Peter Turnly - Print making form Digital?

ToddB · Oct 22, 2014

Hey guys,

I just watched a vid on youtube featuring Peter Turnely, and his connection to Leica caners. One thing about it was a little confusing..? He made reference of making silver gelatin print from a famous printer. Can you make a photographic negative from a digital file?

Todd

MattKing · Oct 22, 2014

ToddB said:
Hey guys,

I just watched a vid on youtube featuring Peter Turnely, and his connection to Leica caners. One thing about it was a little confusing..? He made reference of making silver gelatin print from a famous printer. Can you make a photographic negative from a digital file?

Todd

Yes.

When digital was relatively new, some of the labs invested in the equipment that would permit creation of either negatives or transparencies on either 35mm or medium format film. I don't think any of those machines are now being made.

In addition, many people using Alternative processes to contact print make digital negatives using inkjet printers.

There is an APUG group where digital negatives can be discussed: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Otherwise, you should try the sister site, DPUG.ORG for more info.

andrew.roos · Oct 22, 2014

Sebastiao Salgado uses the same technique, I suspect with the same printer (Voja Mitrovic).

ToddB · Oct 22, 2014

Ink jet printers???? They actually have printer that print small enough to capture like silver emulsion? Just watched Oliveira Santos go through this process. Looks like he uses a Epson plot printer and he sends through a piece clear filament sheet 8x10. Has this very complicated process. Hell!!! just use traditional film with a medium format camera then scan image to make digital image (do it in reverse).

Todd

Prof_Pixel · Oct 22, 2014

ToddB said:
Can you make a photographic negative from a digital file?

Sure. Kodak even sold a system in the '90s to do this; the Kodak Premier Image Enhancement System was film in> digital enhance > film out. Among other reasons, it was designed to help film compete in the growing digital marketplace.

chriscrawfordphoto · Oct 22, 2014

ToddB said:
Ink jet printers???? They actually have printer that print small enough to capture like silver emulsion? Just watched Oliveira Santos go through this process. Looks like he uses a Epson plot printer and he sends through a piece clear filament sheet 8x10. Has this very complicated process. Hell!!! just use traditional film with a medium format camera then scan image to make digital image (do it in reverse).

Todd

The inkjet negs look great contact printed, but not enlarged.

MDR · Oct 22, 2014

Durst Lambda and other laser exposure Systems can also expose film, Hollywood uses film Recorders for that purpose.

cliveh · Oct 22, 2014

I had some digital negs made for an alternative process and found in process they were not what I wanted to achieve. I'm fine with digital prints made from originals, but the originals need to be made on film.

Thomas Bertilsson · Oct 22, 2014

The digital negative, I believe, is what is going to save the darkroom. It is something to be excited about and grateful for. It enables photographers who work mostly with digital cameras or scans film to make all of the adjustments they need to make, and then make prints in a highly repeatable and economic manner. Once you have the process dialed in, there is far less darkroom waste.

However, lots of material is 'wasted' in getting to the point of having a printable negative, for sure. But that's true for film too...

I've seen contact prints from diginegs that are just as beautiful as normally enlarged silver prints.

Richard Man · Oct 22, 2014

There are some confusion here:

1) You can use normal inkjet printer to make digital negatives for contact printing. This is usually for alternative processes and from people who do this professionally, it's as good as contact printing from the original negs AND you can start with anything, including a digital-only file or even a 4x5 or 8x10 scan.

2) You can output a digital file, regardless of origin, onto a 4x5 neg film. This is what Salgado and Turnley use. From that, you can print using analog enlarger etc.

ToddB · Oct 22, 2014

Sounds like a very convoluted process. There are a lot of homeless film cameras out there. Just use a good medium format film camera. Just saw Platinum process vid. Talking about a whole new level of process..

David A. Goldfarb · Oct 22, 2014

And on that note, the details of various hybrid processes are the topic of lively discussion on APUG's sister site, DPUG.org

Peter Turnly - Print making form Digital?

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Peter Turnly - Print making form Digital?

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