Alt Print Exchange, Round 11, October 2010

[R Shaffer]

Thanks for the kind words Alex & Lillian. Glad to hear they arrived.

Yosemite is wonderful place to shoot, especially in Winter. You need to chase a storm if you want snow. I had a very difficult time getting the prints out as I ran out of Silver Nitrate & Ferric Oxalate after getting my exposure close to dialed in. That threw everything out of wack. And then my usually consistent relative humidity, here by the beach, was all over the map ( 25 to 50% ) which effects the contrast & exposure as well. So I have quite the stack of rejects, threw in the towel and made a bromoil for Lillian.

 

[sly]

Just an update - the weather's warmed up and I've been able to get into the darkroom. I've tried and scrapped 2 ideas, but am happier with what I'm working on now. You should get a print by Christmas!!

 

[rst]

And also an update from me: My prints are drying right now. I will send them out next week and hope they arrive before Christmas.

Sorry for being so late.

Cheers
Ruediger

 

[rst]

My prints are in the mail and I hope they will find their destination before Christmas.

And I think I forgot to report that Roberts print arrived at my door. It is very nice and I like it.

Thanks
Ruediger

 

[sly]

Finally got my prints in the mail. This is the latest I've been with an exchange. A big apology to you all. Please let me know when they arrive.

 

[rst]

Today Lillians lovely pt/pd arrived. It was worth the wait. Definitely. I like it. What a great round!

Thanks a lot and all the best
Ruediger

 

[sly]

Wow! That was quick! It must have made it across the ocean before all the snow troubles over there.

Thanks, Ruediger

 

[R Shaffer]

A lovely pt/pd print arrived today. Thanks Sly.

In your note you mention troubles with pyro, I had a similar experience and now use xtol. You seem to have conquered the flat negative as the print has very good contrast and lovely tones.

 

[sly]

I guess I wasn't very clear. The negatives I'd developed in D76 have been fine for silver printing, but not working at all for alt printing. I used pyro for the first time - and the neg for my exchange print was in that first batch. I'm much happier with the pyro negs for alt printing, though I haven't tried them as silver gelatin contact prints yet.

I'm glad it got to you before Christmas. Many happinesses!

 

[rst]

I use Tanol for my 8x10" negatives. This is also a staining developer. What I found is that the stain blocks a good amount of UV light and that usually gives me negatives good for the kallitype process and good for a silver print on normal grade paper.

Cheers
Ruediger

 

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

I got Ruediger's brilliant Kallitype today in the mail - it seems christmas time has slowed the postal system down as usual, here's hoping it all evens out in the long run. Absolutely gorgeous tones and the warmth is just perfect for the scene. I really appreciate the letter too, with alt. prints especially it's great to learn the technical aspects. It'll be going up on the wall.

That's two Kallitypes from this round, would anyone like to suggest some literature? it's kinda taken my fancy...

 

[rst]

It is great to know that you like it Alex.

Literature? I think Christopher James wrote a great book: The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes, Second edition, and half an hour ago I ordered The Keepers of Light: A History and Working Guide to Early Photographic Processes by William Crawford. I do not know about books specific to the kallitype, but there are also many resources on the wire e.g. Alternative Photography would be a good start. And of course there should also be some info on APUG.

Cheers
Ruediger

 

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

I got Lillian's print today too, which I think makes for the last print of this round coming my way. I traded prints earlier in the year with one of my friends who does platinum work, and your platinum/palladium print feels a darn sight warmer, but it could be the paper base too. The detail in the parsley is my favourite part, and the borders. I appreciate all the work you put in as well, to get a print up to your standards. Studio lighting is a new game for me too, but it seems that experience makes the most difference. I've got a few studio flash units coming from another friend in the new year so maybe I'll manage to figure it all out some day.

As it stands I now have to pay for framing for all of the prints from this round, so I couldn't be happier.

Oh, I also managed to track down a copy of Making Kallitypes: A Definitive Guide, by Dick Stevens, at my library. All I can say from a few hours reading it is that more alternative process books should be written this way. Just about every variable is tested scientifically and there's a great deal of historical context, but it's still about making beautiful prints. Science in the service of art. We'll see if I can get around to trying it in the new year...bollocks, that's just a few days away.

 

[sly]

RST's lovely Kallitype arrived today. The self-masking, and resultant absence of brush marks gives it a very different quality.

I think that's a wrap on this exchange. Added some great work to my collection. Thanks everybody.