An idea.....

Howdy,

Over the last few days, I have been tossing an idea over in my head.

In the past, I have dabbled in sports photography (digital, of course), having made a few sales here and there with state level motor sports events. While I would like to keep that side of things going, I accept that the market is very competitive and I don't have the right amount of time to invest in it away from my home (its hard when both my Wife and myself work during the week for me to leave her at home with the children by herself while I choof off for the weekend, every weekend or so).

But, I have thought of an idea that would be very compatible with my lifestyle and the style of photography that I enjoy (on many levels). That would be offering a Classic Photo service for Classic motorsports. IMHO, B&W prints seem to suit classic motorsport extremely well and we all know that there is nothing like a traditional B&W print.

Which leads me to my next questions. At this stage, I am only playing with standard Multigrade RC paper. From what I read, RC paper is a print on life support, but that being said, RC paper is potentially easier to deal with.

If I decide to pursue this idea, would it be in my best interest investigating fibre based paper? Would toned RC paper cut it, or would RC paper be the devil incarnate itself in the "Fine Art" sense of the word (& that being said, would I really be dealing with "Fine Art"? Me thinks not)?

Any advice would be welcome

Cheers

Whether or not you decide to pursue the project, I highly recommend picking up some 11x14 Ilford Multigrade matte fiber paper. It's some amazing stuff. If you haven't tried fiber paper you're missing out. It is THE paper. The blacks are not as black as RC paper; they're more velvety.

But it sounds like hoffy hasn't done much printing with either fiber or RC, so I'd recommend working with RC for a while to see how things work out on this venture. Just from a cost point of view. I think (or hope) the broad market still discriminates 'silver gelatin' from inkjet, but not so much RC from fiber anymore. The comment about RC prints being on 'life support' I would suggest are unfounded. Good luck!

I would recommend sticking with RC paper until you have mastered the art of darkroom work. There are no short cuts to gaining experience in the darkroom, but RC papers develope quicker and wash in a shorter time. They are also well accepted by the viewing public. And of course they are here to stay despite what what you said.

Thanks for the advice.

Is it (for longevity) worthwhile toning RC papers?

A hotel near me has about twenty framed 10x8 prints in the bar of classic racing cars taken at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed. They are slightly sepia toned and I think they are proper prints, not inkjet.

The sepia black and white really does suit these images.

http://www.goodwood.co.uk/site/content/festivalofspeed/

Some of them here: http://www.islandimages.org.uk/goodwood_racing_photography.php


Steve.

Ohhh, Goodwood....now that is high on my "Must Visit" list.

Now, I have to admit I am not a fan of sepia, but those in the examples above would appeal.

hmmm, food for thought.

For convience sake, I would use RC paper. However, for the family's sake, I would invest in some sort of camper and take them along. You could rig a darkroom in the rig, and process on site, and sell them at the event. People really go for being able to acquire a photo nearly immediatly after an event. Race Friday night, post pix Saturday morning. Pit shots and Saturday races post on Sunday. Of course, you're going to be tired, so the wifey will have to drive for you, and there are ways to involve her and the kids in the business to keep them occupied. Even if they dont help daddy, at least they are around you on weekends.

Rick

Drool... Gad I love those old Jags. I think people usually shoot the C-types from too low an angle. I think a higher angle shows their true beauty. Well, seeing one in person really shows their true beauty.
I think you've got a good idea, there. The point about becoming good with RC makes sense, but I think eventually fiber would be the way to go, as you can use it as a selling point. Like,

"Printed in the traditional way on Ilford fibre based paper..."

"Printed using the finest Ilford fibre based paper, just as was done when these cars first pressed tyre to pavement..."
Of course that one would rule out Multigrade, I suppose.

Fiber isn't all that difficult to use, the major significant difference is that it must be washed for a longer time, and the only way to know the washing is adequate is to do a retained hypo test.

OTH, most people who might be buying the prints won't know the difference, and won't be short-changed by getting an RC print. And one could make a valid argument that an RC print, properly washed in 5 minutes might well be more "archival" than a fiber print washed for 40 minutes insufficiently.

Get a pack of fiber and see what looks best. If it's the fiber, do the learning to be comfortable working with it.

bdial said:

Fiber isn't all that difficult to use, the major significant difference is that it must be washed for a longer time, and the only way to know the washing is adequate is to do a retained hypo test...

Click to expand...

I think you forgot to mention that flattening is also something to consider.
Not many would buy prints that look like potato chips.

lxdude said:

just as was done when these cars first pressed tyre to pavement

Click to expand...

In the UK, the pavement is the bit at the sides of the road which we walk on. Not the bit in the middle which you drive on!

Not sure what it is called in Australia but that line might be innapropriate for the OP.


Steve.

Steve Smith said:

In the UK, the pavement is the bit at the sides of the road which we walk on. Not the bit in the middle which you drive on!

Not sure what it is called in Australia but that line might be innapropriate for the OP.


Steve.

Click to expand...

We are kinda caught in the middle....Fender/Mudguard. Hood/Bonnet. Boot/trunk. It all works here.

Thanks for all the tips and ideas. I think that in the first instance, I will keep with getting RC prints correct, including toning. Whether I get this up and running, well thats something different all together. I just now need to get the intestinal fortitude to go for it!

hi hoffy

it used to be said that rc paper was not anywhere as 'archival' as fiber based paper
but that was years ago. nowadays it has been said that a properly processed rc print
can be as archival as a fiber print. i think there are a few threads here if you search using
"rc" and "archival" as your key words. some people think fiber paper is harder to print on, some think
rc paper just doesn't look good compared to fiber ... it is all personal taste in the end.
ilford used to sell a double weight rc paper called "portfolio" paper, it was beautiful ...
deep blacks bright whites ... it might be something to look into, if you
still want short wash times and a heavy paper that is like double weight fiber.

have fun!
john

Steve Smith said:

In the UK, the pavement is the bit at the sides of the road which we walk on. Not the bit in the middle which you drive on!

Not sure what it is called in Australia but that line might be innapropriate for the OP.


Steve.

Click to expand...

Yeah.. That didn't sound quite right, but I figured, what the hell, it's prolly OK..oops
How about "...first pressed tyre to tarmac." Maybe that works. That sounds better anyway.

Thanks for the lesson.

hoffy said:

We are kinda caught in the middle....Fender/Mudguard. Hood/Bonnet. Boot/trunk. It all works here.

Click to expand...

In Britain, aren't fenders called wings? Or is it both wings and mudguards? Here mudguards are like mudflaps, except more rigid. Except mudflaps are also called mudguards sometimes. And of course there's the whole fixed head/hardtop, drop head/convertible thing. And sedan/saloon, which really confuses folks sometimes: "It's a saloon? A saloon car. Well now that's interesting."

Yep, divided by a common language.

And what about rocker panels? What do you guys call the exterior sheet metal that goes from the level of the door sill to the underside?

Come to think of it, why are bumpers not called fenders? I mean, people aren't supposed to go around bumping things, so why do they make it seem like you can by naming something for that purpose? And my fenders aren't good for fending off shopping carts, much less anybody's bumper. When I'm at the market a more accurate name would be "target".

In the UK, fenders (if they are not guitars) are called bumpers. I don't know why though as the trick to driving is to not bump into things!


Steve.