How create dark, rich, saturated colors with good contrast

Folks,
There's a ton of color photography these days where the overall look is dark
and rich, yet with saturated colors and good contrast. A good example is
the work Annie Leibovitz does especially the Feb cover of Vanity Fair
magazine. Can anyone explain what the effect is and how to create it ?

Thanks as always for your generous assistance !

LawrenceT wrote:
Folks,
There's a ton of color photography these days where the overall look
is dark and rich, yet with saturated colors and good contrast. A
good example is the work Annie Leibovitz does especially the Feb
cover of Vanity Fair magazine. Can anyone explain what the effect is
and how to create it ?

Haven't seen it but generally a bit of under exposure (transparencies)
increases saturation. Printing down a negative does the same.

Contrast can be induced/controlled when lighting. Processing can also
bump/decrease contrast may also result in color shift.

Read up on "low key".

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

LawrenceT wrote:
Folks,
There's a ton of color photography these days where the overall look
is dark and rich, yet with saturated colors and good contrast. A
good example is the work Annie Leibovitz does especially the Feb
cover of Vanity Fair magazine. Can anyone explain what the effect is
and how to create it ?

Haven't seen it but generally a bit of under exposure (transparencies)
increases saturation. Printing down a negative does the same.

Contrast can be induced/controlled when lighting. Processing can also
bump/decrease contrast may also result in color shift.

Read up on "low key".

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Dumb question - what does "printing down" a negative mean?

--
Doug Greenwald
Keeper of the Bad Attitude



"dadiOH" wrote in message news:6_bGd.4831$IP6.2689@trnddc05...
LawrenceT wrote:
Folks,
There's a ton of color photography these days where the overall look
is dark and rich, yet with saturated colors and good contrast. A
good example is the work Annie Leibovitz does especially the Feb
cover of Vanity Fair magazine. Can anyone explain what the effect is
and how to create it ?

Haven't seen it but generally a bit of under exposure (transparencies)
increases saturation. Printing down a negative does the same.

Contrast can be induced/controlled when lighting. Processing can also
bump/decrease contrast may also result in color shift.

Read up on "low key".

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Dumb question - what does "printing down" a negative mean?

--
Doug Greenwald
Keeper of the Bad Attitude



"dadiOH" wrote in message news:6_bGd.4831$IP6.2689@trnddc05...
LawrenceT wrote:
Folks,
There's a ton of color photography these days where the overall look
is dark and rich, yet with saturated colors and good contrast. A
good example is the work Annie Leibovitz does especially the Feb
cover of Vanity Fair magazine. Can anyone explain what the effect is
and how to create it ?

Haven't seen it but generally a bit of under exposure (transparencies)
increases saturation. Printing down a negative does the same.

Contrast can be induced/controlled when lighting. Processing can also
bump/decrease contrast may also result in color shift.

Read up on "low key".

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Doug Greenwald wrote:
Dumb question - what does "printing down" a negative mean?

Print it darker than "normal".

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Doug Greenwald wrote:
Dumb question - what does "printing down" a negative mean?

Print it darker than "normal".

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Doug Greenwald wrote:
Dumb question - what does "printing down" a negative mean?

Print it darker than "normal".

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

LawrenceT wrote:

Folks,
There's a ton of color photography these days where the overall look is dark
and rich, yet with saturated colors and good contrast. A good example is
the work Annie Leibovitz does especially the Feb cover of Vanity Fair
magazine. Can anyone explain what the effect is and how to create it ?

Thanks as always for your generous assistance !


At the printing stage saturation can be increased as follows (I am quoting from
a post I made four years ago):

The technique is described in the booklet "Perfect Color Printing" from
Photo Techniques Magazine. It was stated there for the EP-2 method, but
I have successfully applied it to RA-4 chemistry.

Here are the steps:

1. Expose as normal
2. Develop in color developer as normal
3. Fix in B&W fixer for 2 minutes
4. Wash thoroughly
5. Bleach in 2.5% solution of potassium ferricyanide (w/ 7g potassium
bromide) for 2 minutes +
6. Wash thoroughly
7. Redevelop in color developer
8. Either repeat from step 4 to further increase saturation or use
bleach-fix as normal
9. Wash and dry.

The reason it works is explained by Dr. Chapman in his article "The
Photochemistry of the Anderson Method" contained in the same booklet.
There are always unused color couplers in conventional color emulsions.
Recycling the silver halides allows the activation of further color
couplers from the appropriate dye layer.


Francis A. Miniter

LawrenceT wrote:

Folks,
There's a ton of color photography these days where the overall look is dark
and rich, yet with saturated colors and good contrast. A good example is
the work Annie Leibovitz does especially the Feb cover of Vanity Fair
magazine. Can anyone explain what the effect is and how to create it ?

Thanks as always for your generous assistance !


At the printing stage saturation can be increased as follows (I am quoting from
a post I made four years ago):

The technique is described in the booklet "Perfect Color Printing" from
Photo Techniques Magazine. It was stated there for the EP-2 method, but
I have successfully applied it to RA-4 chemistry.

Here are the steps:

1. Expose as normal
2. Develop in color developer as normal
3. Fix in B&W fixer for 2 minutes
4. Wash thoroughly
5. Bleach in 2.5% solution of potassium ferricyanide (w/ 7g potassium
bromide) for 2 minutes +
6. Wash thoroughly
7. Redevelop in color developer
8. Either repeat from step 4 to further increase saturation or use
bleach-fix as normal
9. Wash and dry.

The reason it works is explained by Dr. Chapman in his article "The
Photochemistry of the Anderson Method" contained in the same booklet.
There are always unused color couplers in conventional color emulsions.
Recycling the silver halides allows the activation of further color
couplers from the appropriate dye layer.


Francis A. Miniter