Large format viscous background effect

My past images have been created with a large format 8×10’’ view camera. I hand coat my negatives on panes of glass in a complex three day process. Their sensitivity is extremely low (around ISO 1 or 2) meaning that the photographs are created over a long period, sometimes many minutes. Once exposed and developed the plates are contact printed in the darkroom. From here I take the historical process and meld it with a contemporary one. High resolution reflective scans are produced of the prints and the photographs are then lightly edited and printed on archival uncoated cotton rag paper with pigment inks. Though this process requires a high level of technical skill I do feel the resulting detail in the large format prints(usually approximately 6 feet tall) are unparalleled. All flora and fauna used to create my sets are sourced sustainably by myself. I have recently embarked on a new chapter in technique education learning heliogravure printing to translate my images onto copper plates. The result is more powerful than I had imagined, turning the animals and ecosystems I photograph into near icons. The team at Zopilote Inc Mexico City have helped me create some of the the largest heliogravure photographic etchings to date worldwide. The final prints created by pressing the inked plates to Japanese paper are an unusual bridge of the photographic medium into something deeply painterly. By pushing the boundaries of current photographic practices I hope to change our understanding of what a photograph can be and help define it’s seat at the table of contemporary art.

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Fiveby4 said:

I’m looking to learn how to create images with that wavy , viscous background. Under this message is a link to an artist I like who uses this process. I’m assuming this can only be done with glass coated negatives but have been told that this is also possible with sheet film by shooting wide open and blowing out the background ( I’ve tried and it doesn’t work from what I can see ).

Any help with learning how to do this would be greatly appreciated or links to resources that explain this.

Thanks !

http://www.whitneylewissmith.com/

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Pieter12 said:

My judgment is they have been manipulated in post (possibly combining several plates) on top of being collodion plates.

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Fiveby4 said:

Yeah I’ve read her page about how she does it except she doesn’t go into the complex three day process. I was also told that this effect can be achieved with regular sheet film and I’ve tried and haven’t had any luck. I’ve definitely processed a few happy accidents with a wavy viscous super exposed look but have never been able to replicate this.
I was reaching out to see if anyone knows of a workshop , book , or resource that describes this process. We do know she uses glass dry plates and is scanning. That’s about it.

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Fiveby4 said:

Maybe it’s as simple as using dry plates and the viscous effect is simply the hand coating.

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Fiveby4 said:

I’ll look for it as well. One of the issues I’ve run into is radically different answers which at its simplest is confusing. I think you nailed is jnantz ,
this effect is achieved by a heavy coating of emulsion on a dry plate , shooting wide open and backlighting.

The effect has showed up for me a few times with sheet film after wonky processing errors. I have never been able to replicate it though.

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