2019 LightBox Symposium for Alternative Process Photography

dwross · Jul 10, 2019

Heads up, everyone! Michael Granger of LightBox photography fame is hosting another alt photo get-together in September. If it's at all possible to get to Astoria, Oregon, I wholeheartedly recommend it. These kinds of opportunities are way too rare. Real people. Real prints. Life doesn't get any better than that.

I will be holding a series of short demonstrations on various aspects of making silver gelatin emulsions and materials. A few tips and actually seeing and playing with the process will go a long way toward helping make you an emulsion maker.

http://lightbox-photographic.com/workshops/

dwross · Jul 10, 2019

Heads up, everyone! Michael Granger of LightBox photography fame is hosting another alt photo get-together in September. If it's at all possible to get to Astoria, Oregon, I wholeheartedly recommend it. These kinds of opportunities are way too rare. Real people. Real prints. Life doesn't get any better than that.

I will be holding a series of short demonstrations on various aspects of making silver gelatin emulsions and materials. A few tips and actually seeing and playing with the process will go a long way toward helping make you an emulsion maker.

Christina Z. Anderson is the keynote speaker. I can't wait to meet her! In addition, Jim Fitzgerald will be there for Carbon Transfer Printing, Michael Puff with Platinum Palladium, and Karen Hymer with Photopolymer Gravure.

http://lightbox-photographic.com/workshops/

dwross · Jul 10, 2019

Heads up, everyone! Michael Granger of LightBox photography fame is hosting another alt photo get-together in September. If it's at all possible to get to Astoria, Oregon, I wholeheartedly recommend it. These kinds of opportunities are way too rare. Real people. Real prints. Life doesn't get any better than that.

I will be holding a series of short demonstrations on various aspects of making silver gelatin emulsions and materials. A few tips and actually seeing and playing with the process will go a long way toward helping make you an emulsion maker.

Christina Z. Anderson is the keynote speaker. I can't wait to meet her! In addition, Jim Fitzgerald will be there for Carbon Transfer Printing, Michael Puff with Platinum Palladium, and Karen Hymer with Photopolymer Gravure.

http://lightbox-photographic.com/workshops/

dwross · Jul 10, 2019

Heads up, everyone! Michael Granger of LightBox photography fame is hosting another alt photo get-together in September. If it's at all possible to get to Astoria, Oregon, I wholeheartedly recommend it. These kinds of opportunities are way too rare. Real people. Real prints. Life doesn't get any better than that.

I will be holding a series of short demonstrations on various aspects of making silver gelatin emulsions and materials. A few tips and actually seeing and playing with the process will go a long way toward helping make you an emulsion maker.

Christina Z. Anderson is the keynote speaker. I can't wait to meet her! In addition, Jim Fitzgerald will be there for Carbon Transfer Printing, Michael Puff with Platinum Palladium, and Karen Hymer with Photopolymer Gravure.

http://lightbox-photographic.com/workshops/

Bob Carnie · Jul 11, 2019

Good Luck.. too many miles separate me from this event..

131802 · Jul 11, 2019

Holy cow! I live in Astoria, OR! I find non-alt techniques challenging enough, but count me in.

dwross · Jul 12, 2019

Bob Carnie said:
Good Luck.. too many miles separate me from this event..

Thanks! It's sometimes seems like everything happens on the eastern part of the continent (excepting LA/ SanFran). Marvelous to have LightBox on the PNW/PSW coast.

dwross · Jul 12, 2019

131802 said:
Holy cow! I live in Astoria, OR! I find non-alt techniques challenging enough, but count me in.

Make sure you find me at the opening! I'll try to convince you that a lot of the alt processes are easier than "modern" photography .

MattKing · Jul 12, 2019

The one and only time I met Denise was at the 2014 (IIRC) Pacifica Chapter of the Center for Photographic History and Technology (CPHT) Symposium in Astoria, which the Lightbox Gallery was a major sponsor for.
The handmade film and paper she makes, and the photographs she makes with it, are reason enough to attend. And her energy and enthusiasm is inspiring.
I wish I could get there.

Bob Carnie · Jul 13, 2019

Hey Denise - do any of your custom mixes have the ability of adding Cadium.... I am interested in making an Agfa Portriga or Ilford Ilfomar or Kodak Ectalure type of emulsion... if this was possible I think you could get me interested in hand made papers......Bob

Peter Schrager · Jul 13, 2019

Bob Carnie said:
Hey Denise - do any of your custom mixes have the ability of adding Cadium.... I am interested in making an Agfa Portriga or Ilford Ilfomar or Kodak Ectalure type of emulsion... if this was possible I think you could get me interested in hand made papers......Bob

Just made pop collidion paper and am about to make my pop paper aka centennial printing out paper...my stash is almost gone but I learned enough to know it's amazing and highly flexible with different toners
Besides the only time spent in the darkroom is making the negatives; the rest of the time I'm out playing with the sun!!...

dwross · Jul 14, 2019

MattKing said:
The one and only time I met Denise was at the 2014 (IIRC) Pacifica Chapter of the Center for Photographic History and Technology (CPHT) Symposium in Astoria, which the Lightbox Gallery was a major sponsor for.
The handmade film and paper she makes, and the photographs she makes with it, are reason enough to attend. And her energy and enthusiasm is inspiring.
I wish I could get there.

Thanks!! Sorry you won't be making it down to Astoria. I had my fingers crossed I'd see you again. It was great pleasure meeting you. 2014?!!! Hard to believe.

dwross · Jul 14, 2019

Bob Carnie said:
Hey Denise - do any of your custom mixes have the ability of adding Cadium.... I am interested in making an Agfa Portriga or Ilford Ilfomar or Kodak Ectalure type of emulsion... if this was possible I think you could get me interested in hand made papers......Bob

Hi Bob,
I do have a few recipes originally with cadmium. I adapted them to leave it out. I do have a bottle of the stuff. I just have to decide whether or not it's worth a haz-mat approach to emulsion making to use it. I think it might be interesting to try (at least once). I'm very curious to see if there actually is a reason to add it. Some of these ideas and ingredients just propagated up the timeline more from tradition than reason.
d

dwross · Jul 14, 2019

Peter Schrager said:
Just made pop collidion paper and am about to make my pop paper aka centennial printing out paper...my stash is almost gone but I learned enough to know it's amazing and highly flexible with different toners
Besides the only time spent in the darkroom is making the negatives; the rest of the time I'm out playing with the sun!!...

Peter,
If you can make it over to Astoria, I will be demonstrating silver gelatin POP emulsion making (among other recipes). You're absolutely right about the amazing toning flexibility.

Bob Carnie · Jul 14, 2019

dwross said:
Hi Bob,
I do have a few recipes originally with cadmium. I adapted them to leave it out. I do have a bottle of the stuff. I just have to decide whether or not it's worth a haz-mat approach to emulsion making to use it. I think it might be interesting to try (at least once). I'm very curious to see if there actually is a reason to add it. Some of these ideas and ingredients just propagated up the timeline more from tradition than reason.
d

the papers I listed all contained Cadium I believe.... can be corrected .... It is the ingredient that I believe gives superior paper emulsion.. no chemist here but something worth investigating as a portriga or Ectalure emulsion would be killer for hand made prints on rag paper.. just sayin

dwross · Jul 14, 2019

OK, Bob, you've convinced me . I've added it to my TO-DO list. However, I just pulled out my Agfa paper sample booklet and I must say that there is little difference between "official" Portriga and the ClBr paper I make without cadmium, processed for a slightly warm tone, or with the addition of copper chloride (a much less problematic chemical). It's very easy to make. I'd love for you to try it. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised. (If I may say so) It is a killer on rag paper.

Nodda Duma · Jul 14, 2019

Denise I wish I could attend. Sounds like the type of thing I should go to

Bob Carnie · Jul 14, 2019

We are at a point where silver gelatin paper commercial versions are extremely costly.... from my experience with digital negatives and Pt Pd we are at a stage where handmade
silver emulsions on paper is going to be very viable ... I encourage all young workers to follow Denise and of course GEH who also teach hand made emulsions... It is the wave of our future me thinks.

dwross · Jul 14, 2019

Jason, yes, I'd love to see you at a get-together with us alt process types. The creativity and energy is a joy. More to the point is that I'd love to see you show off your plates! There needs to be a lot more education and awareness building about dry plate (and handmade film). Their potential to be the first step in traditional print making is exciting and basically unrealized. So far, wet plate has gotten most of the attention. Time for dry plate to shine .

dwross · Jul 14, 2019

Bob. Agreed. The only thing in the way is awareness. There is almost none. Even on this site, a newcomer would be excused for thinking that handmade silver gelatin paper is hypothetical or in the early stages of development, and/or beyond the reach of a non-chemists. In reality, handmade silver gelatin papers are just about the easiest alt process printing material to make.

Bob Carnie · Jul 15, 2019

dwross said:
Bob. Agreed. The only thing in the way is awareness. There is almost none. Even on this site, a newcomer would be excused for thinking that handmade silver gelatin paper is hypothetical or in the early stages of development, and/or beyond the reach of a non-chemists. In reality, handmade silver gelatin papers are just about the easiest alt process printing material to make.

I came to somewhat the same conclusion about a year ago.... I have been doing at least 50% of my printing business for others with hand coated process... I have considered trying to incorporate commercial silver paper with gum over applied pigmented colour but was hesitant due to some of the complexities that would need to be overcome.... too long to discuss at moment....
But if I could indeed pre shrink watercolour paper and mix up a days batch of emulsion I think the possibilities are endless..... one day.

dwross · Jul 15, 2019

"...one day" Those two words float through my brain a dozen times a day. If aspirational goals are what keep us young, I'm 3 years old, heading for the terrible twos!

re pre-shrinking: If what you're thinking is putting gum over handmade silver gelatin paper (?) I call the process "silvergum." The tooth of even HP watercolor paper grabs hold of the gum beautifully (unlike commercial paper). No need to pre-shrink the paper. The original BW print process shrinks the paper automatically, and each successive color layer shrinks it in decreasingly small amounts. If your processing protocol is reasonably consistent (time, temperature, agitation), then the shrinkage of any one type of paper is remarkably consistent/predictable. Size your negatives accordingly to match, and the registration between the layers is perfect.

I have several pages of instruction on TLF, but the pages are old now and I've got to update them. (Did I mention "aspirational"?!) Here's the bare bones: http://thelightfarm.com/Map/Galleries/MakingSeries/MakingThreeGraces/GumBare.htm

If/When you give it a try, you know I'm delighted help in any way I can. I'd love to see what your artistry and craftsmanship could do with the process.
d

Peter Schrager · Jul 16, 2019

dwross said:
Peter,
If you can make it over to Astoria, I will be demonstrating silver gelatin POP emulsion making (among other recipes). You're absolutely right about the amazing toning flexibility.

My supplies are almost in so this week it will be the pop paper....I'm stripping out sheets of some old kodabromide to use as the base..
Making emulsions is not but coating can be tricky. Following instructions from your book

dwross · Jul 16, 2019

Peter Schrager said:
My supplies are almost in so this week it will be the pop paper....I'm stripping out sheets of some old kodabromide to use as the base..
Making emulsions is not but coating can be tricky. Following instructions from your book

Fun! A suggestion, if I may: be open to adjusting the amount of Photo-flo (or whatever surfactant you're using). Fixed-out paper can be prone to repellancy spots. The tendency is to use more Photo-flo if you see them, but actually both too much or too little can aggravate the problem. Fortunately, there seems to be quite a bit of leeway.

Peter Schrager · Jul 16, 2019

Denise I was going to use the recipe by valenta on page 261 of your book. I don't see a surfactant listed in the recipe. Can just add some photo flo to the recipe?
I did coat the fixed out paper with the pop collidion solution and it did well. I'm going to use the mylar and glass method for applying the emulsion
Since it will be squeegeed I'm hoping there wont be any gaps in the coating...the paper is a single weight paper...

2019 LightBox Symposium for Alternative Process Photography

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