Yet another great darkroom printing video

ann · Nov 27, 2010

there are lots of "tricks" we used with fiber graded papers, that don't work very well with RC papers.

AmsterdamMartin · Nov 28, 2010

Beautiful ! It is nice to see her burning, dodging and bleaching so gracefully. Blowing on the paper (drying) where she wants to reduce the effect.
No timers, no notes, no calculations, no testing, no hurry ! An eye-opener for me.
She just works her way through each of the steps, which do the same, until she sees what she wants.
More like a painter, than a lab technician !
I guess by using various subtile techniques to obtain a local effect, she reduces the visibility of her manipulation (no halos etc).
Inspires me to loosen up a bit and work more by feel.
The french voice just explains the various steps everyone over here knows, nothing special. And a lot of words are the same in English. Just listen.
It is the result that is special.

ann · Nov 28, 2010

there was a timer and she did make a test print, of course we only saw that once but i am sure that happens. Even Master printers make a trial to detemine sutle changes they may want to make. They are not testing to get a base time.

It isn't that i didn't appreciate what she was doing, but that is nothing more or nothing less than most experienced printers do.

Jeff Kubach · Nov 28, 2010

Excellent video, enjoyed it!

Jeff

JayGannon · Dec 14, 2010

Tom Kershaw said:
Well yes, but darkroom printing is also a process that conforms to certain principles, which is why I'm skeptical of the "mystical" approach.

Tom

Its also an art and she is making a full time living from it, something to learn from rather that criticize maybe?

Louis Nargi · Dec 15, 2010

Great thread, really enjoyed it.

pcyco · Dec 16, 2010

hallo

noch french in may head

thomas

but really nice to look at

Marco B · Dec 16, 2010

Some aspect no one seems to have commented on yet, but that I also find intriguing as I have never applied it, is that in the first print we see her make, after the first fixing bath, she applies what in the French note text is called "le ferricyanure". She applies it locally using a brush, and than reinserts in a second fixing bath.

I guess this is simply a dilute ferricyanide bath to reduce the densities of the darkest shadows a bit, which also explains the second fixing stage after that to remove the bleached silver. She washes the ferricyanide away with a hose of running water just after applying it.

Jerevan · Dec 16, 2010

K-G commented on that, Marco. Looks like a really good idea and I think I'll try that myself when time comes.

ooze · Dec 16, 2010

Marco B said:
.
I guess this is simply a dilute ferricyanide bath to reduce the densities of the darkest shadows a bit
View attachment 29491

She uses ferricyanide bleach (aka Framer's reducer) to lighten areas she thinks are too grey, e.g. the white of the eyes.

You can also dilute the bleach even further, so that it's rather weak, in which case you can immerse the whole print to lighten not only the whites but all tones.

dfoo · Dec 20, 2010

Is the solution really ferri & fix? If so, I thought that had a very limited lifespan once mixed (like 5-10 minutes). If you watch the video she comes right out the darkroom, sticks the print to a board and starts using the pre-mixed ferri. It also seems to work visibly...

Toffle · Dec 22, 2010

It is nice to see an acomplished printer at work - to see darkroom practices in action, rather than described, however eloquently, in a book or on a forum. I learned printing on my own, and continue to work alone. How often I have wished to have an experienced printer at my elbow to tutor me, to point out errors and/or efficiencies, and to encourage me. The only time I ever shared a darkroom is when I taught my daughter to print. I know that she benefited from even my limited experience. Videos such as this and the Robin Bell video are the next best thing. Thanks for sharing.

resummerfield · Dec 22, 2010

I just noticed this thread, and I'm glad I did. That was an excellent film. Thanks for posting!

Marco B · Dec 26, 2010

dfoo said:
Is the solution really ferri & fix? If so, I thought that had a very limited lifespan once mixed (like 5-10 minutes). If you watch the video she comes right out the darkroom, sticks the print to a board and starts using the pre-mixed ferri. It also seems to work visibly...

I meant ferri and fix one after another, not mixed in one solution... That is how she seems to use it according to the video.

I have kept ferricyanide working solutions for over a year without problems using it for a two bath bleach & redevelop sepia toner.

Tony Egan · Dec 26, 2010

merci

Cromlech · Dec 26, 2010

Look at what you've done to me... !!

Now I feel like I need an enlarger! Some day, some day, some day....

asalazar · Jan 20, 2011

Just catching up on this discussion. I attended a workshop put on by Bruce Barnbaum a few years back. He rubs the paper directly (no gloves, just hands in chemicals) while in the developer to produce this heating effect that has been discussed. As I understood it, the purpose is to add some extra depth or tone to the highlight areas. He also uses the same localized bleaching technique; however, he uses a small hose with running water just below the area receiving the bleach. The purpose here was to avoid any runoff that could cause light streaks in the finished print as the liquid ran down the paper.

Great video! She made the process look effortless.

Bill Burk · Sep 1, 2015

Video moved. Here is where you can find it now.

http://www.laboratoire-tirages-argentiques.com/prestation-eng.html

Yet another great darkroom printing video

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