Page 137 - The Wellington photographic handbook

The

MANY pictorial photographers desire a printing process capable
of greater control in the matter of gradation than is possible
with P.O.P., Bromide or Gaslight papers. The print and
the negative may both be perfect technically, but nevertheless
may fail to convey the pictorial effect that the photographer had
in his mind's eye when making the exposure, and to attain the
desired result it may be necessary for him to alter the whole range
of tones.
A process which renders this possible is that known as
" BROMOIL," which combines in a remarkable degree the advan-
tages of the Bromide process in the matter of printing and enlarging,
with those of the oil-pigment process in the matter of control.
In the Bromoil process the silver image of the bromide print is
converted into an image composed practically of artists' oil pig-
ment, the worker having almost as much control in the alteration
of tones, the subduing of high-lights, and the darkening of shadows
as is possessed by the painter-artist himself.
The process is within the range of every photographic worker
as up to the point when the pigment is applied the process is purely
photographic, and the " drawing " and rendering of detail of the
subject have been achieved entirely by the photographic process.
It is only in the final result that the worker with artistic aims has
his chance of effecting improvements. One of the advantages
of the method is that the whole of the work can be done by artificial
light ; that is to say, a bromide enlargement can be made and
turned into a finished bromoil exhibition picture without the use
of daylight at all. This offers distinct attractions to the busy
worker.
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