Burning basics

[George Collier]

Another way to make the mask David suggested is to print out from the scan a smaller version of the image from the PShop file. Then you have an accurate image to cut out. The size is trial and error, but at least you don't have to be able to sketch. For opacity, you can mount the output print to black construction paper or black plastic (like the paper comes in) before cutting out. You can feather the edge below the horse's neck with cuts similar to the hair itself. Plan to spend a while trying things, it's the process of experience.
Good luck!

[eddie]

I think you should try traditional burning. You're going to have to get proficient at it sometime, right?

Use some cheap paper to practice. Do a test strip of the triangular area under the neck, to get your black time. Subtract that from the exposure for the horse. Let's say your horse exposure is 30 seconds, and your exposure for the background is 90 seconds. Your burn exposure will be 60 seconds. I would do 3 burns- the area under the neck, the triangle in the lower left corner, and the triangle in the upper left area. Hit them each with 60 second exposures, while dodging the horse. After they've received their exposures, do an overall 30 second exposure.

[Sirius Glass]

I like the original much better.

Steve

[Bob Carnie]

Ok this is a tough one as you are trying to turn areas to black without affecting the horses body. Careful placement of a registered mask would work as a second exposure but if you want to do it without registration work here is a good starting point.

Start out by making a full size rc print and dry it ..
Mount or tape it to a very thin black card ,, so black is down and horse is up.
Cut the horse out of the image and use it basically as a burning in card, by moving the card up and down very close to the easal you can burn the edges to black and hopefully if you are careful enough not affect the horse itself.

you may have to dodge the edges of the horse during the initial exposure and play around with your blending technique until you get it right but after a bit of practice this should be a piece of cake.

I would like to become proficient at burning in the darkroom however the basics of the technique are foreign to me. Could anyone here give some information or links to tutorials and any general tips.

My main goal would be to turn this original (scanned) negative



Into a print like this (burned in photoshop)



So I would be burnig the background to Zone I or 0. Is this too far fetched? My main concern with burning like this is avoiding a halo around the subject and I have no idea how I could do this. For the initial tests I will be using Multigrade IV RC. I might try it later with FB paper if successful..

(I just realized that this is the wrong section. Could a Mod please move the thread. Thankyou.)

[jd callow]

I don't see how you will burn in the background below the jaw.

[domaz]

Sorry- but another vote for the digital negative. It may seem like a silly approach using an inkjet to make a negative but the results can actually be very good.

[Sirius Glass]

Sorry- but another vote for the digital negative. It may seem like a silly approach using an inkjet to make a negative but the results can actually be very good.

Or the next time you want a black background, move the f----g horse!

Steve

[michaelbsc]

Or the next time you want a black background, move the horse!

Steve

No way. If you have the model available again, great. But sometime you just gotta work with what you have, and this is what the OP has. I've been working on a few pictures of dead relatives for years. What am I going to do? Dig them up and make them sit for me again. Some of them were dead before I was born.

Is this going to be easy? No.

Is he going to learn a whole boatload? Yes.

Can *I* do it? No?

Should he buy a box of the cheapest paper he can find to learn the technique? Probably.

Can *HE* do it? That depends on how much he wants it. I would start with Bob's suggestion, and then if he wants more than he can get with just a cutout tool start reading everything in the world about registration masks. I can't help him with that, but there's a lot of folks here who would be happy to help him with it.

Krzys, go for it. Master printers are the guys willing to fill up the whole trashcan to get it right. Not guys with a magic wand who don't make mistakes and always do it right the first time.

Who was it around here a few days ago that said "I can't not do this." I see no shame in that.

Michael

[Bob Carnie]

I know I can do this under the enlarger, actually had to do a whole show of grade 5 prints using cut outs.. Was the hardest show I ever printed and wasted a lot of paper , but I charged for it and learned a lot.
the trick will be if one can make the transition from black wall to horse detail without a lot of obvious burn .


***secret decoder tip***
a small pinpoint flasher do hickey above the burning card will go a long way in this situation , possibly a second set of hands in the darkroom, could turn into fun if you know what I mean**manray**
I had a lot of fun experimenting like this in the past and worth the effort.

I don't see how you will burn in the background below the jaw.

[Krzys]

Let me sort out the situation. The horse was in an enclosure at a medieval festival. This was the absolute best possible shot I could get with a 50mm. The photo isn't very important to me. I just thought it would be a neat goal to drive right into burning and see some very vivid results. I will try what you said eddie. Thanks everyone else.