Black and White Photography

likely to need, also take longer with overlapping images. In addition, because
one negative is on top of the other, you should use a smaller lens aperture (try
f/11) to guarantee that both negatives print with equal sharpness. Keep in mind
that small lens apertures also will lead to longer print exposures.
Combining two negatives sometimes produces less print contrast than each
negative would produce separately. Use a high-grade filter with variable-contrast
papers (or a higher-contrast graded paper).
Technically, you can put any two or more negatives together and make a successful
print. However, it is the rare combination that makes a satisfying image
visually. Use negatives that complement each other. For example, if your negatives
contain too much detail, the final result may be a muddy or confusing
image. Try instead to combine a complex subject with a simple scene, one with
large areas of texture or pattern, such as clouds or the surface of water.

Practical color photography methods were not widely available until the 1930s.
Before then, the best way to make a color photograph was to apply the color
by hand, a technique called hand coloring. There were many techniques, but
the most common was simply to add color dyes or paints directly to the surface
of a photograph with a brush or some other applicator.
Hand coloring gives photographers more control over how the color looks
than today’s standardized color films and papers provide. Various hand coloring
methods can produce results ranging from soft and impressionistic to hyperrealistic.
You can apply color selectively or even use colors that were not in the
original subject. In short, hand coloring allows you to achieve a more personal
and crafted look than traditional color materials.
There are products specially made for hand coloring photographic prints.
You also can use almost any type of coloring material, such as dyes, oil paints,
watercolor, markers, pencils, or even food coloring, as long as the color adheres
to the surface of the print. Some materials produce different color characteristics,
while others create more or less surface texture. Experiment to find
a look that works for you.
There are a number of ways to approach hand coloring. Apply color broadly
to the surface of the print using a brush, paper or cloth wipes, or a cotton ball.
Or for fine, detailed work use a thin brush or a cotton swab.
Some hand colored images look like actual color photographs, while others
downplay their photographic quality. This depends on the coloring material
you use and how you mix and apply it. In general, transparent, diluted washes
of color allow the image to show through, causing the print to retain a photographic
feeling; they also may produce a more subtle or pastel look. More
opaque coloring materials or denser applications are more likely to obscure the
original photograph and produce stronger and more brilliant color.
Whatever material or method you use, it’s best to have extra prints of the
image available so you can experiment. Practice your technique to gauge the
color and surface, as well as the stroke and control of the applicator.
Usually a print gains a bit of density and loses some contrast when hand
colored, so you may want to make your original prints slightly lighter and with
a bit more contrast than you normally would. Note that the color is usually
more noticeable in light areas than in dark areas.
Paper surface also is very important. Hand coloring blends best into matte
and semimatte fiber-based papers. While you can hand color glossy and RC
papers, the color is more likely to sit on the surface of such papers and is more
likely to show brushstrokes, producing a look you may or may not want.