How Would You Tone This Image?

[tgtaylor]

The image of the Chrysler Building on the front cover of the latest Freestyle catalogue brought this image ro mind:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5640533313_bcda0bf2a5_z.jpg

It's shown printed on Ilford MGIV RC glossy. If you were to tone this image, which toner(s) would you choose and why?

Thanks,

Thomas

[Brian C. Miller]

Chromo. (http://www.freestylephoto.biz/traditional-processes-chromoskedasic-sabatier)

I would print it as if the tree wasn't there, and it scene only contained the clouds. Print for high contrast. Then I would use the chromoskedasic process to recreate the clouds, in different development shifts.

[tgtaylor]

Thank you for the input Brian. Before your post I had never heard of the chromoskedasic method and will certainly put it on the "to do" list.I would want to preserve the delicate structures of the tree.

Looking at the work print (8.5x11) two somewhat distracting empty spots appear at the very top left of center and on the top far right. I could crop the top a little...Well this is going to be a darkroom project for a couple of sessions but I think that this negative provides a good, to borrow from AA, score and worth the time required to perfect the performance.

Thomas

[Skip Abadie]

Brian, I'd like to try the chromoskedasic technique. Does the process work better with certain types of paper? Glossy vs matte, warm vs cold tone?

[lenser]

My favorite toner that I've tried is Selenium. If you go long with it the result is a bit brownish, by used for a short bath of one to two minutes, the result is a very rich black with great detail and a still very clean white. All tones seem the separate a bit more while still maintaining all of the original detail in even the deepest tones.

[Vlad Soare]

I'd try a variable thiourea toner. I would bleach only the highlights, using a highly diluted bleach bath for more control. This would ensure that the tree will remain black after toning. Then I would use a "light" toner mixture (that is, low in hydroxide) to give the highlights a yellowish brown tint.

[matthew blais]

Looks like a good candidate for a lith print..Ilford Warmtone perhaps?

[paulr]

I'd start by asking you what you want it to look like. And why: what's it about? What do you want to emphasize? What kinds of undercurrents do you want to bring out? Is it an exercise, the beginning of something you're exploring, or part of a body of work that's already in progress?

If you don't take this kind of question into account you're in danger of just decorating.

[Vaughn]

I would first crop it to a composition I like and then toss it into some strongly brewed tea.

Vaughn

[Brian Ellis]

I'd need a reason to tone it and once I knew why I wanted to tone it I'd know what toner to use. Just looking at it on screen I don't see a reason to tone it. But if I thought there was a possibility that toning of some kind would improve it I'd convert it to rgb and play around with different combinations of tones in Photoshop just to see if I saw anything that looked like it might accomplish something.

[jp]

I'd make a cyanotype of it. It's kinda fractal looking and like a sun print of a flower/plant gone wild.

[ki6mf]

Selenium toner. I dilute mine 1:7 with 2-4 minutes in the solution. As the solution weakens your times may lengthen. You should visually inspect each print you tone as its in the tray. Constant agitation, Old clothes as the stain does not come out, well vented room, and you must ware non permeable gloves as selenium is toxic heavy metal which stays in your body if ingested!

[John Berry]

water bath at 90degrees to temper print. nelson gold toner for 1min 10-20 seconds rinse. bleach at 10% of normal dilution. 10-15 seconds. rinse. thiocarbinide working with A1 B5 ratios 1-2 min. wash. If you want you can also tritone wit selenium, but I found the differences in duo and tri are less separation of color between highlights and darks. Someone is going to tell you to go from less noble to higher with the toners. I found that by toning with gold first, it keeps the brown out. Gold tones from top down, brown and selenium from bottom up. Is this what you had in mind. not cold, not brown sky, and warm tree.