A Genuine "How are these printed" question. Acutally, a few questions...

[Richard Man]

I just spent the most I ever spent on a book (and we buy lots of books each year) on this, Don Hong-Oai' Photographic Memories
http://www.photoeye.com/Gallery/forms/index.cfm?image=1&id=96098

Not the limited edition one, that I cannot justify. Any way, any ideas how one get that Chinese pictorial style effect and how he adds the calligraphy and the "chop?" Minus Photoshop of course.

How about James Whitlow Delano: Dead Link Removed I have his Impressions from China book, and the images are... extraordinary. He shoots with a Leica but have no idea how he prints...

Any pointers etc. would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Ronald Moravec]

Pushed film as there is little or no shadow detail and it is diffused either in camera or in printing. Can`t tell which on a computer screen.

 

[Donald Miller]

The first photographer prints composite images using two or more negatives much like Jerry Uelesmann...albeit more oriental type images.

The second photographer may either be printing the shadows down in printing or underexposing the film...I would almost think that he is printing down. The diffusion is more typical of diffusion at the printing stage then at the time of exposure. (deep values bleeding rather then highlights bleeding)

 

[Joe Lipka]

How about marshall oils for adding the characters to the print.

 

[Jim Chinn]

If the prints are traditional gelatin silver on fiber I would bet the characters are done in ink. As far as the softness of the images, this is usually done during printing with either a mask on the film or a diffuser under the lens.

I really love the wrok of James Whitlow Delano. I consider him to be one of the real new "stars" of photography. His work demonstrates a very real human touch that is very rare in documentary work today.

 

[Jeremy]

If the prints are traditional gelatin silver on fiber I would bet the characters are done in ink.

If you look at Don Hong-Oai's limited edition book you see that the accompanying prints are Iris prints so they have probably been digitized to add the characters, OR the final print after creation of the composite and the addition of inked characters were scanned and then outputted on an Iris so that all prints would be the same.