Second Test Print ~ First Printing

The portfolio of southwestern themed images continues to slowly expand as I work through the density issues. As I noted in the last post we have reached a printing range, averaging 8 minutes, sometimes 10 minutes, which is right about where we want to be. The work now is fine tuning the negatives to arrive at the optimal print image as we each envision it to be. My tastes for what a print should look like have changed over the past thirty years.

For me, printing in the high density range is the trickiest part of the process with hand coated processes, lightening or darkening during toning and dry down can sometimes be considerable. It takes practice to more fully control for those variables. The print sessions are demonstrating that in big ways. Several of the images I was able to capture in Tombstone were without any modernity in the scene. No vehicles, people or parcels to take away from the frontier facade the town goes to great lengths to convey to the visitors who flock there. There are also period characters who make the setting even more authentic. I will be printing more of the scenes with characters, one being of Doc Holliday graciously posing naturally on the board walk.

This image of a white horse, with full harness, seemed a decent challenge to portray in silver or palladium. Zone 7 in all its splendor, full range with textural detail. I'm not there yet. I am close, on this first test print. Now the tuning comes into play. Next run, it will be much better.

Paper; Revere Platinum ~ Salted; 2 1/2% solution ~ Silver; 13% sol (saturated) 1 coat

Palladium toned Salted Silver Print
"Horse Head" ~ 8"x10"
Tombstone, Arizona