The DARKROOM COOKBOOK, Third Edition

Photographic Reduction and Intensifi cation 125
Prints that have been selenium-toned should only be reduced by the overall method, as
the color of the print will change in the area that is bleached. Gold-chloride blue-toned prints
should not be bleached at all, as the color will usually change to green-blue. For these reasons,
it is better to reduce prints before toning.
Like the technique of dodging during exposure, overall and local bleaching can be used
to increase shadow detail. Bleaching is different from dodging in that while dodging retains
the overall contrast of the print, bleaching increases the contrast. The reason may be best
understood in the following example.
Suppose that after development the highlights contain 100 silver grains and the shadows,
being denser, contain 1,000 silver grains. If you were to make a second print and dodge both
areas for 20% of the overall exposure the highlights would then contain 80 silver grains and
the shadows would contain 800. This is similar to proportional reduction.
Suppose that instead of dodging you were to bleach the print using the overall method
removing 20 grains of silver from the highlights and 20 from the shadows. You would now
have 80 silver grains in the highlights and 980 in the shadows. The highlights would be significantly
lighter and the shadows would have hardly changed, effectively increasing the overall
contrast. The same increase in contrast will occur in locally bleached areas.
The effect of bleaching largely depends on the paper. Some papers, such as Kentmere,
Fomatone, Slavich, and Fotokemika, readily take to bleaching, whereas others, such as Ilford,
are highly resistant.
Overall Bleaching For overall bleaching of prints you can use either Farmer’s Reducer (Formulas:
Print Reducers), Kodak R-4a, or Ammonium Thiosulfate Reducer (Formulas: Negative
Reducers). But as in negative reduction the easiest and most versatile is still Farmer’s. The
action of Farmer’s Reducer bleaches the weakest portions of the silver image fi rst, and in
a print that means the highlights. Then it begins to reduce the midtones, and fi nally the
blacks. If the reducer is too potent, the lighter areas may be wiped out and the print ruined.
Therefore, a highly dilute solution of Farmer’s is recommended.
To create delicately separated shadows with more pronounced highlights make a print
about 1/3 stop darker in the highlights and a half-grade grade lower to keep the shadows
open. Then bleach the print until the highlights are to your satisfaction.
Another technique that creates a unique effect with pronounced tonal separation is to
overexpose the print by 1 to 1 1/2 stops using one full grade less contrast, then bleach using
a fairly dilute solution of Farmer’s Reducer. This accentuates the graininess of the image.
Although the pre-bleached print will look dark, holding it up against a light will reveal the
detail waiting to become visible.
Instructions for Overall Bleaching For overall proportional reduction of the highlights, midtones,
and shadows, start with a wet print. For clearing the high values only, start with a dry print.
With either method, wet or dry, the print should be thoroughly washed after fi xing and not
toned. Always use a non-hardening fi xer for any after-process for prints, such as reduction,
intensifi cation, toning, etc.
Have a tray of standing or running water ready to stop the action of the reducer. Slide the
print face up quickly and completely into the bleach. Do not agitate, as this will cause bleaching
to proceed faster on the edges than the center.