TV Times

TV Times

The artistic touch of a veteran
By Randima Attygalle
Dispelling the myth that man-made mechanism rules the world, P.D. Frank, fondly called "Uncle Frank" by colleagues, still stands tall in the world of photography despite the winds of change, proclaiming to the world that there is still a place for inherent creativity.

One of the living veterans of Donalds Studio- a household name in the country, Mr. Frank's skill as a Finishing and Retouching artist is today reaped by the Acme Studio, Wellawatte- a contemporary giant in photography.

When The Sunday Times visited him at the Finishing Department of Acme Studio, 'Uncle Frank' was immersed in a delicate job of 'finishing' a wedding photograph, surrounded by an array of paints and brushes, a replica of an artist before a canvas!

"Sadly many people have a mistaken belief that the art of finishing and retouching is dying and archaic before the digital giant but it's not so," said Mr. Frank, explaining further the essence of this skilled job. Retouching is essentially the process of making a black and white picture flawless through the negatives. "Once a black and white picture is taken, there may be many errors which have to be corrected on the negative. For instance, physical defects such as a lined-face or a blemished face of a person has to be rectified, especially in case of wedding photographs," explained Mr. Frank adding that technical errors such as black areas resulting from the inadequacy of lighting, aperture defects (proper adjustment of the lens for lighting purposes) have to be altered through retouching. A special red solution of ink is applied in this process according to Mr. Frank.

Unlike retouching which is exclusively employed in black and white photography, finishing is restoring a picture irrespective of the colour. As opposed to retouching where the negative is touched, in finishing, the external sources are applied directly to the hard copy. " This is a time consuming process as everything is done manually excluding any equipment," said Mr. Frank adding that brushes and special paints are the only devices used in the art. According to Mr. Frank enlarged pictures apply this skill largely as the tendency to enhance the errors is more. In addition life size picture portraits found in studios employ this technique to restore them to last long.

Talking about the circumstances of the 'manual photography' before the digital wave, Mr. Frank said, " digital technology is no doubt a very advanced field and presentation wise, a perfect picture could be obtained but people do not know that certain digital components are apparent in the manual art as well." For instance change of facial expressions, colour changes and coining of several images are possible through finishing on a hard copy of a picture says he. "Digital technology is very expeditious but manual finishing which is a very delicate task can be very time consuming.

There are pictures we get with closed eyes for instance and we have to open them with the help of brushes and special paints," smiles Mr. Frank.
According to Mr. Frank, the distinct feature of a finishing and retouching artist is that he should necessarily be an 'artist'. "This is a skilled job where a sharp eye is vital. For one to professionally master the skill, one should necessarily have the drawing skill so that human expressions, colour blending will be best captured," explained Mr. Frank.

Dispelling the myth that the demand for black and white pictures is diminishing, Mr. Frank says that still people opt to have it parallel with coloured mode, due to the durability of the picture. "Even today many couples want to have a black and white wedding picture although bulk of the pictures are in colour." The long lasting quality of black and white photos are dependent on its thick layer of toning paper used as opposed to the plastic-like thin paper of colour which absorbs the chemicals.

Talking about the changes in the world of photography, Mr. Frank said, "like in every field, lack of professionalism is apparent in photography," said Mr. Frank who believes that technological advancement is not a yard stick to measure the progress of the art. "When we took into photography, we had to master all aspects of it from capturing a moment to developing it, but today it's sadly diminishing and as a result, quality of the art is doubtful," added Mr. Frank.

"People rely on us to cherish a special moment in life or a special expression, therefore it is special skill one has to be born with, which no doubt has to be mastered professionally. No amount of sophisticated equipment will help one emerge a fully-fledged photographer but the ability to live another person's moment as your own…," seemed to encapsulate this soft spoken and modest man's vision.

Top