Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-02-08
Camera Angles
Camera Angles
Retouching Skill Comes
From Constant Practice
By Alexander J. Wedderburn
cuFGsor Of Photography
The Smithsonian Instliuilon

The SmiihsoF
Negative retouching isn't,
the easiest chore In the world
but most photographers are
capable of doing minor altera-
tions after they have had o
little practice. Major changes
are still for the expert but the
portrait negative that is excel
lent except for skin blemishes,
overemphasized facial lines,
harsh shadows, poor back
grounds, etc., can be corrected
by any one with a modicum
of skill and patience.
A negative that requires
correction by means of re-
touching generally has areas
lacking in density. We increase
the density Of these areas by
adding pencil lead or dye. The
negative may be too dense
overall or in certain spots or
areas, the alteration being
made by etching away with a
blade or an abrasive substance,
or by chemical reduction. The
work is painstaking, particul-
larly with the very small neg
atives that most Of us use, but
the knack can be picked up
without too much effort.
Shadow areas that print too
black do so because there is
little or no silver deposit on
the negative. Pinholes and
scratches likewise fall in this
category. These latter can be
filled in quite easily with a
retouching pencil. Larger areas
can be handled more speedily
with the dye treatment. Over
all reduction with a compound
such as Farmers reducer. Is
recommended when the entire
negative shows too great a sill
yer deposit. Local reduction
is best effected with a sharp
blade such as an etching knife
or by abrasive action with a
cotton swab.
Need Fine Working Point
Very little in the way Of
equipment and supplies will
be needed. A mechanical
pencil that will take leads Of
varying degrees Of hardness is
desirable. Leads for pencils
Of this type are already small
in circumference and may be
quickly Sanded to the fine
working point that is required.
Several leads may be kept on
hand but a 3H lead is perhaps
best for all-around work.
Two or three fine brushes will
be needed for dye work. Alb
sorbent cotton will come in
handy for making swabs for
large area dyeing as well as
fof use in abrading. Add to
this a small bottle of carbon
tetrachloride. a bottle Of re-
toucher's compound, a bottle
of new coccine dye and re-
touching desk and you will be
ready to go to work. The
retouching desk consists Of a
box with a sheet of ground
glass set at an inclined angle
in the top with an Illuminating
bulb behind the glass.
To get started, clean of the
negative thoroughly with car
bon tetrachloride. While watt
ing for this to dry sharpen
the retouching lead (if the,
pencil is to be used) by twirl-
ing 1t in a small piece Of very
fine sandpaper until it becomes
needle sharp. It Is Of the
greatest Importance that the
lead be kept very sharp and
1t should be constantly re-
sharpened as the work pro-
crosses. Now apply a thin
film of the retoucher's medium
to the emulsion, this will give
the negative a tooth that will
better accept the lead. The
medium should be applied
with a soft lintless cloth-if
cotton is used fine particles
will sometimes stick to the
negative and cause trouble.
Blending in Lines
Now place the negative on
the retoucherss desk and view
it by the transmitted light.
Blemishes and shadows in the
facial lines viii appear lighter
than surrounding areas. These
can be hidden by the addition
OF enough lead so that the
offending spots are blended in
with the surrounding area.
Hold the pencil as you would
when writing and apply the
lead with an extremely light
touch. Heavy pressure on the
pencil will cause the fine point
to break on. Use a cross hatch
or o circular motion to apply
the lead, employing very short
strokes. Never use long strokes
or straight lines or they viii
show on the print.