All About Argyrotypes

[MurrayMinchin]

For anyone interested, here's the curve used in Capture One on the forest scene. (Histogram shown is not of the forest scene, but the curve is the same). This probably isn't my last curve (it's attempt #24 by eye because I don't have a densitometer) and will be marginally useful to anyone else...there are waaaaaaay too many moving parts!

 

[koraks]

If any light is able to get under or come back through the Gampi, the blacks are weak, but the instant the photo is firmly attached to the white support paper, they drop. This is also when fine details appear.

Very interesting - plausible, too, but it must be magic to see it happen. Exploring these Japanese tissue papers is something I'd like to do one day (I sound like a stuck record saying that, hah!)

here's the curve used in Capture One on the forest scene.

Is it possible that you're using a fairly high UV blocking ink definition, causing issues with shadow separation while maintaining tone in the highlights? I was playing with some curves earlier today and settled on the following for Van Dyke Brown when making some negatives for @Cor:

Note how there's a similar inverse-S shaped curve, but it's a bit steeper in the midtone region. In my experience, having a very flat midtone region can produce/exacerbate problems with posterization.
In a digital negative, all you need is enough density to produce paper white at the exposure that gives dmax for the process. You can make negatives with higher density, but it tends to result in the kind of relatively extreme curves you've shown above.

I don't have a densitometer

You could use a scanner or a digital camera (or even the camera on your phone) as an alternative. It may not be quite as good as a proper densitometer, but it almost certainly beats a visual adjustment process.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Very interesting - plausible, too, but it must be magic to see it happen. Exploring these Japanese tissue papers is something I'd like to do one day (I sound like a stuck record saying that, hah!)


Is it possible that you're using a fairly high UV blocking ink definition, causing issues with shadow separation while maintaining tone in the highlights? I was playing with some curves earlier today and settled on the following for Van Dyke Brown when making some negatives for @Cor:

View attachment 412099
Note how there's a similar inverse-S shaped curve, but it's a bit steeper in the midtone region. In my experience, having a very flat midtone region can produce/exacerbate problems with posterization.
In a digital negative, all you need is enough density to produce paper white at the exposure that gives dmax for the process. You can make negatives with higher density, but it tends to result in the kind of relatively extreme curves you've shown above.


You could use a scanner or a digital camera (or even the camera on your phone) as an alternative. It may not be quite as good as a proper densitometer, but it almost certainly beats a visual adjustment process.

If you are interested in Japanese papers, try Ozu Washi in Tokyo...been there since 1653 and there's no North American middleman. Five days after ordering it arrives at my door. https://ozuwashi.com/

My Epson P600 has the potential to make near bulletproof negative densities, once you start printing on the Darkest setting and adding additional density using the slider. No posterization, so far...

This is one of the few Argyrotype curves I could find which mine is based on...



...found here: https://www.alternativephotography....8/12/Special_Edition_Print_Processes_v1.5.pdf

 

[koraks]

My Epson P600 has the potential to make near bulletproof negative densities

Yeah, similar here. Much of the time that's not really what you want. Anyway, if you're happy with it, no need to fix it eh!

If you are interested in Japanese papers, try Ozu Washi in Tokyo...been there since 1653 and there's no North American middleman. Five days after ordering it arrives at my door. https://ozuwashi.com/

Thanks, that's interesting! I used to prowl in my local arts supplies store, but they didn't really have any paper like this. There's a few kinds in the GMW catalog, but kind of cost-prohibitive and the selection is narrow. The Ozu shop looks really nice!

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Yeah, similar here. Much of the time that's not really what you want. Anyway, if you're happy with it, no need to fix it eh!

Pretty sure I used the Darker setting, no additional density via the slider, and added 20 yellow in Advanced B&W mode for some inexplicable reason.

 

[koraks]

I also use yellow as a toner, but I use QTR, so the settings are quite different. I find it doesn't take a whole lot of ink to get enough density for Van Dyke Brown.