Hi all, a quick release from work.

I'm focusing my photographic energies a lot lately on trying to achieve two extremes: dark subjects/skintones with very simple white backgrounds; and (the point of the question) very light images (Zone VII-X) with 'li'l punches' of Zone I-III (very li'l--I am trying to get I'd guess 85-90% of the image within the highest registers, and the rest very dark; with as little in between as possible); but with full detail in the highs.

As some of you know, I shoot Tech Pan and develop it in PMK. TP has extra red sensitivity, and I've been trying to augmenting this with even further sensitivity (2-3 stops) to all warm hues of the spectrum, from red to yellow. I've been playing with a red filter, but it is not working: the problem is in the hair, which with blone hair (my main haircolour for these shots), I end up with either dark hair or, if filtration is applied when printing, very contrasty hair, which just won't do.

Any filter suggestions, on the lens? Thanks all...

shawn

-- shawnie baby (seeinsideforever@yahoo.com), May 05, 2000

Answers

addendum: I should have noted that I basically want the small slivers of shadow I'm getting to be dark, nothing else dark, if possible (seen Roversi's Philosophie stuff?--kinda sorta something a little like that)

...what would happen if I put a red filter AND a yellow filter?-- would I just end up with an orange filter? or would reds and yellows (blondes) be lightened?

-- shawn (seeinsideforever@yahoo.com), May 05, 2000.

It sounds like the things you want to do could best be accomplished digitally. On the subject of skin tones, take a look at the following pictures. I took an RGB picture and made greyscales of each color (the same as filtering out the other two). What you probably need to do is use a combination of channels along with careful masking and control over the curves, contrast, etc. (Don't forget to take out any spaces in these urls; there is often one in the middle somewhere.)

Color: http://www.visto.com/?club=/visto/groups/fashion.jkantor&service=filep hoto&method=view&tx=n1y&filename=photo/Test+Shots/RGB.jpg

Green Channel: http://www.visto.com/?club=/visto/groups/fashion.jkantor&service=filep hoto&method=view&tx=n1y&filename=photo/Test+Shots/Green+Channel.jpg

Blue Channel: http://www.visto.com/?club=/visto/groups/fashion.jkantor&service=filep hoto&method=view&tx=n1y&filename=photo/Test+Shots/Blue+Channel.jpg

-- John Kantor (jkantor@mindspring.com), May 05, 2000.

Your first paragraph sounds like the perfect job for a lith print. Tim Rudman's book (I forget the title) is universally recommeneded.

Your second paragraph is a different problem, and probably best handled in the digital realm, but one option would be one of those rare-earth 'colour enhancing' filters which brightens all saturated colours, but particularly reds and yellows.

-- Struan Gray (struan.gray@sljus.lu.se), May 06, 2000.

yeah...i finally figured out how to get to your images John (2 spaces). I like them a lot; i'll have to comment later, though. This has been some good advice. I'm gonna start, i think, with the colour enhancing thingies.

ps i'm almost up again, i can't wait. just gotta get a modem...and a mansion and a yacht...or wait...oops, im not sleeping...

-- shawn (seeinsideforever@yahoo.com), May 08, 2000.