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Images From Contrast
Masking Workshop Participants
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Anthony
Beckesh
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Final Print (after masking) |
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First print made years ago |
Oak Tree. Copyright © Anthony Beckesh. All rights reserved. The reason I hadn't printed this image for so long was I didn't like the direction it had to go to show off the white, sunlit branches. I felt I needed a very dark background in order for the branches to stand out. Unfortunately the tree trunk begins to blend in with the background and my early print looks too harsh. It is just a dark, boring photograph. Now, after masking, everytime I look at a print of this image I think "Wow!". Not only do the white branches stand out but the tree trunk does also. This is a good image to point out just how much control masking gives me. Now there are several ways to look at an image to bring out the subject matter. I feel I am no longer stuck with my original intent when I have this much control. - Anthony Beckesh e-mail |
| We worked on Tony's image at the June, 2005 workshop. We decided to make the basic print lighter and softer than Tony's original attempts. Then we followed up by making and using a Highlight Mask, which brightened the sunlit branches just beautifully. We then used a SCIM mask exposure to deepen only the tree trunk and tree branches, keying the image with a good, crisp yet detailed black. We made a Fog Mask and used that to diminish the small boulder near the bottom of the image in the dark area. We also used the Fog Mask to gently darken and lower the local contrast in the bright sunlit ground in the lower right of the image to the point where a good tonal balance was achieved. The result was remarkable. The final print had a very delicate and luminous quality. Lynn Radeka |
