Barry Idmess Darkroom Equipment

Black And White Darkroom

Photography’s Digital Possibilities - Three Things to Get You Started

 

With the introduction of digital photography and image editing software, a floodgate of new possibilities have opened up for creative photographers. Today, photographers who aren’t using image editing software are simply limiting their creative possibilities and missing out on a wealth of option to get ahead in the highly competitive marketplace. Using software for image enhancement is as important as using a good camera and lens. One of the many excellent image editing programs is Adobe’s Photoshop. That’s the program I’m using and it’s the basis of this tutorial. Similar functions can be found in most other image editing programs.

Photoshop have become the modern day darkroom -- but without the chemicals and long waiting times associated with the classical darkrooms. You can choose to do small image enhancements or to apply special effects that will alter the image completely, all in a matter of seconds. It is up to you how much you want to change, but being a photojournalist and documentary photographer myself, I feel it’s my duty to remain true to my photographic subjects. So what I mostly do is the small, but powerful enhancements with the methods mentioned here. For the beginner I’ll advice to use these effects sparingly. Don’t overdo it. Often, less is more. And always use a copy of the original camera file to work on. If you later regret your changes, it’s not always possible to undo them, so always keep your original photo separate.

With that out of the way, here’s the three Photoshop tools I use all the time:

Curves (On main menu, select Image > Adjustments > Curves)

Sets the contrast and tonal range of your image. While there are other, easier options for changing the contrast, this one is by far the most powerful option. It can be a little tricky to get the hang of in the beginning, but it’s worth the effort learning. Simply click anywhere on the curve and drag it up or down. You can set almost as many points as you like, but usually 1 to 3 points is enough. What it does is it makes the dark, midtones and highlights either darker or lighter. Usually you’ll want to make sure that the darkest part of your image is black and the lightest parts are white. This will make your image ‘pop out’ and appear ‘strong’, sharp and rich in colour. It is also useful for enhancing the tonal details. The more steep you make the curve, the richer details you’ll get. If your photo already fills out the tonal range from black to white, it’s not possible to enhance, say, the shadow details without pushing the lighter areas into complete white. This is typical for a photo taken in mid-day sunshine with harsh shadows. But if you have a more tonal flat photo, where there’s not big difference between the darkest and lightest areas, typical for the kind of photo you take on an overcast or even misty day, you can produce great tonal details across the photo.

Unsharpen Mask (On main menu, select Filter > Sharpen > Unsharpen Mask)

This simple little tool with the confusing name is a must for digital photography. It’s used to make the image appear sharp in the final process of your editing. It’s not a magic tool to make fuzzy pictures sharper than ever, just to give that final touch of sharpness. Some camera’s apply an unsharpen mask to the pictures automatically, before they leave the camera. This makes it easy, but for the best image quality try and turn it off on your camera, instead sharpening manually in Photoshop. Only use it in the very end of your editing process, especially after you have resized your image for putting it online or printing it out. There’s 3 settings in this tool, typically you’d want to use a Radius of 0.5 to 1 pixel, an Amount of 50 to 100% and a Threshold of 0. Use it as little as needed, since it has a side effect of adding a bit of noise to your image.

Saturation (On main menu, select Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation)

With the saturation slider, you can change the strength of your colours. A simple way to turn a colour photo into a black-and-white photo is to set the saturation to zero. There’s other and better ways to do that, that I will expand on in another article. To enhance the colour, bump it up to 120% or so. Again, don’t overdo it. Sometimes, more subdued colours can give a really nice, moody look to your photos. One of my favourite small tricks: Try combining de-saturated colours, say -70%, with an extremely strong contrast (set with curves). It gives a really nice, slightly metallic look. Try it out! In Photoshop, it’s most easily done with adjustment layers, since you can fine-tune your adjustments again and again until you have exactly the effect you want.

About the Author

The author, Morten Svenningsen, is an award-winning Danish photographer and journalist based in Asia. Visit his web site www.mortensvenningsen.com to see examples of his work. It's now even possible to order his photos as fine art prints and posters!

Darkroom $19.95 Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White is an arresting and moving personal story about childhood, race, and identity in the American South, rendered in stunning illustrations by the author, Lila Quintero Weaver.   In 1961, when Lila was five, she and her family emigrated from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Marion, Alabama, in the heart of Alabama’s Black Belt. As educated, middle-class Latino immigrants in a region that was defined by segregation, the Quinteros occupied a privileged vantage from which to view the racially charged culture they inhabited. Weaver and her family were firsthand witnesses to key moments in the civil rights movement.  But Darkroom is her personal story as well: chronicling what it was like being a Latina girl in the Jim Crow South, struggling to understand both a foreign country and the horrors of our nation’s race relations. Weaver, who was neither black nor white, observed very early on the inequalities in the American culture, with its blonde and blue-eyed feminine ideal. Throughout her life, Lila has struggled to find her place in this society and fought against the discrimination around her.

The Darkroom Cookbook $39.95 The art of darkroom developing and printing will never go out of style. Master darkroom specialist Steve Anchell is back to prove it in this long-awaited third edition of his enormously successful Darkroom Cookbook. Packed with over 200 "recipes," some common and others rare gems, you'll discover something new every time you open this guide, whether you're new to the darkroom or have been making your own prints for years. In addition to the formulas, you'll find tons of useful information on developers, push-processing, where to get darkroom equipment, how to set up your own darkroom, how to work and play in your darkroom safely, and much more. This handy guide will become a constant companion for every darkroom enthusiast creating prints at home or in the studio. In addition to complete updates throughout to reflect changes in the availability of chemicals and equipment, this third edition contains all new information on: *Reversal processing *Enlarged negatives *Pyro formulas *Plus expanded sections on printing, pyro, and toning prints Also included for the first time are special technique contributions as well as stunning black and white imagery by Bruce Barnbaum, Rod Dresser, Jay Dusard, Patrick Gainer, Richard Garrod, Henry Gilpin, Gordon Hutchings, Sandy King, Les McLean, Sa?d Nuseibeh, France Scully Osterman, Mark Osterman, Tim Rudman, Ryuijie, John Sexton, and John Wimberly. Be sure to visit www.darkroomcookbook.com to find useful links, an interactive user forum, and more! Steve Anchell is a photographer and author of The Variable Contrast Printing Manual, and co-author of The Film Developing Cookbook. He has been teaching darkroom and photography workshops since 1979. Steve is a member of the Freestyle Advisory Board of Photographic Professionals. "With its unrivalled collection of photographic formulae and easy to understand explanations of photographic processes, The Darkroom Cookbook has long been a favorite with darkroom workers everywhere. Now, with further additions to its formulary, more topics, and contributions by renowned darkroom experts, this new edition promises to be an indispensable Aladdin's Cave resource to darkroom enthusiasts of all levels." -Tim Rudman, photographer and author "The Darkroom Cookbook is an essential compendium of photographic information for anyone interested in high-quality darkroom work." -John Sexton, photographer *Packed with rare techniques for silver-based processing clearly explained by a darkroom master so you can create your own stunning prints at home or in the studio *Contains over 200 formulas - follow along step-by-step, or experiment with your own variations to develop new recipes! *Includes a brand-new chapter on analog variable contrast printing *Visit the new supplemental website to find useful links and an interactive user forum

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Darkroom : A Memoir in Black and White $18.63 No Synopsis Available

The Creative Digital Darkroom $39.99 This tutorial takes photographers beyond the quick tips and gimmicky effects of many digital photography books. Author Katrin Eismann -- an internationally acclaimed artist, bestselling author, and gifted educator -- offers high-profile work, including her own, as examples for teaching photographers how to use the digital medium to create, edit, and output images that reflect their true vision. Co-authored by photographer and teacher Sean Duggan, The Creative Digital Darkroom translates skills, concepts, and nomenclature of the traditional darkroom into digital solutions for photographers who sense that, despite the newness of the technologies at hand, there remains a timeless method for learning and practicing photography the right way. This is not a Photoshop book per se, but it does focus on the photographic aspects of Photoshop, something other books claim to do but rarely have the discipline to accomplish. The Creative Digital Darkroom includes: Four sections that cover the black & white darkroom, the color darkroom, creative techniques, and production essentials Chapters that begin with a thorough foundation followed by numerous tutorial examples that apply the theory to real-world examples Examples and a layout that enables readers to find, understand, and apply the featured techniques quickly and easily The authors are both renowned photographers and Photoshop experts Clearly, The Creative Digital Darkroom is not your typical digital photography "how to" book. It's ideal for intermediate and advanced photographers, artists, and educators looking for clear, concise, insightful, and inspiring information and techniques on how to make their photographs shine. The language, and techniques will immediately appeal to serious students and professionals, and the original tutorial images and high-profile work will make the book an important visual resource for educators and art appreciators.

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Elements of Black and White Printing $50.95 Whether you are a novice or an expert in the darkroom, the second edition of The Elements of Black-and-White Printing will give you the tools necessary to control your print making. You will learn the proper techniques for exposing a print, how to choose the correct paper contrast, and ways to find the best combination of paper and developer for your images. In addition to explaining the procedures, this unique book contains exercises that help you calibrate these procedures with your own equipment with the materials you prefer. Photographers will find this book an essential resource in the darkroom. Elements of Black-and-White Printing will help you learn how to choose the right exposure and contrast for your negative; select papers, developers, and toners that complement each other; print negatives with extreme contrast ranges; salvage seemingly hopeless negatives and prints; print, develop, and store negatives and prints for maximun life; display your photographs in a way that enhances their message; properly align your enlarger; and more. New material on darkroom safety and working with chemicals Addresses practical concerns of photographers who are using complex mixtures Safe disposal methods for darkroom chemicals and wastes

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Mastering Digital Black and White $39.99 The very nature of black and white photography places a premium on creative interpretation of the image. Advances in digital technology have expanded both the precision of imaging techniques and the interpretive possibilities for black and white imagery. Never before has such a wide array of tools been available to photographers who have a passion for black and white. Mastering Digital Black and White is written for these photographers. It serves not only as a comprehensive guide for creating black and white images and prints, but also examines the role of artistic craft in the imaging process. Learn how to employ your digital tools as extensions of your photographic vision. Read in-depth interviews with, and view images from, five accomplished photographers as they discuss their process and inspirations. Prepare to indulge your passion for gallery-quality black-and-white images in the digital darkroom. Additional supporting content for this book and a discussion forum for photographers and printmakers with a passion for black and white can be accessed at: www.masteringdigitalbwbook.com

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The Art of Black and White Developing $50.15 35 years in the making and constantly kept up to date with the latest and very best techniques, this book will allow you to discover the true art of black and white developing. Discover techniques that will polish your skills in the darkroom. Use this book with all black and white 35mm, medium format and large format photography and attain the ultimate potential of your film and papers. This unique and practical book is the result of over 35 years of darkroom work and has become a trusted guide and inspiration for many photographers across the world. In these pages John will show you innovative, practical as well as advanced ways to really improve your development work with films and paper and produce consistent and beautiful photographs every time. Using the very latest developers, from FX55 to 510Pyro. From PMK to Pyrocat, this book is a must have for any photographer. Author: Finch, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 262 Publication Date: 2009/06/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.59 inches

Darkroom (Paperback) $33.51 In the aftermath of her mother`s suicide, one young woman recognizes the malleability of her reality. From her adolescence in the flat, hot Floridian landscape to a tectonic Missouri adulthood, a girl shaped by grief is compelled to create and manipulate her image of the world. As her dreams become indistinguishable from daily life, she begins to question memory, identity, and the function of love. Employing photography as its central metaphor, Darkroom tackles the tangled relationship between memory and mourning by exploring an artist`s impossible attempt to re-create the object of loss.

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The New Darkroom Handbook $52.95 The Darkroom Handbook, Second Edition, is a completely revised and updated version of a classic guide to the best design, construction, and equipment to use when setting up a darkroom. This book features ideas and money-saving tips on how to put a darkroom almost anywhere in your home or apartment. It takes you inside darkrooms of photographers around the world including those of famous photographers such as, Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind, Berenice Abbott, and W. Eugene Smith. In addition, it contains detailed do-it-yourself plans for the most essential darkroom components, cutouts and design grids to plan that "dream" darkroom, and special sections on the color darkroom and the digital darkroom. The most comprehensive book on the darkroom. A step-by-step guide to help anyone plan and build a photo lab. Illustrated with an abundance of photos and sketches.

Advanced Digital Black & White Photography (Paperback) $32.35 Digital photographers can now attain the enduring beauty of black-and-white photography in their own work! There’s more to monochrome than just discarding the color in Photoshop, but many books simply treat it as an afterthought. Not this one! John Beardsworth teaches every major method of making a color picture black and white, and explains what kind of images are best, and why. Both ambitious newcomers and advanced enthusiasts will learn how to achieve the richest tonal depth and balance, use black and white to interpret the subject for the viewer, reproduce historic and darkroom processes, add creative and special effects, and produce exhibition-quality prints.

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Black & White Photography Techniques with Adobe Photoshop $27.95 Fine art quality, black-and-white prints are within every photographer's reach with the techniques illustrated in this digital image editing guide. Taking advantage of the control and reproducibility that the digital darkroom offers, this handbook teaches photographers how to fine-tune images with contrast and exposure levels, crop and rotate images for dynamic results, and remove flaws such as dust and scratches long after the photograph has been taken. Instruction on techniques that simulate traditional hand coloring and tinting and add special effects such as frames, infrared, and lighting and lens effects helps photographers realize their artistic vision. Screen shots and images guide readers through the presented techniques, allowing photographers to gauge their own results and anticipate the effects of the outlined corrections and enhancements on their own images. A gallery of the author's work provides inspiration for simulating—and improving upon—the chemical-based darkroom experience.

Mastering Digital Black and White: A Photographer's Guide to High Quality Black-and-White Imaging and Printing, 1st Edition $39.99 The very nature of black and white photography places a premium on creative interpretation of the image. Advances in digital technology have expanded both the precision of imaging techniques and the interpretive possibilities for black and white imagery. Never before has such a wide array of tools been available to photographers who have a passion for black and white. Mastering Digital Black and White is written for these photographers. It serves not only as a comprehensive guide for creating black and white images and prints, but also examines the role of artistic craft in the imaging process. Learn how to employ your digital tools as extensions of your photographic vision. Read in-depth interviews with, and view images from, five accomplished photographers as they discuss their process and inspirations. Prepare to indulge your passion for gallery-quality black-and-white images in the digital darkroom. Additional supporting content for this book and a discussion forum for photographers and printmakers with a passion for black and white can be accessed at: www.masteringdigitalbwbook.com