Ctein--low cost dye transfer prints

[David A. Goldfarb]

Over on Mike Johnston's blog, Ctein is offering for a very limited time two of his dye transfer images at relatively low cost. If you've been curious to see what a real dye transfer looks like, I recommend taking advantage of the offer--

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2008/10/ctein-dye-trans.html

Ctein is one of the last practitioners of dye transfer printing and is the author of Post-Exposure among other things.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Ctein makes Dye Transfer prints from color negatives, while Jim Browning makes Dye Transfer prints from color transparencies. I have personally seen their work and can attest to the fact that these are the finest color prints (and probably among the most stable) you will ever see. DT produces the most amazing results. These guys are exceptional practitioners this art form.

PE

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Holy Dye Transfer, Batman! I'm in too!

 

[Sanjay Sen]

I got myself a print. It will probably be the only one I can ever hold.

Thanks for posting this, David.

 

[CRhymer]

I'm in too.

Thanks for the post David.

Cheers,
Clarence

 

[Neal]

Thanks for the heads up. I ordered one immediately.

Neal Wydra

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

The offer is now closed, and overwhelmingly so according to T.O.P. Meanwhile, if you want to whet your appetite, DO order the Luminous Landscape Video Journal v.3 issue 11.

It has a 30-mins interview with Ctein and a 45-mins demo session of dye transfer in the darkroom. Every step is clearly explained, demonstrated, and you only wish video cameras had better gamut to show the difference between RA4 and DT.

I just finished watching it, and it's one of those little jewels of history you're glad to see. The only other place I've seen a demonstration of dye transfer was in the French documentary "William Eggleston: By the Ways", but it was only a visual demo; no explanations were given. Ah! ze French dey laike to bee énigmatique, dey doo!

 

[Wayne]

Am I the only one that was unimpressed with the images he was offering? they just didnt do it for me and I'm a color guy...otherwise i woulda bought one.


Wayne

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

It's all about the print. I'll be interested to see it it when it arrives.

 

[Michael W]

Am I the only one that was unimpressed with the images he was offering? they just didnt do it for me and I'm a color guy...otherwise i woulda bought one. Wayne

Unfortunately I have to agree. I'd love to have bought a dye transfer print but those images did nothing for me.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Tough guys. I have seen them in person with my own eyes. They are something to behold.

PE

 

[Wayne]

It's all about the print. I'll be interested to see it it when it arrives.

Well its about 100 bucks to me, too. If its only about the print maybe you can send it to me when you're done? I would love to see one, I just didnt want to own one enough to part with a hundred...


Wayne

 

[Wayne]

Tough guys. I have seen them in person with my own eyes. They are something to behold.

PE

Well this is a fascinating turn of events. The D***** crowd says only the image matters, and Apehuggers now say only the process matters? What a crazy world!

Wayne

PS-I know thats not what you mean (is it?)

 

[2F/2F]

I was all excited until I looked at the photos. No matter how technically amazing dye transfer prints are, the pix just don't appeal to me in the slightest. Too bad, as it was a very good deal. The Ernst Haas dye transfer I wanted from my old work is $5,000 for an 11x14. Ouch!

 

[Photo Engineer]

Wayne;

When I had the last box of 16x20 Dye Transfer paper and offered it to Ctein for postage, he was kind enough to give me a print! It was beyond expectation!!!

His work is very very good.

Now, I took a lot of criticism for giving a box of DT paper to him for only postage, much of it here on APUG from an APUG member. I'll take that considering the most gracious and high quality return. It was well worth it!

The process / image / photographer / etc......... ad infinitum matters. The person doing the work in this case is a true artist.

I might add that the offer is going way beyond Ctein's expectations.

PE

 

[Curt]

A long time ago I went to see the exhibit of "The History of Photograph" at the Seattle Art Museum, I was not impressed with the dye transfer prints in the show, at the time I was in photography and graphic design at a university and my principle professor was a dye transfer printer. His work was incredible, he was a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute with a masters in photography. I have seen a lot of dye transfer prints and have been there for the pulling of prints. If someone hasn't seen one then this is their opportunity to actually have one.

I was actually giving strong thought to doing dye transfer when JandC was offering the Matrix film, but running down the Azo dyes and supplies coupled with my age, I decided that it was not going to be possible. In my opinion it's the only color process that I would consider having seen the results.

 

[CRhymer]

I got an email yesterday that my prints have shipped.

Cheers,
Clarence

 

[JBrunner]

Somehow I missed this.

 

[removed account4]

my uncle used to make dye transfer prints back in the day --- they are beautiful ...
i just found this thread ( sale ends in october )
oh well ... it's good to know others are enjoying !

john

 

[Alexander Ghaffari]

My friend bough one of Ctein's $100 DT prints, but he volunteered to wait to have his made and shipped sometime next year, since Ctein received more orders than he thought that he was going to get. He is doing all of the people's who need it before Christmas first. I am looking forward to seeing it. I would have bought one myself, but I was not too terribly impressed with the two that he offered, since I have seen many of his works from his website, and some of those are much much more impressive.

I do not do dye transfers, but I do Polaroid emulsion lifts. I have stocked up on T669, but it will soon be gone forever (and do not anyone dare give me that Fuji 100C can be used for the same thing crap...no, it cannot).

 

[Sanjay Sen]

I just got my print - it is beautiful!

Ctein also included instructions on materials to use for mounting the print, which will be very helpful (for me).

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

I received my prints today, and they are indeed beautiful. I think however it is something for which you need a little bit of an eye to appreciate properly. I'm glad I have enough to make me happy!

The prints have the look and feel of a FB print, but in colour. Which is inevitable, given that the base is baryta fiber. What I find so nice about them is the cleanliness of the colours, the purity of the tones. Also, the image is really ON the paper, not seen through a plasticky film, as is the case with RA4 (or a B&W RC print). Blacks are blacks, too: this is almost perfect CMY, no K needed.

Chromogenic prints look almost "dirty" in comparison, if I can say so, because their dyes do not look as pure as those of a DT.

All in all, I think those are probably the most organic-feeling colour prints I've ever seen. They breathe life with colour, they feel natural, not technologically corseted.

Now where can I see some original DT of William Eggleston's photos?

 

[CRhymer]

Hello Michel,

Perhaps http://whitney.org/www/eggleston/index.jsp

About 600km.

Cheers,
Clarence

 

[ajuk]

Is Ctein his last name of is it C. Tein?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

It's his only name. He's had it legally changed to Ctein.