Tag: forums

Masking: What Covers What

Posted on Posted in dye transfer, labnotes, overnight notes, PrintsTagged

If at first steps you hesitate, will you ever make the journey? Making color prints is easy, but not trivial. It can be used simply or taken to extreme complexity. This is by design.

Masks are made to alter the color response. Usually they are made to correct for deficiency of colorants used in the practical printing. What was once a labor intensive procedure was made simpler, more automatic over several decades. By the 1950s theory and practice had become teachable in trade-schools to people never intending to go to college to learn linear algebra so they could make color prints.

Alexander Murray, of Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories, co-developer of the Murray-Davies equation was the early pioneer. His goal “eliminate retouching by the masking process” with as few masks as possible. “

Photo-trichromatic printing, in theory and practice by Zander, C. G., author

was an early text about ink on paper. It is a small booklet written by an ink maker and it should be read by everyone new to printing; the coverage of the first solutions to the common problems that remain today will highlight how far we have come.

Some references keyed to printing; the CMYK model.

Austin AC. Photo-Lithography: Suggestions for the Lithographers Which Should Prove Beneficial to the Trade. The National Lithographer. 1923;30(11):25-26.
Albert E. Photographisches Farbendruck-Verhahren. Published online 1899
Albert E. Photographisches Mehrfarbendruckverfahren. Published online 1900.
Bassist E. Retouching for Offset Lithography in Colors. Inland Printer. 1925;74:756.
Bultz SW. New Method of Copying Paintings: To the Editor of the Photographic Journal. Journal of the Photographic Society of London. 1856;3(40):15
Gamble W. The Future of Letterpress Printing. Inland Printer. 1925;74:757
Horgan SH. Process Engraving: A Three-Color Pessimist. Inland Printer. 1922;69:239.
Horgan SH. Offset Printing: Offset Printing’s Future. Inland Printer. 1922;69:368.
Horgan SH. Notes on Offset Printing: Color Correction on Offset Plates. Inland Printer. 1922;69:872
Mertle JS, Monsen GL. Photomechanics and Printing; Practical Information on Platemaking and Presswork by Recognized Procedures. Mertle Publishing Co. ; 1957.	
Murray A. The Masking Method of Color Correction Applied to Three- and Four-Color Reproduction. The Photo-Engravers Bulletin. Published online January 1934:13-21.
Yule JAC. The Theory of Subtractive Color Photography I. The Conditions for Perfect Color Rendering. Journal of the Optical Society of America. 1938;28:419-430
Yule JAC, Field GG. Principles of Color Reproduction. 2nd ed. GATFPress; 2001.
Field JAC. Color and Its Reproduction. 2nd ed. GATFPress; 1999.
An Improvement Process: Photo-Lithography in Color by an Ideal Method with Accurate Tonal Values. The National Lithographer. 1923;39:44. Accessed November 26, 2020. https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/ZTAyAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

Exchanging Opinion

Posted on Posted in M&Ms, visual mindTagged

If a group is limited, for whatever means, to primarily technical matters, and topics, is their aesthetic growth also limited?
When a gathering is hosted and by definition the topic is “X film,” does this reduced variety of ideas also reduce the variety of images and image understanding?
Of course these are rhetorical questions (in the netdom they are trolls) that are meant to elicit discussion, not vitriole, but vigor seems okay, or it did at one time, and does still in some circumstances.

Most of the net forum posters self censor to survive. This means that they issue tiaras to one another out of fear of trolling, or feeding the troll. Large forums are primarily craft, and technique focused. Unfortunately they even limit the level of problem addressed under this heading. Words can’t demonstrate mechanical, skill. How many times can you tell someone how to load a film holder or reel, or advise on cleaning a sensor, before you realize the reader of your post will never acquire the experience to do the thing they are interested in.
Many of the stays, answer the questions daily, but then for them the interaction is an answer to some need unfilled by their real world.

Artisitic growth requires intense ability to self examine, that doesn’t come from online power gatherings. Test this concept:

those with the most posts in any forum, have the least offline growth. Their aesthetic growth is flat, at best.

Your own development will be increased by limiting your technical exchanges. Get past the need to gossip with the crafty ladies of the camera club. Workout why you image what and why you do, rather than how or with what someone else does theirs.