COMBINATION PRINTING.
The scope of photography is wider than those who have only taken a
simple portrait or landscape suppose. It is almost impossible to design
a group that could not have been reproduced from life by the means our
art places at our disposal. We do not mean to assert that such subjects
as Michael Angelo's Last Judgment, or Raphael's Transfiguration, for
instance, have ever been done in photography; but it is not so much
the fault of the art, as of the artists, that very elaborate pictures
have not been successfully attempted. It has not been the failing of
the materials, unplastic as they are when compared with paint and
pencils; it has been the absence of the requisite amount of skill in
the photographer in the use of them, that will account for the dearth
of great works in photography. The means by which these pictures could
have been accomplished is Combination Printing, a method which enables
the photographer to represent objects in different planes in proper
focus, to keep the true atmospheric and linear relation of varying
distances, and by which a picture can be divided into separate portions
for execution, the parts to be afterwards printed together on one paper,
thus enabling the operator to devote all his attention to a single
figure or sub-group at a time, so that if any part be imperfect, from
any cause, it can be substituted by another without the loss of the
whole picture, as would be the case if taken at one operation. By
thus devoting the attention to individual parts, independently of the
others, much greater perfection can be obtained in details, such as the
arrangement of draperies, the refinement of pose, and expression.
The most simple form of combination printing, and the one most easy
of accomplishment and most in use by photographers, is that by which
a natural sky is added to a landscape. It is well-known to all
photographers that it is almost impossible to obtain a good and suitable
sky to a landscape under ordinary circumstances. Natural skies are
occasionally seen in stereoscopic slides and very small views; but I am
now writing of pictures, and not of toys. It rarely happens that a sky
quite suitable to the landscape occurs in the right place at the time
it is taken, and, if it did, the exposure necessary for the view would
be sufficient to quite obliterate the sky; and if this difficulty were
obviated by any of the sun-shades, cloud-stops, or other inefficient
dodges occasionally proposed, the movement of the clouds during the
few seconds necessary for the landscape would quite alter the forms
and light and shade, making what should be the sky--often sharp and
crisp in effect--a mere smudge, without character or form. All these
difficulties are got over by combination printing, the only objections
being that a little more care and trouble are required, and some thought
and knowledge demanded. The latter should be considered an advantage,
for photographs, of a kind, are already too easy to produce. Of course,
when a landscape is taken with a blank sky, and that blank is filled up
with clouds from another negative, the result will depend, to a very
great degree, upon the art knowledge of the photographer in selecting
a suitable sky, as well as upon his skill in overcoming the mechanical
difficulties of the printing. It is not necessary here to enter into
a description of the art aspect of the matter, as that has often been
discussed; so we will confine ourselves to the mechanical details.
The landscape negative must have a dense sky, or, if it be weak, or have
any defects, it must be stopped out with black varnish. In this case, it
is better to apply the varnish to the back of the glass; by this means
a softer edge is produced in printing than if painted on the varnished
surface. With some subjects, such as those that have a tolerably level
horizon, it is sufficient to cover over part of the sky while printing,
leaving that part near the horizon gradated from the horizon into white.
It may here be remarked that in applying black varnish to the back of a
negative, occasions will often be found where a softened or vignetted
edge is required for joining, where a vignette glass or cotton wool
cannot be applied; in such cases the edge of the varnish may be softened
off by dabbing slightly, before it is set, with the finger, or, if a
broader and more delicately gradated edge be required, a dabber made
with wash-leather may be employed with great effect.
[Illustration]
When an impression is taken, the place where the sky ought to be will,
of course, be plain white paper; a negative of clouds is then placed in
the printing-frame, and the landscape is laid down on it, so arranged
that the sky will print on to the white paper in its proper place;
the frame is then exposed to the light, and the landscape part of the
picture is covered up with a mask edged with cotton wool. The sky is
vignetted into the landscape, and it will be found that the slight
lapping over of the vignetted edge of the sky negative will not be
noticed in the finished print. There is another way of vignetting the
sky into the landscape, which is, perhaps, better and more convenient.
Instead of the mask edged with cotton wool, which requires moving
occasionally, a curved piece of zinc or cardboard is used. Here is
a section of the arrangement. The straight line represents the sky
negative, and the part where it joins the landscape is partly covered
with the curved shade. Skies so treated must not, of course, be printed
in sunlight.
It is sometimes necessary to take a panoramic view. This is usually
done, when the pantascopic camera is not employed, by mounting two
prints together, so that the objects in the landscape shall coincide;
but this is an awkward method of doing what could be much better
accomplished by combination printing. The joining of the two prints is
always disagreeably visible, and quite spoils the effect. To print the
two halves of a landscape, taken on two plates, together, the following
precautions must be observed: both negatives must be taken before the
camera-stand is moved, the camera, which must be quite horizontal,
pointing to one half of the scene for the first negative, and then
turned to the remaining half of the view for the second negative. The
two negatives should be obtained under exactly the same conditions of
light, or they will not match; they should also be so taken that a
margin of an inch and a-half or two inches is allowed to overlap each
other; that is to say, about two inches of each negative must contain
the same or centre portion of the scene. It is advisable, also, that
they should be of the same density; but this is not of very great
consequence, because any slight discrepancy in this respect can be
allowed for in printing. In printing vignettes with cotton wool, or a
straight-edged vignette glass, the edge of the left-hand negative on
the side that is to join the other, taking care to cover up the part
of the paper that will be required for the companion negative; when
sufficiently printed, take the print out of the frame, and substitute
the right-hand negative; lay down the print so that it exactly falls on
the corresponding parts of the first part printed (this will be found
less difficult, after a little practice, than it appears), and expose
to the light, vignetting the edge of this negative, also, so that the
vignetted part exactly falls on the softened edge of the impression
already done. If great care be taken to print both plates exactly alike
in depth, it will be impossible to discover the join in the finished
print. If thought necessary, a sky may be added, as before described,
or it may be gradated in the light, allowing the horizon to be lighter
than the upper part of the sky.
Perhaps the greatest use to which combination printing is now put is
in the production of portraits with natural landscape backgrounds.
Many beautiful pictures, chiefly cabinets and card, have been done
in this way by several photographers. The easiest kind of figure for
a first attempt would be a three-quarter length of a lady, because
you would then get rid of the foreground, and have to confine your
attention to the upper part of the figure and the distance. Pictures
of this kind have a very pleasing effect. In the figure negative,
everything should be stopped out, with the exception of the figure,
with black varnish; this should be done on the back of the glass when
practicable, which produces a softer join; but for delicate parts--such
as down the face--where the joins must be very close, and do not admit
of anything approaching to vignetting, the varnish must be applied on
the front. A much better effect than painting out the background of
the figure negative is obtained by taking the figure with a white or
very light screen behind it; this plan allows sufficient light to pass
through the background to give an agreeable atmospheric tint to the
distant landscape; and stopping out should only be resorted to when the
background is too dark, or when stains or blemishes occur, that would
injure the effect. An impression must now be taken which is not to be
toned or fixed. Cut out the figure, and lay it, face downwards, on the
landscape negative in the position you wish it to occupy in the finished
print. It may be fixed in its position by gumming the corners near the
lower edge of the plate. It is now ready for printing. It is usually
found most convenient to print the figure negative first. When this has
been done, the print must be laid down on the landscape negative so
that the figure exactly covers the place prepared for it by the cut-out
mask. When printed, the picture should be carefully examined, to see if
the joins may be improved or made less visible. It will be found that,
in many places, the effect can be improved and the junctions made more
perfect, especially when a light comes against a dark--such as a distant
landscape against the dark part of a dress--by tearing away the edge of
the mask covering the dark, and supplying its place by touches of black
varnish at the back of the negative; this, in printing, will cause the
line to be less defined, and the edges to soften into each other. If the
background of the figure negative has been painted out, the sky will be
represented by white paper; and as white paper skies are neither natural
nor pleasing, it will be advisable to sun it down.
If a full-length figure be desired, it will be necessary to photograph
the ground with the figure, as it is almost impossible to make the
shadow of a figure match the ground on which it stands in any other way.
This may be done either out of doors or in the studio. The figure taken
out of doors would, perhaps, to the critical eye, have the most natural
effect, but this cannot always be done, neither can it be, in many
respects, done so well. The light is more unmanageable out of doors,
and the difficulty arising from the effect of wind on the dress is very
serious. A slip of natural foreground is easily made up in the studio;
the error to be avoided is the making too much of it. The simpler a
foreground is in this case, the better will be the effect.
The composition of a group should next engage the student's attention.
In making a photograph of a large group, as many figures as possible
should be obtained in each negative, and the position of the joins so
contrived that they shall come in places where they shall be least
noticed, if seen at all. It will be found convenient to make a sketch
in pencil or charcoal of the composition before the photograph is
commenced. The technical working out of a large group is the same as for
a single figure; it is, therefore, not necessary to repeat the details;
but we give a reduced copy, as a frontispiece to this volume, of a large
combination picture, entitled "When the Day's Work is Done," by Mr. H.
P. Robinson, a description of the progress and planning of which may be
of use to the student.
A small rough sketch was first made of the idea, irrespective of any
considerations of the possibility of its being carried out. Other small
sketches were then made, modifying the subject to suit the figures
available as models, and the accessories accessible without very much
going out of the way to find them. From these rough sketches a more
elaborate sketch of the composition, pretty much as it stands, and of
the same size, 32 by 22 inches, was made, the arrangement being divided
so that the different portions may come on 23 by 18 plates, and that the
junctions may come in unimportant plates, easy to join, but not easy
to be detected afterwards. The separate negatives were then taken. The
picture is divided as follows:--
The first negatives taken were the two of which the background is
composed. The division runs down the centre, where the light wall is
relieved by the dark beyond it. These two negatives were not printed
separately--it is advisable to have as few printings as possible--but
were carefully cut down with a diamond, and mounted on a piece of glass
rather larger than the whole picture, the edges being placed in contact,
making, in fact, _one_ large negative of the interior of the cottage,
into which it would be comparatively easy to put almost anything. The
next negative was the old man. This included the table, chair, and
matting on which his feet rest. This matting is roughly vignetted into
the adjoining ground of the cottage negative. The great difficulty at
first with this figure was the impossibility of joining the light head
to the dark background; no amount of careful registration seemed equal
to effect this difficult operation; but if it could not be done, it
could be evaded. Several clever people have been able to point out the
join round the head, down the forehead, and along the nose, but we have
never been able to see it ourselves, because we know it is not there.
This is how the difficulty was got over. The figure was taken with a
background that would print as nearly as possible as dark as the dark of
the cottage. The join is nowhere near the head, but runs up the square
back of the old woman's chair, then up the wall, and across the picture,
over the head in an irregular line, and descends on the old man's back,
whence it was easy to carry it down the dark edge of his dress and the
chairs till it comes to the group of baskets, pails, &c., that fill
up the corner. On the other side, the join runs along the edge of the
table, and finds its way out where the floor coverings come together.
The old lady was then photographed, and is simply joined round the edge;
so also was the group in the corner, and the glimpse of the village seen
through the window.
At first sight, it will appear difficult to place the partly-printed
pictures in the proper place on the corresponding negative. There are
many ways of doing this, either of which may be chosen to suit the
subject. Sometimes a needle may be run through some part of the print,
the point being allowed to rest on the corresponding part of the second
negative. The print will then fall in its place at that point. Some
other point has then to be found at a distance from the first; this may
be done by turning up the paper to any known mark on the negative, and
allowing the print to fall upon it; if the two separate points fall
on the right places, all the others must be correct. Another way of
joining the prints from the separate negatives is by placing a candle
or lamp under the glass of the printing-frame--practically, to use a
glass table--and throwing a light through the negative and paper; the
join can then be seen through. But the best method is to make register
marks on the negatives. This is done in the following manner. We will
suppose that we wish to print a figure with a landscape background from
two negatives, the foreground having been taken with the figure. At the
two bottom corners of the figure negative make two marks with black
varnish, thus |_ _|; these, of course, will print white in the picture.
A proof is now taken, and the outline of the figure cut out accurately.
Where the foreground and background join, the paper may be torn across,
and the edges afterwards vignetted with black varnish on the back of
the negatives. This mark is now fitted in its place on the landscape
negative. Another print is now taken of the figure negative, and the
white corner marks cut away very accurately with a pair of scissors.
The print is now carefully applied to the landscape negative, so that
the mark entirely covers those parts of the print already finished.
The landscape is then printed in. Before, however, it is removed from
the printing-frame, if, on partial examination, the joins appear to be
perfect, two lead pencil or black varnish marks are made on the mark
round the cut-out corners at the bottom of the print. After the first
successful proof there is no need for any measurement or fitting to get
the two parts of the picture to join perfectly; all that is necessary
is merely to cut out the little white marks, and fit the corners to the
corresponding marks on the mask; and there is no need to look if the
joins coincide at other places, because, if two points are right, it
follows that all must be so. This method can be applied in a variety of
ways to suit different circumstances.
It is always well to have as few paintings as possible, and it
frequently happens that two or more negatives can be printed together.
For instance, the picture we have been discussing--"When the Day's
Work is Done"--is produced from six negatives, but it only took three
printings. The two negatives of which the cottage is composed was, as
already explained, set up on a large sheet of glass, and printed at
once; the old man was also set upon another glass of the same size, with
the negative of the glimpse through the window; and the old woman was
printed in like manner, with the corner group of baskets, &c. So that
here were practically three negatives only. These were registered with
corner marks so accurately that not a single copy has been lost through
bad joins.
There are one or two things to consider briefly before concluding this
subject.
It is true that combination printing--allowing, as it does, much
greater liberty to the photographer, and much greater facilities for
representing the truth of nature--also admits, from these very facts,
of a wide latitude for abuse; but the photographer must accept the
conditions at his own peril. If he finds that he is not sufficiently
advanced in knowledge of art, and has not sufficient reverence for
nature, to allow him to make use of these liberties, let him put on his
fetters again, and confine himself to one plate. It is certain (and this
we put in italics, to impress it more strongly on the memory) that _a
photograph produced by combination printing must be deeply studied in
every particular, so that no departure from the truth of nature shall
be discovered by the closest scrutiny_. No two things must occur in
one picture that cannot happen in nature at the same time. If a sky
is added to a landscape, the light must fall on the clouds and on the
earth from the same source and in the same direction. This is a matter
that should not be done by judgment alone, but by judgment guided by
observation of nature. Effects are often seen, especially in cloud-land,
very puzzling to the calm reasoner when he sees them in a picture;
but these are the effects that are often best worth preserving, and
which should never be neglected, because it may possibly happen that
somebody will not understand it, and, therefore, say it is false, and,
arguing still further on the wrong track, will say that combination
printing always produces falsehoods, and must be condemned. A short
anecdote may, perhaps, be allowed here. Some time ago a photograph of
a landscape and sky was sent to a gentleman whose general judgment in
art was admitted to be excellent; but he knew that combination printing
was sometimes employed. In acknowledging the receipt he said, "Thank
you for the photograph; it is a most extraordinary effect; sensational,
certainly, but very beautiful; but it shows, by what it is, what
photography cannot do; your sky does not match your landscape; it must
have been taken at a different time of day, at another period of the
year. A photograph is nothing if not true." Now it so happened that
the landscape and sky were taken at the same time, the only difference
being that the sky had a shorter exposure than the landscape, which was
absolutely necessary to get the clouds at all, and does not affect the
result. Another instance arose in connection with a picture representing
a group of figures with a landscape background. Four of the figures
were taken on one plate, at one operation; yet a would-be critic wrote
at some length to prove that these figures did not agree one with
another; that the light fell on them from different quarters; that the
perspective of each had different points of sight; and that each figure
was taken from a different point of view! These two cases are mentioned
to show that it is sometimes a knowledge of the means employed, rather
than a knowledge of nature--a foregone conclusion that the thing must
be wrong, rather than a conviction, from observation, that it is not
right--that influences the judgment of those who are not strong enough
to say, "This thing is right," or "This thing is wrong, no matter by
what means it may have been produced."