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Flashing… by Steve Sherman Can print Flashing be used to increase contrast? The traditionally expected response would be, “you’ve got that backwards”!! Not so fast, please read on. Bullet points seek to clarify and avoid confusion between traditional Flashing techniques for increased highlight detail versus Flashing for greater Mid-Tone contrast that this article speaks to.
Flashing is a technique used by generations of Silver printers as a means to reduce highlight contrast in a silver print. The definition of flashing is allowing a “measured amount of non-imaging forming light” to hit Silver Gelatin paper BEFORE the paper is developed. Flashing brings silver paper right up to its threshold without causing any tonality by itself. It takes much less projected light through the negative to create a grey tone. The traditional flashing technique using white light slightly reduces overall contrast. However, the light source can be targeted towards a general area; increased highlight tonality easily offsets any downside.
Steps for accurate, repeatable Flashing time with colored gels:
There are a few absolutes I follow in my Split-Contrast printing methods; these will prove helpful in understanding my terminology.
Multi-Contrast papers (MC) have significantly changed the silver printing process. The idea of printing small and unique areas to a specific contrast on a single sheet of Silver Gelatin paper is pure genius, both from a manufacturing standpoint as well as the power and flexibility afforded the serious silver printer. A brief explanation of the design of MC papers follows.
Interestingly, there are three separate and different emulsions that make up MC papers, each emulsion made from a different mixture of light sensitive Chloride, Bromide, and Iodide, each responding to Blue and Green light in varying degrees, incorporated into a single sheet of paper. One emulsion layer is heavily biased towards Green light. A second layer heavily biased towards Blue light and a final emulsion equally biased towards a normal contrast to ensure a smoother transition in the Mid-Tone areas. In theory when only Blue light is used the resulting print is very high in overall contrast, conversely when exposed to only Green light the final rendering is very low in overall contrast. After experimenting and learning how MC papers are designed and respond to Green & Blue light I was able to reason why this technique produces such a significant gain in mid-tone contrast. The densest area of the negative will produce the lightest grey tone on the print. Therefore, Green exposure targets the minimum amount of time to produce the subtlest grey tones in the print. So, Green exposure "projected through" the negative will impact to a greater degree mid-tone areas which are not as dense as the highlights. This will effectively diminish mid-tone vibrancy depending on how much green light passes through the varying mid-tone densities of the negative, easily seen in the pure Green exposure side of the “Hippies Use Side Door” photo . So, the flashing technique used in this application allows for much less “projected” Green light necessary to affect the lightest grey tones in a print. The reduction in projected Green light will in varying degrees greatly impact the mid-tone contrast in the silver print. Texture, is enhanced and in many cases actually exaggerated!! There is always the photographer who says, “what if I don’t want as much mid-tone vibrancy as you Steve”? Very simple, in the contrast formula you choose, simply use more Green exposure and less Blue exposure in printing. I use this Flashing technique in 90 % of the prints I make!! Below is the PDF that accompanies my Premium video on all the techniques I use for Split Contrast printing with MC papers. There are visual comparisons and explanations detailing Flashing for Mid-Tone Contrast. Premium videos are available here: https://gumroad.com/stevesherman It can easily be said that Green light exposure in any one of the following images could be reduced and more Blue light added to increase Mid-Tone contrast. However, the comparisons seek to illustrate that Mid-Tone contrast is heightened when Green exposure through the negative can be reduced and all other variables remain constant. There may be times when no Green exposure is used and only Green flashing to affect highlight tone, as was the case with the print that led to this discovery. A video illustrates the following prints on my YouTube channel:
Less zero-filtration Green Light necessary to affect highlight tonality results in greater Mid Tone Contrast
Flashing is defined as...“non image forming” light directed at local areas or the entire print bringing paper to its exposure threshold:
The print below received no Flashing at all:
Above print exposure f 11.2 10 seconds 0 (green) filtration ~~ 10 seconds of 5 (blue) filtration The entire Print below received GREEN Flashing @ just below the paper’s threshold:
Above print exposure f11.2 (-50%) 5 seconds 0 (green) filtration ~ (+50%)15 seconds 5 (blue) filtration
The entire Print below received BLUE Flashing @ just below paper’s threshold:
Above print exposure f11.2 (-50%) 5 seconds 0 (green) filtration ~ (+50%)15 seconds 5 (blue) filtration
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The test for Green Flashing, as seen in the adjacent
illustration, is designed to increase Mid-Tone contrast. The numbers in pencil are on the back side of the MC paper. The Grey tones on the right are the result of the green light of a Roscoe #389 filter falling on the paper
before it is developed, fixed, and dried. The appropriate Flashing time will be slightly less than the first hint of grey-tone after dry-down. Once Flashing times are established no further tests are necessary.
Multi-Contrast papers are designed to respond to
Blue and Green light, respectively producing Hard and Soft contrast tonalities in the final print. MC papers can best be illustrated by the visual example you see here where the left side of the paper
received 10 seconds of pure Blue (grade 5) exposure and the right side received 10 seconds of pure Green (grade 0) exposure. This graphic display of the contrast range in this photo by a
simple change from Blue to Green light begins to illustrate the power and potential of MC papers. These inexpensive Roscoe theater gels seen here in virtually their identical color were used to make
this illustrative photograph on Ilford Multi-Contrast paper. The exact gel numbers I use in printing are shown (Roscoe #68 Blue and #389 Green).
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