Capturing the Light ~ Print Time

One of the biggest visual struggles when printing the salted silver prints is deciding exactly when to stop printing. At what point does further printer begin to suppress the middle tones without adding anything of value to the whites. Toning changes and fixing changes, then dry down all have small influences upon the final print, as many of you know. Having a predictable negative when printing just can't be stated well enough. The negatives of the new formula of visual inspection of density values is finally paying off. The prints are all coming out to be 10 minute prints, giver or take a smidgen. We have effectively created perfectly scaled negatives to work well with our 160W UV printer with light source 8" above the print surface. All of that can be rearranged to fit different printing needs.

The portfolio I have begun printing up is made up of images I shot some years ago while visiting Tombstone, Arizona. If one is sufficiently patient, there are short golden moments whereupon the shots are devoid of any modernity, which then makes the image a bit more visually traditional, especially in the palladium form. Perhaps that is but my personal proclivities, but I am hoping to present the images in as traditional a light as possible. The intent not being to deceive, but to visually show what one might see had the print been made a century before. There are a couple of time when a piece of a modern car needed to be cloned out, or some other small visual evidence out of period that would otherwise distract. I don't remove or re-text natural town or business signs.

I have other images of historical sites in Arizona, some being of Jerome, an old Copper Town that has legends of its own. The first portfolio of historical western images will consist of twelve planned prints. Perhaps that might swell to fifteen, as there is a sizable collection from which to draw from. There will likely be three or four prints with a stagecoach in the image, as it makes for rather fine historical material context. The negative formula has to do with offering good dMax, good shadow detail with full highlight texture and detail, all in a natural relationship to the lighting conditions.

I liked the weight of the barrel in the lower corner of the image, with decent blacks, showing detail in full shade, while holding in detail in the upper tonal values in full sunlight. The print time cut off was when the driver's white sleeve just separated from the surrounding tones and showed the first texture. That's the break between Zone 7 & 8. The gray range of the middle tones fell into place once the texture areas of Zone 3 and Zone & reached their optimal point (print time).

This print was also printed on Revere Platinum paper; salted 2 1/2% ~ Silver Ag 13% - 2 coats
Toned in palladium/citric acid

Palladium toned Salted Silver ~ Salt Paper
"Stagecoach from Porch" ~ 8"x10"
Tombstone, Arizona