Small Print Exchange - Round 4

[paul_c5x4]

Done. Just got to find a suitable neg - Got one in mind, if only I could remember where it was filed.

 

[rst]

... if only I could remember where it was filed.

Hah! I am not alone!

Cheers
Ruediger

 

[rst]

Today I received a very nice print from Mike Wilde of Abandon Bascule Railway Bridge. I like the subject and your framing it. Also the tones and contrast is just great. The only thing I wonder is that brownish pattern near the top left corner of the image. It looks a little bit like marks from a screen. Do you dry your prints face down on screens? But anyway, I have no idea why that should turn into brown.

And btw, your documentation is a good and interesting read.

Thanks and cheers
Ruediger

 

[Mike Wilde]

Thanks for the kind comments Ruediger.

Yes, I dried these prints face down on a screen to try to control curl.
Low relative humidity this time of the year here has a lot of FB prints going curly on me presently unless dried face down.


I thought that I had washed the screens well after doing a cyanotype coating run.
Ocassionally some sensitiser gets on the back of the prints since I coat with a rod.

Hence some can get onto the drying screens when the sheets are laid out to dry there, and why I wash my screens.

That I suspect is where the brown comese from.
The ferri-ferro prussian blue dye in the dark looks to have broken down to plain old iron oxide that worked its way into the soft wet gelatin face of the print.

Sorry I did not notice this before the print got out in the mail.

 

[Mike Wilde]

Thanks for the kind comments Ruediger.

Yes, I dried these prints face down on a screen to try to control curl.
Low relative humidity this time of the year here has a lot of FB prints going curly on me presently unless dried face down.


I thought that I had washed the screens well after doing a cyanotype coating run.
Ocassionally some sensitiser gets on the back of the prints since I coat with a rod.

Hence some can get onto the drying screens when the sheets are laid out to dry there, and why I wash my screens.

That I suspect is where the brown comese from.
The ferri-ferro prussian blue dye in the dark looks to have broken down to plain old iron oxide that worked its way into the soft wet gelatin face of the print.

Sorry I did not notice this before the print got out in the mail.

 

[Mike Wilde]

Sorry for the double post. Computer froze just as posting

 

[rst]

... The ferri-ferro prussian blue dye in the dark looks to have broken down to plain old iron oxide that worked its way into the soft wet gelatin face of the print.

Thanks for the explanation Mike, that makes perfect sense.

Hah! Then I have a rusty print of an hopefully not so rusty bridge

Cheers
Ruediger

 

[BoxBrownie]

Just a note to tell Group 1:
Rachelle ,Andrew and Alan that my prints are done and going in the post tomorrow.
Best Regards,
Steve B

 

[mooseontheloose]

Just a note to tell Group 1:
Rachelle ,Andrew and Alan that my prints are done and going in the post tomorrow.
Best Regards,
Steve B

Good to know Steve!

Guys, my prints are done but I didn't get a chance to send them before I left for my holidays, I'll do so as soon as I get back mid-March.

 

[BoxBrownie]

Posted, hooray

 

[Mike Wilde]

About a week ago I got a very nice well mounted widelux captured sunrise from Loren Sattler.

It currently sits atop the piano. My son is occupying the work bench painting his cub car presently.
When that is done I can get the use of my bench back and cut down a frame to suit this image and hang it properly.

 

[mjs]

My prints were mailed today. Both go overseas, so it'll likely be a while before they show up.

Mike

 

[mooseontheloose]

I received Steve's "Down by the Jetty" yesterday, which is a different interpretation than the print he sent in the postcard exchange. Unfortunately, because I had a months worth of mail waiting for me, the postman didn't bother knocking on my door to give me the rather large package that included not only this print but everything else, he just shoved it in my mailbox as best he could. Which bent the mat horribly. The picture is mostly okay, but I can't get it out since it's all glued together. I hope I can figure something out -- it's a nice print. Thanks!

 

[BoxBrownie]

Oh dear, shame about the matt but at least the photo sounds salvageable. The matt is attached with glue dots to the backing board at about 6 points or so around the edge so you should be able to slide a knife around it without damaging the picture. The photo itself is just lightly taped to the matt board along the top side if I remember correctly. I suppose it's always a risk sending this sort of thing by mail but I hoped the bubble wrap and extra card would be protection enough. At least it arrived that's something to be thankful for.

 

[mooseontheloose]

Yeah, I think it should be okay. It would have been totally fine if it hadn't been for the damn postman!

 

[Alan W]

Rachelle,Andrew ,Steve, I just got back from mailing three prints,should take about 2 weeks to reach you,they're all different.I worked with about 8 negatives and finally decided on a different one for each person.Steve your print arrived on Thursday of this week,and I'm enjoying it!It's a beautifully toned print with a timeless quality to it.It has the feel of an early morning shot ,though there seems to be a lot going on under the concrete overhang-is this a restaurant?i'm gonna go and look some more-thanks,Alan.

 

[BoxBrownie]

Hi Alan, it's actually a passenger ferry jetty that takes people across to the mainland just about a 10 minute ride. Looking forward to receiving your print.
Regards
Steve

 

[andrew.roos]

Just a note to tell Group 1:
Rachelle ,Andrew and Alan that my prints are done and going in the post tomorrow.
Best Regards,
Steve B

Steve thanks I received your lovely print "Down by the Jetty" today. It's a lovely moody photo which, for me, juxtaposes material decay with a spirit of hope. The building is run-down and moldy, as you note; yet the man appears to be looking out to the misty river with expectation, not despair. He stands erect and his clean white shirt evokes pride, not surrender to the decay which surrounds him. The boat appears to be in good condition, and is perhaps a passenger ferry or tour boat with which he earns his living. The tonality supports this interpretation, ranging from high key in the river, with just sufficient definition to give a tantalizing glimpse of the opposite bank, to the darker, brooding foreground. The toning gives it a vintage look; my wife commented that it should be accompanied by Ella Fitzgerald's rendition of "Summertime". All in all a most memorable print, enhanced by the detailed description of your process that accompanied it - thank you!

I have to admit that I have not yet made my prints. However I have a week's leave coming up over Easter and promise to spend a couple of days in the darkroom and get them out.

Andrew

 

[Laurent]

My prints were mailed today. Both go overseas, so it'll likely be a while before they show up.

Mike

Your print arrived while I was in the U.S.A (next time I'll come to pick it up ;-) ), and it's gorgeous !!!

Many thanks for this !

 

[mooseontheloose]

Alan, your print arrived yesterday and I love it! The boy, the framing, it all works. It has a bit of a timeless quality to it -- thanks so much!

My prints have been done for a while but I was gone on vacation and now busy with the beginning of a school year, but I have finally been able to securely wrap and label them, and they'll all be in the mail tomorrow morning.

Cheers.

 

[Alan W]

Rachelle,this is a beautiful print.The paper suits the hie-nice shadow detail here.I'm curious as to what type of tree this is.It's got folds in it that make it look like a blanket.The whole thing looks almost like a stage prop-a wonderful photo-thanks a lot!.

 

[mooseontheloose]

Thanks Alan! I'm no expert on trees, but I think it's a banyan tree. The entire temple complex is full of them!

 

[rst]

Mine went to the post office today. Oh sigh, sorry that it took so long.

Cheers
Ruediger

 

[Mike Wilde]

A deligtful kallitype landed in my mailbox on Saturday, from Ruediger.
That is ultra strange , because we do not get Saturday postal delivery.
I speculate it went to a neighbour, who dropped it off while we were out.

I like the framing of the baseball, snugged up to flower or weed, and with the way that the stiching is oriented.

Then there is the print itself. Nice contrast, and range of tones.

I am glad you documented it is a pinhole image, becuase I would have never guessed that at first or subsequent viewings.
I guess that is one more project to add ot the long and growing 'I have to try that someday' list.

I like how you have overcoated, and set the image within the larger part of the paper. The torn edges only enhance the hand made motif this image already has.

Another one to be framed and hung in the back hall. I think I will set this one out of direct sunlight though.
I am not sure of the archival nature of your toner, and I want to keep this image around for discussing for a good long time in top shape.

 

[rst]

Thanks for the kind comments Mike. I am glad it arrived safe and, well, I am glad that you like it.

The toner I used is a sulfite toner, so the result should be pretty stable. But I do not have any long term experiences. Next time when I talk to Wolfgang Moersch I will ask him about that toner and toning kallitypes. I used it mostly because I like what it does to the image tone of the kallitype as it shifts image tone a little bit to the neutral side.

Cheers
Ruediger