stops underexposed are in the toe.

Just take a SLR like Nikon F80 using a 50mm prime, use spot meter mode. What is underexposed 3 stops is in the toe:




At left of Point (4) you have the toe, for an scene point to be in the point 4 is has to he underexposed exactly 3.3 stops (if normal "developer", usually D-76 is taken as the reference).


Particular film toe length, your metering, developing and shutter accuracy may make a difference, so here you have a suggestion:

With an SLR ( F80... ) use same film than you are to use with LF camera. Make test shots of a significative test escene, and make a bracketing:select shadow interesting areas and underexpose these areas (see it with F80 spot meter) -1.5, -2, -2.5, -3 and -3.5, for example, then you'll have an start point. For different film/process you may need to adjust the underexposure level of shadow areas.

From that I recommend you a deep reading of Beyond The Zone System book (for example) to learn how to master practical sensitometry.


Regards


Note that a 50mm DSLR prime has mostly the same light loss than a LF lens, also consider bellows extension exposure compensation to compare SLR to LF exposure.

Note that from point (5) to point (4) you have 10x less light, so 3.3 stops. Point 5 is the right exposure point for a conventional photometer, this is it would read +/-0 in the F80 spot photometer, the right exposure...

[Jac@stafford.net]

I do recall one LF photographer who over-exposed and over-developed for a similar effect. That's shooting on the top right slope. I'm not brave enough to try it.

And I'm missing POP paper! Haven't seen any for decades.

[esearing]

Flash the paper to "dull" the highlights and use split grade to control the shadows.