Whether a single roll of film, or a large number from a lengthy assignment, the processed images need to be viewed, selected and ordered. (Show Photo) This is not, or at least should not be, simply a mechanical process. The choice and layout of photographs is a creative activity in its own right, and can add to the strength of the original images. There are two ways in which editing can make a creative contribution to a photographer's work. One is that it offers a chance to view the images in different circumstances. Having had time to reflect, and seeing the pictures over a light-box or with a projector, the photographer might see the assignment in a different light. The second way is through the juxtaposition of different photographs. If, say, a project yields about 50 pictures taken in different circumstances and at different times, there will be many ways of ordering them. The way in which photographs are seen in relation to each other has a very important effect on the viewer - this is, after all, the principle behind the picture essay (see section on "Reportage").
In a professional situation people other than the photographer often become involved in editing, but it is primarily the responsibility of the person who took the pictures. For convenience, it is best to develop a logical system for editing.
With slides, which are separately mounted, first discard all the frames that are technically unsatisfactory, whether wrongly exposed, slightly out of focus, scratched or whatever.
Then stamp or mark every frame with some reference, such as a number. This makes captioning easier later, and makes it possible to keep track of photographs. For instance, each roll of film might be given a number, and within this, each frame. The 12th frame of roll 20 could be stamped 20/12.
Look at each roll carefully, either on a light-box with a loupe (a small magnifying glass) or in a projector. If a number of exposures were made to get the best version of one shot, select the best frame at this stage. Some photographers choose only the very best images from the take, and consign the remainder as "overs" or "seconds". Other photographers prefer to make a broader selection and then whittle this down to the very best. In any event, the aim is to end up with a relatively small selection of "first selects". Of course, the size of the final selection depends on the nature of the project. If, for instance, the photography is very much of a documentary style, and the subject matter is much more important than the style, the selection may well be big.
With black-and-white negatives, first make a contact sheet, and then assess the frames from this and by examining the negatives with a loupe. The best frames can then be marked with small labels or a chinagraph pencil.
Storing and filing transparencies
Although transparencies may be used for printing, it is more usual to view them directly, either in a slide projector or with a loupe on a light-box. Processing laboratories offer a choice between mounted and unmounted film, and mounts are usually either plastic or card, and may be hand-closed, glued or heat-sealed. Slide mounts with glass on either side of the transparency offer protection, but also the risk of causing scratches from trapped particles, or worse, broken shards if badly handled. All these options are a matter of personal preference. The reasons for having processed film unmounted to begin with are to give the photographer a chance to edit out unusable frames, or to use custom frames printed with the photographer's name.
At any one time, therefore, there may be sheets of unmounted film awaiting editing, and mounted slides. The latter can be filed in a number of ways: in acetate display sheets, typically holding 24 frames that hang from bars in a standard filing cabinet; stacked in trays or boxes for maximum-density filing or in the slide trays used with a particular projector.
If transparencies are to be sent to clients or agents, it is important to label and protect them adequately. With white card mounts, information can be written or printed directly; an alternative is printed or written adhesive labels. Essential information is the copyright notice (see Copyright and ownership in the section "Legal"), caption and reference number. Valuable added protection is given by an acetate slip cover. A number of slides can then be either boxed or mounted together in a clear plastic display sheet.
Storing and filing negatives
As negatives are an intermediate stage and are used only in the darkroom it is not normal to cut and mount individual frames. Storage for 35mm negatives is fairly standardized: 36-exposure rolls are cut into strips of 6 frames, and these are arranged side-by-side in sheets of acid-free paper. For easy reference and assessment, a contact sheet is a key part of any standard filing system, the strips arranged in the same order as the sheet of negatives. The most common type of negative sheet is punched for filing in a ring-binder; the contact sheet can be punched and placed next to it. Storage conditions for negatives, as for any photographic emulsion, should be dry.
Storing and filing prints
Final prints are often made with a particular presentation in mind, and so are often mounted. Working prints need slightly less care in handling, but scuffing at the corners and scratches to the surface are the chief dangers. Store prints by size where possible, ideally in boxes made of acid-free card (the original paper boxes will do). Interleave the most valuable prints with acid-free tissue.
Duplication
There are a number of reasons for making duplicate slides from originals. Negatives are only used occasionally, for printing, and so can be stored safely for most of the time. Transparencies, however, are both originals and the finished image. They are used in slide projectors or by printers for publication, and are at some risk of damage, or at least wear and tear. Also, a professional photographer may want to send a number of copies of an image to different clients or stock libraries, and while the best method is to shoot a larger number of originals, this is only possible with a static subject such as a landscape. Often, in one sequence of exposures, only one frame is just right. This is an obvious candidate for duplication.
The ideal method for making duplicates is to use a duplicating machine. Any step away from the original slide will cause some loss of image quality, although it may be neither obvious nor even important. When an original is compared side by side with a duplicate, the differences are usually clear. However, in normal circumstances, no one else ever sees the two together. And, with certain images there may even be an apparent improvement - in the intensity of certain colors, and in contrast if the original is flat.
The first step is to make a series of tests to calibrate the machine. Select one slide that has a normal range of tones and color, and includes flesh tones and mid-grays, which are easy to judge visually. Choose the duplicating film; films made specially for this purpose have built-in masking to avoid or reduce the increase in contrast that is normal when copying slides.
Follow the machine manufacturer's instruction for calibration. Once the calibration has been set up, it is a relatively straightforward matter to alter filtration and exposure for a fresh batch of film. The duplicating machine has a metering system, which usually works no better or worse than a simple camera TTL meter. Judge the original being duped as if it were a real scene in front of the camera; if it has a small, bright subject against a dark background, it will probably need less exposure than the meter indicates.
Good color balance is the hallmark of a well-made duplicate. Gelatin filters can usually be placed in a drawer under the slide, or above it, in front of the lens. Color film used for copying does not always respond to the dyes in the original transparency in the same way as it would to a real scene. One particular color, for instance, may intensify, or change. Occasionally, there may be what is known as a cross-over effect, in which highlight colors acquire one cast while shadow colors acquire an opposite cast. This, unfortunately, cannot be corrected in this kind of duplicating.
If, on the other hand, the original suffers from a color cast, such as reciprocity failure during a long exposure, duplicating can correct it. This involves nothing more complicated than using the appropriate opposite color filter. As a rule of thumb, the strength of filter needed tends to be about half of what looks visually correct if a filter is half over the original on a light-box. Another useful filter is a graduated type. This can be used in much the same way as it would be over the camera lens when taking an original photograph.
If ordinary camera film is used for duplicating, contrast tends to increase. This can be countered by overexposing slightly and reducing the processing (this lowers overall contrast), or by using the light-fogging facility offered by some duplicating machines. Neither technique, however, is really satisfactory, and a purpose made duplicating film is a better choice.
Adjustable bellows allow various degrees of enlargement, and if the original is moved sideways, this can be selective. The graininess and sharpness of the image will be affected, however. Having calibrated exposure for normal 1:1 reproduction, the calculations for increased exposure with this enlargement are straightforward.
Audio-visual and multi-media
The basic audio-visual presentation is the slide show, and this can be as simple as a single slide projector showing a sequence of pictures on one screen, with a commentary by the photographer. It can also, however, be developed to a much greater degree by adding extra projectors, devices to fade smoothly from one image to another, using multiple screens, employing a script, soundtrack and music. The sequence of pictures can also be transferred onto video or onto a computer screen.
The first step up from a single projector show is to link a pair of projectors with a dissolve unit. This permits a smooth flow of images, without the disruption of a back screen between pictures, and the rate of dissolve, or fade, between images can be varied. Dissolve units can be programmed in advance, and linked to a soundtrack tape. In all, they offer some of the qualities of film editing, and can make an audio-visual presentation a creative form in its own right.
Sequence and timing assume a special importance. Dissolving rather than cutting from one image to another creates a special relationship between the images. At its most obvious, this fade can be used to point out similarities, such as shape or color. The rate of the dissolve from a fraction of a second to several seconds, also alters the viewer's perception; a slow dissolve gives the viewer's eyes time to wander around the screen, while a very slow dissolve can bring up the new image almost surreptitiously. Many of these effects have to be experimented with.
For the greatest control and polish, prepare a script, and then sketch out a rough storyboard from the choice of slides available. As work progresses, these can be refined until finally there is a complete list of slides and a soundtrack with a commentary timed by the second. Cue words are noted for slide changes.
Slides can be cued manually during the presentation, but unless there is some value in being able to ad lib (such as for comic effect), many systems have facilities for prerecording. The commentary is recorded onto tape, and music or sound effects are added. The slide changes, with the various dissolve rates, are then also recorded onto one track of the tape.
If the slide presentation is to be shown only a few times, there is no harm in using original transparencies. Repeated exposure, however, may damage slides, and it might be worth considering using duplicates.
Adding titles: Titling and special effects normally involve duplicating. Titles can be separate or superimposed on photographs; in either case line film gives a high-contrast image. Line film titles can be positive - black lettering on clear film, which can then be sandwiched with a normal slide, or negative - white lettering out of black. Titles can also be sandwiched with colored gel for effect. Make up the title artwork with transfer lettering or the laser printer output from a word-processor, and photograph this directly onto 35mm line film. This film will then need to be processed in a special high-contrast developer; follow the film manufacturer's recommendations.
