Ilford reference negative

miha · Sep 25, 2013

Does anyone recollect them? I bought a book on darkroom techniques in an used book store. The book came with a vinil bag that contained a 5x7 RC print and an original FP4 (not plus) negative in a small glassine sleeve. There is also additional info given which reveals that the film was developed in ID11 stock, the photo was taken with a motorised Nikon camera and printed on Ilfospeed Multigrade glossy paper. The photo is of English countryside with a house and a human figure (a fisherman) by a lake. It's purpose I guess was to show novice photographers how a properly exposed and developed negative looks like.

AgX · Sep 25, 2013

Never seen it. Very interesting!

What I know and somehow is related to it are the editions of the "Agfacolor" book by Berger which all contain a print on Agfacolor paper.
I guess I somewhere got a technical photo-book containing a positive transparency.
But a book containing a negative as educational sample is new to me.

However one dustcover for the Berger book bears a photograph of a woman doing her make up in front of a mirror. One of the two images of her is positive the other negative. An intriguing photo-montage.

miha · Sep 25, 2013

My guess is the book didn't contain the negative when bought new, rather I was just lucky that the previous book owner supplied it with the book.

miha · Sep 26, 2013

Maybe Simon Galley remembers when Ilford issued these reference negatives? Were they supplied on special request only? I would really like to know more about it. Meanwhile I will look for it and show it here.

Ian Grant · Sep 26, 2013

I think the reference negatives and prints were attached to the cover or inside one of the UK Photo magazines. I had them, 1970's I think.

Ian

miha · Sep 26, 2013

Thanks. It must have travelled a long way then as I got it from a bookstore in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Ian Grant · Sep 26, 2013

miha said:
Thanks. It must have travelled a long way then as I got it from a bookstore in San Jose, Costa Rica.

It's quite probable Ilford ran similar promotions in the US, I know they gave prints of images by well known photographers printed on Ilford paper with a French magazine, I have a Robert Doisneau print from my last visit to Paris (there were a few different images).

Ian

miha · Sep 26, 2013

I too have one of the promotional prints from - I think - William Klein, printed on Agfa paper, that came with a French magazine PHOTO about ten years ago. But the reference negative was aimed at beginners, so that they would know how a good negative and print look like. What is surprising is that the small RC print survived for at least 30 years with no signs of deterioration in a PVC sleeve.

Molli · Sep 26, 2013

I have a Kodak Colour Dataguide from 1968 and another from 1974 which both came with a negative [Ektacolor Professional S - C22 Process] and an accompanying 2x3 inch print. They were definitely part and parcel of the original publication as the envelope's edge is incorporated into the spiral binding.

I really wish I'd been in the right place at the right time to be on the receiving end of some of those prints in the French magazines that Ian mentioned.

ann · Sep 26, 2013

I have one, don't remember how , but I beleive it was in a book put out by Ilford.

Prof_Pixel · Sep 26, 2013

Molli said:
I have a Kodak Colour Dataguide from 1968 and another from 1974 which both came with a negative [Ektacolor Professional S - C22 Process] and an accompanying 2x3 inch print. They were definitely part and parcel of the original publication as the envelope's edge is incorporated into the spiral binding.

I have a Q-60 Kodak Color Reproduction Guide from 1977. The E-4, E-6, K-25 and K-64 color images look pretty good. Not so for the E-3 images.

Ian Grant · Sep 26, 2013

Prof_Pixel said:
I have a Q-60 Kodak Color Reproduction Guide from 1977. The E-4, E-6, K-25 and K-64 color images look pretty good. Not so for the E-3 images.

Interesting as I've no issues with E3 processed slides but Kodachromes are badly faded, all Fujichromes are fine (E3 process).

Ian

miha · Jun 19, 2014

Reviving this old thread as I have finally found the reference negative and the accompanying photograph I have been talking about:

Ilford reference negative

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