Making a negative from a photograph allows you to create a reversed image that can have an artistic quality. While digital photography has made this process easier in some ways, creating a true photographic negative still requires some special materials and a bit of work. With the right approach though, turning a photo positive into a negative can be very rewarding for any photographer looking to expand their skills.
What is a photographic negative?
In traditional film photography, a negative is created in the development process as light sensitive chemicals on the film are exposed to light, creating an inversion of the image. Dark areas appear light and vice versa. This negative is then used to make prints by exposing photo paper through the negative, reversing the tones once again.
With digital photography, a negative is created by using software to invert the tones in the digital image file. This creates a similar inverted version of the photo, with light and dark areas switched.
Reasons to create photo negatives
There are several creative reasons you may want to make a photographic negative:
– Unique visual style – By inverting the tones, a negative creates an abstract, dreamlike version of the image with an alternative aesthetic. This can be used for artistic effect.
– Conceal subject identity – Turning a photo into a negative obscures identifying facial features and details. This can be used to anonymize portraits.
– Solarization effects – Combining a photo negative with a slight blur creates a solarization effect with bold, graphic outlines between light and dark areas.
– Alternative darkroom printing – You can use a digitally created negative to make alternative process darkroom prints, like cyanotypes.
– Digital effects – Photo negatives provide the basis for using other digital filters and effects like colored tinting.
How to create a digital photo negative
There are a few easy ways to turn a digital photo into a negative using software:
Method 1:
1. Open image in editing software like Photoshop, GIMP or Pixelmator.
2. Go to Colors menu and select Invert. This reverses all the tone values in the image.
3. Adjust levels and curves to improve contrast if needed.
4. Export final negative image as JPG or other format.
Method 2:
1. Import photo into image editing app on smartphone or tablet.
2. Apply “Invert”, “Negative” or “Film negative” filter effect. These are available in many default camera and editing apps.
3. Adjust filter strength if needed. Export final image.
Method 3:
1. Install a negative filter app on your smartphone, like Negative Camera.
2. Import photo and apply filter effect within the app. Adjust filter strength.
3. Export final inverted image from app.
How to make an analog photo negative
To create a traditional photographic negative from a print photo, you need a few materials:
– Blank lithographic film sheets
– Darkroom safelight
– Photo developing trays
– Photo paper developer and fixer chemicals
Steps:
1. Take the print photo you want to make a negative of and coat the back with photo emulsion. This is light sensitive material that comes as a liquid.
2. Let the emulsion dry in a completely dark room or closet. This may take 1-2 hours.
3. Use the safelight to setup trays in complete darkness. Pour developer in one tray, fixer in the other. Fill a third with water.
4. Place the emulsion-coated print face down on the blank litho film, lined up carefully.
5. Expose this setup to a bright light source for 3-5 minutes. A photo enlarger works best but sunlight or a bright lamp can be used.
6. Process the film by developing first, fix second, wash third. Hang and let fully dry.
7. You now have a negative transparency of the photo that can be used for contact printing in the darkroom. Make sure emulsion side faces down against the photo paper when printing.
Tips for great photo negatives
– For digital negatives, adjust levels and curves to increase contrast. This improves the negative effect.
– Try different blending modes like Color Dodge and Linear Burn to modify the negative.
– Solarize the negative by applying a slight Gaussian blur to get an outline effect between lights and darks.
– Fading the negative slightly can mimic the degraded quality of film negatives for an authentic look.
– Use the negative image as a layer mask to selectively invert parts of the original positive photo for creative effects.
– For film negatives, use very fine grain litho film and coat evenly with emulsion for best results.
Creative uses for photo negatives
There are many creative things you can do with photographic negatives besides just inverting the image tones:
– Create lumen prints by exposing photo paper to sunlight through transparencies of negative and positive images layered.
– Develop cyanotype prints using negatives to make blue and white images with bold outlines.
– Mix negatives with positives in double exposure techniques. Try using a negative subject with a positive background.
– Collage negatives with other prints and found images to build visual textures and patterns.
– Incorporate negatives into handmade mixed media pieces, like encaustic image transfers or montages.
– Use fragments of negatives as masks or as translucent layers for digital photo manipulation effects.
– Make multiples of the same negative at different exposures or using different papers for an Andy Warhol pop art effect.
– Project negatives large scale onto buildings or public spaces as temporary public photo art installations.
Common problems and solutions
Creating great photographic negatives requires avoiding a few pitfalls:
Problem: Image lacks contrast and has muddy or gray tones rather than clearly inverted.
Solution: Increase contrast and adjust tone curve in editing to clarify lights and darks.
Problem: Negative appears very flat and one-dimensional.
Solution: Try adding slight blur or layering a split-tone effect to add visual interest.
Problem: Film negative has weak uneven density and grainy areas.
Solution: Use litho film with finer grain. Coat emulsion more evenly. Expose for longer time.
Problem: Darkroom print from negative is over or underexposed.
Solution: Re-print using modified exposure times. Make test strips to determine ideal timing.
Conclusion
Though digital photography has made capturing and manipulating negatives easier than ever, creating strong negatives still comes down to understanding the unique way light and dark tones reverse and interact. Mastering contrast control through the full process – whether analog or digital – gives the best artistic negatives with bold graphic pop. Think creatively about how you can incorporate negatives into your photography work through collage, mixed media, and photographic prints for results full of visual impact.
