The fickle issue of highlights in carbon transfer…what Calvin Grier calls the ‘tonal threshold’. The tendency of very thin layers of gelatin not surviving the transfer process, creating a jagged transition from visible tone to paper white. I’ve spent quite some time optimizing it, and now revisit the topic with two factors worth looking into: the wavelength of the UV light used for the exposure and the thickness of the tissue.
Continue reading “Carbonized – Notes on carbon transfer highlights and tissue thickness”Tag: contrast ceiling
A ‘contrast ceiling’ of DAS carbon with continuous tone negatives
Previously, I have written about my attempts to make DAS carbon work well for continuous-tone negatives. The main challenge is highlight rendition, with flaking problems destroying delicate highlights. After testing many factors, I think the only conclusion left is that there is a limit to what DAS can do. Moreover, this limit is different (and more, well, limiting) than with dichromate carbon transfer.
Continue reading “A ‘contrast ceiling’ of DAS carbon with continuous tone negatives”