Platinum, Mike Ware and Whiskey...

siderotype · Jun 14, 2011

The Macallan Distillery has commissioned platinum prints - view the 12 minute video at:

http://vimeo.com/20321908

Vaughn · Jun 15, 2011

Thanks!

Reminds me I need to get some Ferric oxalate one of these days...

brucemuir · Jun 15, 2011

Those prints are breathtaking even via webcast.

The Rankin vid on that page is worth watching also.

Thanks.

nhemann · Jun 15, 2011

I know the basics of plat process (and that they're using digital negatives so maybe its somewhat off topic here) but could somebody explain to me the part about three different (highs, mids, and blacks) negatives and how that plays into the final print...are these the platinum version of an HDR shot?

nhemann · Jun 15, 2011

I think this got buried and I'm darn interested in the answer - anyone?

RPippin · Jun 15, 2011

nhemann. I think you could draw a connection to HDR with the use of three digital negatives here. It looks to me like what you would get with more traditional mask and pin registration. I've often been curious about using digital negs for contact printing. I would imagine that by making three different mask, you could also use the sharpening tools in Photoshop to enhance the image. One question worth asking is what was the origin of the original. You could make diginegs with digital images and print them with any number of media, (Carbon transfer, Ziatype, ect.) using both ends of the process spectrum. Any way you slice it, the art of printing these large negs takes a lot of skill and dedication.

Barry S · Jun 15, 2011

The separation process was used by Irving Penn and it allowed him to achieve a very high maximum print density. Essentially, it allows you to build up print density while maintaining a good separation of tones. If you think of it as a triple printing process, the separation negatives allow the highlights to be held back, while progressively darker tones receive more density. A single negative can be printed once and achieve a very long tonal range, but the dmax is still limited. Multiple coating before exposure can help to some extent, but multiple printing using separations can significantly increase the dmax.

nhemann · Jun 15, 2011

So three negatives and three exposures all on one print then? wowza...Its amazing to me that the pin registration would be precise enough to deal with all the handling involved - but then I've been around big three color presses running the NYT off at 60,000 copies an hour and things seem to work out there so why should I be surprised - lol.

Barry S · Jun 15, 2011

Penn would mount the sheet of paper on an aluminum plate in order to maintain precise dimensional stability. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on in that video, since it's an advertising and promotion piece.

Bob Carnie · Jun 15, 2011

Barry is right on all counts, there is a long discussion on Dpug about this very thing.
Very much a advertising and promotion piece.

Barry S said:
Penn would mount the sheet of paper on an aluminum plate in order to maintain precise dimensional stability. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on in that video, since it's an advertising and promotion piece.

mark · Jun 15, 2011

Killer video. Seriously Killer. Those are some pricey prints. The Rankin one was great too.

R Shaffer · Jun 15, 2011

Barry S said:
Penn would mount the sheet of paper on an aluminum plate in order to maintain precise dimensional stability. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on in that video, since it's an advertising and promotion piece.

How are they maintaining dimensional stability? Very curious.

I could see some registration marks, but no punching. I'll have to watch again as I think one of them mentions a 30min soak in water, which would help. But I get shrinkage on much smaller prints with a 30 min preshrink soak.

Maybe they shrink the negative to match the paper shrink.

Love to hang out in their darkroom for a day or two, just to watch, learn and be blown away.

Davec101 · Jun 16, 2011

R Shaffer said:
How are they maintaining dimensional stability? Very curious.

I could see some registration marks, but no punching. I'll have to watch again as I think one of them mentions a 30min soak in water, which would help. But I get shrinkage on much smaller prints with a 30 min preshrink soak.

Maybe they shrink the negative to match the paper shrink.

Love to hang out in their darkroom for a day or two, just to watch, learn and be blown away.

From my understanding Salto are using a single exposure cycle and sandwiching 3 negatives together (shadow, mid, high) in registration. It is a technique worth investigating. Penn on the other hand used 2/3 seperate exposure cycles with multiple negatives. I liked the video and enjoyed Mike Ware's input into the process of platinum printing. I have seen some of prints created Salto Ulbeek and they were excellent.

Platinum, Mike Ware and Whiskey...

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