Re: Be a flasher

[P3D William Carter <wc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Marvin Jones writes:
>Back in "the old days"...we would shoot with normal stock and have the 
>lab flash it...

Hey, Marvin! I resemble that remark!

Going back even further, copy cameramen/persons would flash (and bump) 
their neg.s to extend the shadows (and highlights) for their plates.

The beauty of flashing is that a small amount of light will have a large 
effect where there is a small amount of exposure, eg. shadows. But, 
little to no effect where there is a lot of exposure, eg. highlights. 
This is because exposure is stepped exponentially, whereas flashing adds 
light incrementally.

And, a little flash will actually cause the halogens to react to low 
levels of exposure where they wouldn't otherwise, further flattening and 
extending the "toe".

The effect of flashing can be seen by looking through a window. If you 
have a small amount reflection in it, say from ambient light reflecting 
off a wall behind you, you will see the wall's reflection in any dark 
area outside your window. But, if you're looking at something brighter, 
like the sidewalk or someone's face, you won't see any reflections in 
the glass. 

This is the way I like to flash a scene, from reflection at the time of 
exposure. Unlike motion pictures, I may not want to flash the whole 
roll. And, each shot may have it's own requirements. But, the real 
reason (and frankly, the only reason I mess with it) is that I can 
subtlety effect the COLOR of the shadows in each shot! 

Where filters change overall color balance, flashing effects just the 
shadow detail. Bring out the warmth in that wood paneling, cool down 
that winter scenic. You can, quite literally, make the grass seem 
greener on the other side of the fence. 

"Be a flasher" flasher gear.

                 ^^^^^ <- Diffusion Screen, N.D. filter, Colored Gel.
                     /
       Camera       / <- Glass plate
                   /



-- 
                wc@xxxxxxxxxxxx
    37deg 39.09'N x 122deg 29.56'W x 90'MLLW





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