Tonality (win a free roll of film)

[skygzr]

Hi Everyone -

 

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The word "tonality" pops up frequently on this forum. I'll read that someone prefers emulsion XYZ over ABC because of it's rich tonality.

 

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So what does the word mean, really? Is it a vague synonym for "characteristic curve", or is it meaningless chatter, like Fred Picker's dreaded "mid-tone sparkle"?

 

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So, how about a "define the term" contest? Sharpen up your pencils, get out the dictionary, and shoot some WD40 into your brain. If this word has a photographically useful definition, one of us ought to be able to come up with it. If not, well, we haven't lost much.

 

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Post your suggestions here, and well see if there's one that makes sense. I'll reward the winning submission with a 20 exposure roll of freezer-stored Panatomic-X, vintage 1985. This discontinued film, as everyone knows, was the King of Tonality, the standard against which all others were judged. Would I lie to you?

 

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- Kevin

[thilo_schmid]

<p>Kevin,<br>

<br>

at a certain macroscopic level (the level we usually look at

photographs when not using a microscope),

we usually do regard analog film as a <i> continuous tone

recorder</i>. But when

we blow up a picture we <i>stretch</i> the tonal values recorded onto

the

negative. On the one hand, we increase the space between the grain

(the tonal

atoms) and on the other hand, every paper gradation has a gamma value

>1.

This means that the tonal values on the Positive do always lie

further apart

than on the Negative. Each Film has different limits here.</p>

<p>A Film with a good tonality will yield a pleasing Positive, no

matter what

scale or paper gradation you may need to express your vision. And

will yield

good tonal separation in highlights <b>and</b> shadows while you

concentrate on

the mid-tones.</p>

<p>Regards,</p>

[david_f._stein]

Whether it's high-key, low-key or 20 zones across the board, tonality

is what gives an image life and magic, makes us believe in the

"reality" of what only lies on 2 dimensions; on a piece of paper.

Handled well, tonality doesn't just record but also interprets and

inspires. GOOD QUEST

[gary_meader]

I do think we photographers tend to throw around words

sometimes of which we've never considered the meaning. I've

always taught that, beyond grain structure, the film's response to

light, that is it's curve, should determine your choice of which to

use. And my definition of that is the film's tonality. How much

does it record in the shadows of the scene? in the highlights?

And mostly, what does the straight line portion look like. The

answers to those comprise my meaning of tonality. Expose

several film types to the same scene, process according to the

box instructions, make a black time contact, and the difference

you'll see is the difference in tonality. I think. And thanks for

asking this.

Gary

[704 studio]

A film which has the ability to record the colors of the physical

world in a pleasing and beautiful way, is usually considered a film

with a strong color, or tonal sense.

 

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However, if the film is being processed by a beginner, it most likely

will not display its full potential because of the photographer�s

shortcomings. A better example is probably taken from music � a

student violinist can be given a world class instrument, and yet will

still not be able to produce the full tonal possibilities the

instrument can offer. Only through long and painstaking practice will

the instrument�s full potential become available. When a photographer

asks a question such as, �K.�s portraits have a creamy texture. What

film and processing does he use to achieve it?�, it usually reflects

an idea that photography is merely a mechanical process that can

easily be mastered. I think the question is as absurd as

asking, �Anne Sophie Mutter has a rich and subtle tonal style, what

violin does she use�? as if the violin is responsible for the music

she produces. While the instrument is an important part in the

process, it is secondary to the vision, feeling, skill, and

dedication the musician brings to the task of making music. Most

films on the market have the ability to produce the necessary colors,

or tones, required to make a good print, but it is what the

photographer does with the film which will determine if the print is

alive or dead.

[richard_ilomaki]

Kevin

 

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To me, tonality is what makes me say :"WOW. Look at that photograph!!"

I say that when I look at a print of Sebastian Salgado, or John

Sexton, or some of my platinum prints and a few of my "regular" ones.

 

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At the risk of oversimplifying and seeming flippant,I recall Louis

Armstrong saying that if you had to have Jazz explained to you, you

would never understand it.

 

Tonaltiy is the ability to reproduce the infinite hues and

colouration of the world with a series of white, grey and black

that "looks like" the original scene, as it was seen and remembered,

or visualized. A negative that does not have the ability to do that

is considered to have poor tonality. As said above, 99% of the time

ity is the lack of skill/art of the maker and not the film.

 

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Click

[michael_briggs2]

Photographers and photographic scientists tend to use different

terminology. The photographer term "tonality" can describe how the

light values in the scene are mapped to shades of grey on the print.

The photographic scientist would use more rigorously defined terms and

think of the shades of grey on the print as arising from the light

intensities in the scene, the characteristic curves of the film and

paper. Both characteristic curves will depend on the exposure times

and development given. These of course are the controls that may

separate a beginning photographer from an experienced one. If one

wants to talk about the "tonality" of a film in isolation from the

entire process, I would take the term as a synonym for the

characteristic curve of the film.

[rob_pietri5]

I WOULD LOVE SOME PANATOMIC X!! Can you still get some frx-22

developer?? You know, with all this debate between digital vs film vs

tonality vs charataristic curves (Brittany Spears has some character,

still trying to figure out if her naval is 1 or 2 stories high in

Time Square NYC).

 

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What I think should happen is let digital go where it wants. But film

makers like Kodak, Ilford, Agfa should do extensive research into the

BEST EVER black and white film for slow, medium and fast films,

select the three best in regards to tonality, latitude, finest grain,

sharpest etc, etc, etc. Then produce only those three to the highest

possible standards. The same with papers.

 

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I don't know, would ya??

[walter_glover]

Another misreading leading to the use of the term 'Tonality' might

actually be the effect of 'GRADATION' - or the relative separation

between similar tones (probably mid-tone area) exhibited by a

particular combination of materials and chemistry.

 

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In the Fourth Edition of his book Beyond The Zone System Phil

Davis has added a chapter on 'gradation' in which he illustrates

quite graphically the differences in the rendering of a static still

life shot on the same film (TMX if memory serves me) and four

different developers. The most noticeable differences appear in

the mid tones although there are, of course, highlight and

shadow differences also. I know which rendering I prefer but I

suspect that a panel of viewers could choose any of the four and

validate his decision dependent upon his personal

aestheticaspirations.

 

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One man's tonality may prove to be another man's banality (sorry

for the sexism, girls) so once again we should count our

blessings that we may be created equal but we are not the

same.

 

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Walter Glover

[jim_galli4]

Tonality;

The abilitiy of a medium, both film, paper, and lenses to capture

minute nuances of local contrast that result in the additive rendition

of a subject with perfect and exact clarity.

[jim_galli4]

BTW Panatomic X is still very much alive as is Kodak XX. I use

Panatomic X in the 5X7 roughly 40% of the time. And the tonality is

indeed magnificent. Available from <A

href=http://www01.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=Par

entActivator__Aproduct_html___CatID=356___SID=EC82C928870>B&H

Photo</A> and others.

[jim_galli4]

.....and of course the "link" just takes you to B&H's home page for

some nice free advertising for them as usual. Sorry. If you'll copy

this address and paste it into your address bar it will take you to

their aerial recon film page.

 

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http://www01.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ParentAc

tivator__Aproduct_html___CatID=356___SID=EC82C928870

[david_f._stein]

Aerial reconn with a 5x7 field view camera-that's what I call Back to

the Future. But why not just use glass plates-in the multi-winder

back. Be careful stepping out onto that biplane wing. Waldo Pepper

Sr. !!!

[james_chinn]

Tonality, luminosity, brilliance, crispness, gradatiion, snap,

crackle, pop!

 

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Photography is probably the most subjective of art forms and carries

with it the most subjective terminology to describe qualities in a

print. If everyone who has contributed to this post were to

photograph the same subject under favorite lighting conditions and

with format, film, developer and paper of choice (don't forget post

printing techniques: toning, bleaching etc), you would have an equal

number of different interpretations of the subject, each one

displying some or all of the above terms as defended by the

photographer.

 

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So it really is "meaningless chatter". If you expose enough film and

make enough prints and have what you consider an excellent print to

use as an example, everyone who persues his craft seriously will have

his own definition of what tonality is.