[LargeFormat] The Czar's Photographer

[Michael Briggs]

> 
>> Richard,
>>
>> I've seen them and was blown away by the colours. You
>> wouldn't happen to know which filters or set to buy to get the same
>> effect, would you? I'd love to do this digitally by scanning B&W LF negs
>> and using each as its coresponding colour channel.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Graeme

The photos at the LOC have gone through considerably digital manipulation, both
to fix defects in the old negatives and to merge the three B+W color separation
negatives.   The original exhibition method of Prokudin-Gorskii was projection.
I am not sure that we can know how the photos originally looked.  Originally
the appearance on display would have resulted from the projector system,
including the filters in the projector.   At the LOC, the appearance results
from their digital processing, reproduction method for the prints (ink?), etc.


>>
>   I have no information beyond what is on the LOC web page.
>   There were extensive experiments with color photography
> once dye sensitizing of emulsions was discovered. 

....

>   The rainbow effect on the water in the Russian images
> suggest that the pictures were taken sequentially, the
> effect being the result of movement of the water. The total
> time must have been short, however since there is little
> evidence of fringing from motion blur. However, the deadly
> serious look may have been partly from having to stand
> still.

One of the main techical developments of Prokudin-Gorskii was his camera, which
took three photos in rapid succession by dropping a rectangular plate oriented
in the portrait mode.  The plate was above 84 to 88 mm wide by 232 mm tall,
with the end result of three almost-square color separation images in a vertical
stack.

There is some explanation of this at the LOC site:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/making.html

There are more of these photographs in the book "Photographs for the Tsar: The
pioneering color photography of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii" edited by
Robert H. Allshouse, 1980 and 1981.  The book is long out-of-print, but is
readily available from the internet book search sites, e.g., bookfinder.com.

There isn't much technical information in the book, probably because
Prokudin-Gorskii's equipment has been lost.   There is more information on his
history.  Perhaps someone who reads Russian could learn more, because he
was editor and a contributer to a Russian monthly photographic magazine.

The quality of the photos on the LOC website is better than those in the book,
probably because of the great improvements in digital imaging technology since
the book was made.   Many of the photos appear in both places.

Right now I am looking at his photo of the  "special shrine for the
miracle-working icon known as "Odigitria," traditionally associated with the
city of Smolensk": http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-3065.jpg and
page 111 of the book.  The colors on the web are much more saturated than in
the book, for example, in the book the red curtains range from dirty brown on
the right to muted orangish red on the left, while the web image ranges from
red in shadow to a vivid red.   The resolution of the LOC images is
significantly better, probably because they have done a better job in lining up
the three separation negatives.  The LOC website states that the registration
is the most difficult step.

The exhibit at the LOC was much more impressive than either the website or the
book.   They printed the photographs fairly large, roughly 30 inches wide.  The
exhibit is no longer on display, but one might be able to view some of the
prints by appointment.

--Michael