Selective bleaching is a technique that uses a very dilute solution of Potassium Ferricyanide, which is brushed on specific areas of a print to lighten the tone and increase contrast. It must be done very judiciously and anyone practicing this technique must be prepared to ruin a few prints. But, with a little patience and practice, bleaching is a powerful tool in the darkroom. Selective bleaching can open up an entirely new avenue of expression. Here is an example from a recent printing session.
First, here is the subject; a blind cave between two large sandstone fins in Arches National Park.
Next, the printing session; the negative printed quite easily, without any manipulation. It is quite interesting, but lacked depth and was somewhat depressed, especially at the bottom. Also the wood and cracked mud needed to be lighter to draw the eye and enhance the feeling of depth. Here is a side by side comparison of two prints, one before, the other after selective bleaching. . . (this is a quick snapshot of the wet prints on the viewing stand before toning)
Finally, the finished print; we selenium tone every print we make, not only for permanence, but for the slight tonal shift and deepening of the contrast of the image. Here is the finished dry print. Note the change in color and contrast after selenium toning.
I will not get into the technique employed, since selective bleaching is deceptively simple and is beyond the scope of this short article to adequately explain. As I said before, be prepared to ruin a few prints. This is another tool you can add to your arsenal of darkroom techniques. . . remember, it is always about the finished print.
JB
I have always been an advocate of vertical integration. The more you can do yourself, the better control you have of the outcome. For many years I used prepackaged photo chemicals and have never had a problem. But, as the traditional darkroom and the materials used become more and more an alternative process, commercially available photo chemicals are getting harder to find. Some favorite chemicals have vanished. An old favorite, the Zone VI line of print developer, fixer and hypo are now gone from Calumet. I recently witnessed 8 bags of print developer and 2 bags of print and film fixer selling for $127.50 on eBay. That is well over double the original cost from Calumet.
As I said before, for me, mixing photo chemicals is nothing less than following a recipe.
I use distilled water for all stock solutions. I always use distilled water for stock solutions and processing film. Unless your tap water has known problems, it should be fine for mixing printing chemicals.
In the last entry I talked about making film notes in the field. That is the first step in the process of record keeping. I didn’t mention the last step which is negative storage. Each negative is marked on one edge with a unique number, then inserted into a clear sleeve then into an archival envelope. Each envelope has the negative number written on the upper edge. The envelopes are then placed into archival boxes, which are labeled with the contents. Also, the smaller film is proofed on our standard paper. These proof sheets are punched, and filed in binders. That pretty much sums up the negative end of the process.
we use to record the process. We make our own print planner sheets using the computer to document every step in the darkroom. Our print planner sheets have spaces to record all pertinent information for the creation of a finished print. It includes the negative number and date, along with the print date, printing paper, developer, enlarger settings and such. The print planner sheet also has a series of boxes to record exposure manipulations. . . burning and dodging. That way if we ever need to go back and reprint, we have a record of exactly how we made the first prints. These sheets are filed in a three ring binder and labeled for future reference if needed.
We also keep a computer database which contains our catalog of available photographs. This database contains all of the information from the film and printing notes. The master catalog database also contains information on the number of prints available, price, and exhibition information.
We have been on a quest for that little something extra in the photographic print. There are great prints, then there are prints that have that magical something. Printing comprises a great deal of the quality of the finished print, but you have to have the information on the negative before you can make the print. We have used Pyro film developers for some time now, and every time we find a new formula we do a little film testing and then eagerly head to the field to see what we have.