Negatives for Cyanotypes etc.

[newcan1]

I was wondering about the feasibility of certain approaches to making full sized negatives for alternative processes that call for them. The starting point is an existing 35mm color negative. The easiest analog approach would be to put the negative into a slide copier, and shoot it onto black and white negative film. Hopefully this would create a black and white positive that could be enlarged onto large film for the final negative.

Has anyone done this before? Is the orange mask of the color negative of concern/should I add cyan filtration? I realize there is some experimentation to be had, but am interested in others' thoughts/ideas.

An alternative would be to make a color slide, eg using ECP-2 color print film, but this involves additional expense. And if then making a negative from it onto anything but panchromatic film, there would be color shifts.

 

[removed account4]

I was wondering about the feasibility of certain approaches to making full sized negatives for alternative processes that call for them. The starting point is an existing 35mm color negative. The easiest analog approach would be to put the negative into a slide copier, and shoot it onto black and white negative film. Hopefully this would create a black and white positive that could be enlarged onto large film for the final negative.

Has anyone done this before? Is the orange mask of the color negative of concern/should I add cyan filtration? I realize there is some experimentation to be had, but am interested in others' thoughts/ideas.

An alternative would be to make a color slide, eg using ECP-2 color print film, but this involves additional expense. And if then making a negative from it onto anything but panchromatic film, there would be color shifts.

hi there

why don't you make whatever sized b/w print from the slide you want, the image will be a negative ..
THEN go to a copy shop and have an analog xerox made ... then take a cookie sheet / hot plate
and some parafin and wax the xeroxed negative to make it translucent. i have been making paper negatives for cyanotypes
this way, and the first black and white photographs / salt prints were made with paper negatives.
it doesn't take long to wax the paper, and it is kind of fun to be able to see your fingers through the paper
i have gotten good exposures in winter sun mid day and late afternoon at 40 mins maybe a little more maybe a little less
with an exposure unit i am sure it would be a fraction of that.

have fun !
john

 

[newcan1]

Hi John:

I like the idea of a paper negative...but I still have to figure the best way to make the slide. If I use something like movie print film, I'd have to buy some, as well as some CD2 developing agent (it's process ECP-2, which is very similar to ECN-2, which I do a lot of, except for the developing agent used). My big question is whether I can make a good "inter-slide" with black and white film, given the color mask of the negative (color movie print film is matched for this, and indeed many of my negatives are on ECN-2 film to start with).

If I can use b&w film for the inter-slide, then the easiest for me might be then to print it onto some imagesetter film to make the negative, as I have quite a lot of that given my rather dormant offset printing business. (if indeed it will print halftones when used as an analog film and printed say, in dektol).

I took a look at the cyanotypes you have on your website - you do some awesome work!

David

 

[cliveh]

Ortho film should do the trick.

 

[removed account4]

thanks david

sorry i misread your post thinking you already had slide film ...
you could always make a black and white print inter positive, then a contact print of THAT for your negative.
a bunch of years ago i was asked by a guy in a bluegrass band to make copies of a print his friend made
for him and his bandmates ... the person who took the photograph lost the negatives or something, and she was AOK with it
so i contact printed the positive print onto rc paper, and got a negative, then i just did the same thing with the negative
over and over again to get the positive print. as long as you don't have the brand name on the back of the paper it comes out OK
if there is a brand name, well you get a watermark
ortholitho works wonders too ! ( and no watermark )

have fun !
john