Salt Print

[Andrew O'Neill]

The original was captured on 8x10 film (CatLABS 80), but the negative did not have the density range for alt processes, such as Salt. So... I scanned in the negative, and made a digital inkjet neg, and eventually, a Salt print.

 

[Ben 4]

That's just a lovely print—thanks for sharing!

 

[NedL]

Beautiful!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Thank you Ben and Ned. Since I started playing with Salt almost a year ago, Kallitype printing just doesn't happen anymore. I find that Salt delivers what I want, especially in regards to consistency, colour, and simplicity. Kallitypes were often unpredictable. Looks like I'll be sticking with it, as well as Carbon, and Gum (with all its variations). Cheers and Happy 2025!

 

[retina_restoration]

Thank you Ben and Ned. Since I started playing with Salt almost a year ago, Kallitype printing just doesn't happen anymore. I find that Salt delivers what I want, especially in regards to consistency, colour, and simplicity. Kallitypes were often unpredictable. Looks like I'll be sticking with it, as well as Carbon, and Gum (with all its variations). Cheers and Happy 2025!

How interesting, Andy. I found it to be the exact opposite! I had no end of troubles with Salt but Kallitypes are a breeze, and utterly consistent.

 

[fgorga]

Wonderful print @Andrew O'Neill!

Salted paper printing is my absolute favorite alt process... so much so that I have yet (!!!!) to be tempted by kallitype.

I go back and forth with regard to gold toning. The native hue of salted paper is, to my eye, very nice but sometimes I go through a period where I gold tone most prints for reasons that are obscure to me!

I, too, keep my citrate and silver stocks separate and mix 1:1 just before coating. The separate stocks are very stable.

A trick that I picked up from Chris Anderson's book on salted paper is to add a bit of blue food coloring the the sensitizer so that you can see where it is going when you coat paper. I do this by adding 1 or 2 drops of food coloring per 50 mL of the citrate stock.

 

[koraks]

Oooh, that's a pretty one @Andrew O'Neill ! Well done!

 

[Rick A]

Another stellar print!!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Great video. While I am not ready to do salt prints, the video provides a feel of what it is like to do it. Thank you.

 

[Chuck_P]

Lovely print, I much prefered the gold toned print over the untoned print. Would selenium have toned it in it's usual way?

 

[koraks]

Would selenium have toned it in it's usual way?

Selenium tends to do funny things with alt. process prints. They easily bleach out, turning an unattractive yellow-brown hue that reminds me of diarrhea more than photography.

 

[Chuck_P]

Selenium tends to do funny things with alt. process prints. They easily bleach out, turning an unattractive yellow-brown hue that reminds me of diarrhea more than photography.

Well, that certainly puts a clear enough answer in my mind on that question. I always appreciate the no nonsense straight forward approach.

 

[retina_restoration]

Lovely print, I much prefered the gold toned print over the untoned print. Would selenium have toned it in it's usual way?

It is generally accepted that selenium isn't a good choice when it comes to toning salt (and many other "alt process") prints. More often than not, ugly colors and degraded high values are the result.

 

[KYsailor]

The original was captured on 8x10 film (CatLABS 80), but the negative did not have the density range for alt processes, such as Salt. So... I scanned in the negative, and made a digital inkjet neg, and eventually, a Salt print.

Andrew,

That is a wonderful photograph and print.... makes me wonder if I should look into the salt printing process.

 

[koraks]

makes me wonder if I should look into the salt printing process.

That's a rhetorical question, right? Right..??

 

[KYsailor]

That's a rhetorical question, right? Right..??

Well I have most of the chemicals/equipment to try it - just need to do a bit of reading to get up to speed, so it is a more than rhetorical. Having done a bit of VDB, kallitype, photopolymer and gum - not to mention cyanotype over the past 1-2 years, I just need to focus more on one process and really perfect it. Besides the process is only the half of it - I also need to work on my photographic skills as much as the process end.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Well I have most of the chemicals/equipment to try it - just need to do a bit of reading to get up to speed, so it is a more than rhetorical. Having done a bit of VDB, kallitype, photopolymer and gum - not to mention cyanotype over the past 1-2 years, I just need to focus more on one process and really perfect it. Besides the process is only the half of it - I also need to work on my photographic skills as much as the process end.

Salt printing is remarkably easy, compared to the processes that you have done. As easy as Cyanotypes. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

 

[koraks]

Having done a bit of VDB, kallitype, photopolymer and gum - not to mention cyanotype over the past 1-2 years, I just need to focus more on one process and really perfect it.

Yeah, I hear you on that one. On the other hand, you need to try a couple of things to find out what jives with you. At least that's always been my experience. Sometimes, something just 'clicks' - while others don't. For instance, gum never 'did it' for me, for reasons I can't even explain. Salt prints did, as did carbon transfer. Why? I can't say...but I'd have never known if I hadn't tried my hand at them!