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Figure 11-10.Comparison of a number 0, 2, and 5 contrast printing filter
Figure 11-12.Cropping arms can be used to determine cropping

Photography (Basic) - Introduction to photography and other graphic techniques
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CREATIVE CONTROLS IN PRINTING Because of the many ways you can control the final appearance of the photograph, enlarging is a creative procedure. You can use printing exposure to make your prints lighter or darker, and the contrast can be altered by your choice of printing filters. You, also, have other creative   controls   available,   such   as   cropping (composition),  dodging,  printing,  or  burning  in, vignetting, diffusing, correcting image distortion, and so on. You should devote as much attention and care to printing as to making the original negative; otherwise, you do an injustice to your skill and reputation as a photographer. Figure 11-11.–Grain focuser. GRAIN FOCUSER Focusing the negative image on the enlarging paper can be difficult when the negatives are dense or have no sharply defined lines that you can see in the projected image. Focusing is easier and more consistent when you use a magnifier or grain focuser. A grain focuser magnifies the negative grain structure by 10X to 25X. This magnification allows you to focus the actual grain structure of the image. A grain focuser provides you with the sharpest focus you can get from a given negative. The projected image of the negative is reflected by the mirror of the grain focuser to the eyepiece. The distance from the mirror to the eyepiece is equal to the distance from the mirror to the easel (fig. 11-11); therefore, when you see a sharp image of the grain structure in the magnifier, the image projected on the easel is equally sharp. The area of the negative visible in the magnifier is extremely small. You are not actually looking at details of the image but at the grain structure of  the  negative  that  actually  produces  the  image. To use the grain focuser, you should enlarge and compose the picture normally on an easel. Place the grain focuser on the easel with a sheet of focusing paper in it, so a central portion of the projected image reflects from the mirror into the eyepiece of the grain focuser. Examine the grain structure through the eyepiece and adjust the fine focus until the grain structure is in absolutely  sharp  focus. COMPOSITION AND CROPPING Printing only a part of the entire image recorded on a  negative  is  called  “cropping.”  Cropping  is  the procedure in printing used to improve the composition of  the  photograph.  Most  photographs  are  intended  to present an idea or provide the viewer with some type of information. The better the composition of the finished picture,  the  better  it  communicates  the  intended message. Photographic composition should be controlled or established with the camera when the picture is taken; however, the majority of photographs can be improved during the printing process by cropping. You can use cropping to eliminate distracting or unwanted scene elements, to straighten a tilted horizon, to alter the center of  interest,  or  to  strengthen  leading  lines. Since  personal  opinions  differ,  there  are  no hard-and-fast rules for cropping; however, the following are rules of thumb that may help you produce pictures that  are  pleasing  to  most  people: Crop out any elements at the edges of the picture area that may draw attention from the intended center of interest. The center of interest should not normally be located in the physical center of the print. The center of interest should be somewhat to the left or right and a little below or above the physical center of the picture. The  exact  location  for  the  center  of  interest  depends  on the subject and the format of the print. Horizontal,  vertical,  and  diagonal  lines  should not divide the photograph into equal parts. The horizon in a photograph should be absolutely horizontal. The vertical lines of buildings, with one exception, should 11-15







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