Painted Photography

Painted Vs Tinted

A closer look at the ways in which 19th-century colourists worked on black-and-white photographs

The photographs above demonstrate two different techniques of adding colour to a photograph. The one on the right, a portrait of the Maharani of Pratapgarh, has been finished by lightly tinting the glass-plate negatives, possibly with a water colour. Notice the skill with which the photographer has processed her sari, maintaining the translucent nature of the fabric. The portrait on the left represents the more popular technique, which involved covering the surface of the photo with paint. This picture of Maharani Chinku Bai Raje Scindia of Gwalior is credited to the photographic studio Vernon & Co.

Paint & Shoot

Meet some modern artists of hand-painted photography

Contemporary photographers are finding new inspiration in the painter’s studio. Some, like American-born Udaipur-based Waswo X Waswo, collaborate with miniature artists to create minutely detailed frames. Others travel fluidly between the roles of photographer and artist, like Paul Rousteau and Lisa Roze. The former, who has shot for Vogue Paris and Harper’s Bazaar, brings some of his fashion sensibility to bear to create moody landscapes, whose colours bleed outside the frame. Wendi Schneider is a fine art photographer who applies paint on archival photographs to deepen hues or bring a subtle flush of colour to the work.

Old-School Photoshop

Photo colourists were good at obscuring the line between real and fake. We put this portrait of an unidentified nobleman from our archives under the magnifying lens to find examples of hidden artistry—hit play and take the tour

Blurred Lines: Painting or Photograph?

Click on the jumping +s to find out!

WATCH: Artist Uses Paint to Turn Photos Into Paintings

It takes mastery over light and shadow—and lots of paint