Mario STELLATELLI

Between the b/w and colour photography there is a not-figure-of-speech like the toning.
The toning is particularly difficult, because if it does not arise from an instinct of need combined with a refined and patient technique it will show all its limits and the picture will inevitably be blamed.
In addition, the toning is not practicised by many photographers, because there is, when it is very subtle and almost monochromatic, a world of difficult nuances and of tenderness. When he is not playing Mozart with is violin, Stellatelli makes tonings with the same passion...........

Giuliana TRAVERSO

It is simple, start with a good negative, best if on Agfapan 25 developed with Rodinal 1+50 for 9 minutes at 20°C. Print on mat or glossy ILFORD Galerie paper, grade 2 or 3, developed with Normaton diluted as usual.
Do not use RC paper!
Stop in 2-3% acetic acid, fix with a conventional fixer and wash thoroughly for 30' in running water.
It is advisable to use an hypo test to ascertain the effectiveness of the washing. The prints must have a good contrast, but avoiding the deep shadows which never tone completely, and the pure white, where there is nothing to tone.
It is prudential to prepare two or three equal prints, to have an alternative in case of big mistakes.
Before the toning, the prints must be wetted, and after the treatment they must be well washed making the water run over the surface and helping this gently rubbing with your fingers for some minutes.

The creative technique demands for the local toning, slowly processing small parts with toners locally applied by means of small brushes or nibs. Different parts of the same image will receive different toners.
The solutions must be prepared in small amounts (10 - 20 ml) also if the formulae are referred to 100 ml. Some of them, easily degradable, bust be thrown after use.

Octopus, 1986
(local toning)
Mario Stellatelli ©


THE FORMULAE

Sepia toner

1A - bleach water about 70 ml Potassium ferricyanide 1.0 g Potassium bromide 2.5 g Water to make 100 ml storage: about 2-3 months 1B - sulphuration Water about 70 ml Sodium sulphide 1.0 g Water to make 100 ml storage: 4-6 weeks *) 99% pure

Sulphoselenide toner
(brown-purple)

2A - bleach (see 1A) 2B - sulphoselenide Water about 5 ml Sodium sulphide * 2.5 g Selenium 0.1 g Water to make 100 ml storage: 4-6 weeks *) 99% pure

Iron toner
(blue)

3A base solution Water about 70 ml Iron(III) chloride 7 g Ammonium oxalate 5 g Water to make 100 ml

storage: the solution is stable many months.

Use:

Water about 70 ml sol. 3A 3.5 ml 10% Potassium ferricyanide sol. (see 4C)   2.5   ml Water to make 100 ml

storage: not more than 1 hour.


Copper toner
(red)

4A 10% Copper sulphate in water  stable  4B 10% Sodium citrate in water  stable  4C 10% Potassium ferricyanide in water  stable   for use mix:   sol.A 10 ml     sol B 80 ml     sol C 10 ml

use immediately after its preparation: the solution does not keep

The solutions 3 and 4 are used as they are.

The solutions 1 and 2 are used in two times. First use the bleach, applied by brush where you want till that zone to more or less completely fades.
Wipe off the print with blotting paper or paper towels, then wash for 2-3 minutes in running water gently rubbing with your fingers; wipe of the print again and apply the toner which will act only in the bleached zones.
Wash again as above.
If you distributed too much bleach, reaching also unwanted zones, before going on with the toner it is possible to remedy brushing over with a brush wetted with a common developer (i.e. Normaton). Wash and wipe off as usual.
The same washing, after a blotting with paper, must be done at the end of the toning.

To begin working on a print, let it immerse in a tray withwater and leave it a couple of minutes.

Water temperature is not important.

Dip the print and put it in the workplace, taking care of wiping it off with blotting paper without rubbing its surface.

First totally or partially bleach the not interesting parts (i.e. the background) which you want to be less interesting compared with the subject.

Ever dilute 1+1 or more the bleach so that you will be able to better control its effect.

After each bleach, thoroughly wash the print to eliminate the yellow stain, and make a new fixing to have the image exactly as we wanted it.

The fixing time is about 5 minutes, then wash thoroughly.

Once finished the bleach phase, go on with the sepia or brown toner, based on sulphide, selenium or thiourea (thiocarbamide). The first toner must ever be the brown one.

Bleach the part you want to brown tone with the specific bleach for that toner, let it work enough, wash in running water, then begin toning with a solution diluted 1+1. Wash again, dip, wipe off and you are ready for a new step.

It is very important to know that the sepia toner, on the contrary with the copper an iron toners, cannot be recovered developing again that part. If by a mistake the bleach went on a part which you do not want to tone, you can develop it again with the usual paper developer.

The only substance able to convert again in b/w a sepia toned image is Amidol, a chemical used the last century for developers.

For working with other toners (i.e. copper), you will need the monobath formula, that is you will mix two solutions to have a single working one. The solution begins to work where you put it, and at the same time it tones that part.

If you want o use a two baths toner, you must first bleach the part you are interested to, then wash and tone (lead nitrate/acetate bleach); the process is the same... mistakes included!

Remember that if you go out of borders, or a drop of toner falls on the print, you can develop it again in b/w with a paper developer.

As for the various formulae, both bleach and toner, see the paragraph of the Recipes Book devoted to the formulae.

The various hues chances with the papers and the brands. For tonings like those of Stellatelli, you must use a matt paper (i.e. Ilford, Efke).