Totally different grades for different parts of picture...?

[Patrik Roseen]

I asked in another thread about the photographs of Fay Godwin and how they might be done...the question is still open for anyone who might be able to answer.

However, in examining some of the photo's in Land, it struck me that maybe she used multigrade paper and that she is using totally different grades for different parts of the photo. And it's not about making highlights burn in or shadows have detail...it's more about creating an effect as a whole.
For example, imagine a landscape picture stretching over hillsides with trees and bushes, stones and grass. Then make one single hillside very contrasty, the grass will be very bright and the few trees will be totally black by filter 5, then make the rest of the picture low contrast with filter 1 or so, it will make this hillside shine so strong as if the light came from within...

You might say, well isn't that the idea of splitfiltering, but I always thought that was about combining several filters for the total picture...

Long post short question - do you use this technique yourself, any examples?

[robc]

I asked in another thread about the photographs of Fay Godwin and how they might be done...the question is still open for anyone who might be able to answer.

However, in examining some of the photo's in Land, it struck me that maybe she used multigrade paper and that she is using totally different grades for different parts of the photo. And it's not about making highlights burn in or shadows have detail...it's more about creating an effect as a whole.
For example, imagine a landscape picture stretching over hillsides with trees and bushes, stones and grass. Then make one single hillside very contrasty, the grass will be very bright and the few trees will be totally black by filter 5, then make the rest of the picture low contrast with filter 1 or so, it will make this hillside shine so strong as if the light came from within...

You might say, well isn't that the idea of splitfiltering, but I always thought that was about combining several filters for the total picture...

Long post short question - do you use this technique yourself, any examples?

reproductions in books are notoriuos for changing the look of an image. I wouldn't base any assumptions on how a print was made from looking at a reproduction.

Having said that, using dfferent contrast settings for different parts of a print is THE major reason for using VC paper. If it wasn't for that ability, then using graded papers would be a better option since it is simpler to use and usually tones much better but there are always exceptions.

[Patrik Roseen]

Thanks Robc, I feel very stupid now, probably making it even worse by posting this post :-(

Up to now my own use of multigrade filters has been to efficiently overcome problems with my negative like a too large range of contrast etc, and to use the same paper for different characteristics of negatives.

It's just that I so far have not really seen many photographs include this very dramatic effect. For me this is very inspiring...even though as you say it could be a 'misprint' in the book.

Hmmm, how does the saying go...there are no stupid questions just stupid people, or? ;-)

[Donald Qualls]

I've used split dodging a couple times -- opening up a deep shadow, generally, by dodging it only in the blue exposure (I split filter everything, lets me pick contrast off a test sheet just like picking exposure) -- but I haven't used it for manipulations of the sort you describe. Don't recall that I have any negatives that lend themselves to that, though I haven't actually looked, because that kind of manipulation is well outside my working habits.

[Brian Ellis]

"However, in examining some of the photo's in Land, it struck me that maybe she used multigrade paper and that she is using totally different grades for different parts of the photo."

That's a very common technique, whether it's what she did or not I don't know but there's certainly nothing unusual about doing that. In fact the ability to do that is THE big advantage of using VC paper, not the more usually cited reasons like cutting down on the amount of paper you have to buy. In my darkroom days I made very few prints with everything at the same contrast (which was why I liked my VCL4500 head so much, it made it so easy to use different filter settings for different parts of the print).

You can also use this technique to assist in burning otherwise difficult areas. For example, if you want to burn a complex bright area that's adjacent to a dark area you can use a very low contrast setting to burn the light area and it will have little if any effect on the dark area. Or vice versa - if you want to burn a dark area next to a light area use a high contrast setting to burn the dark area and it will have little effect on the light area. Complicated burns become much more feasible using this technique.

[GSX4]

For the book land, most paper used was Agfa Record Rapid GRADED paper. Fay used a lot of pre and post flashing techniques on her prints. how do I know, I went to a photo class she hosted at Duckspool back in 1992. See my other post on "LAND how did she do it".