Print Day

A fairly decent return on the day's printing. The focus was on Kallitype printing. There are differences in how the final print looks, between the salt paper version and Kallitype. One of the variables at work here being the level of saturation of the silver solution in conjunction with the density range of the negative. With contrast being somewhat inversely proportional to silver saturation; that being, as the silver solution decreases the contrast increases with the density range of the negative remaining constant. The printing formula I use for the salt paper print is a saturated solution (13%) of silver nitrate, then two coat the salted paper. That allows for the longest possible density range of a negative. Perhaps it could be increases slightly by increasing the salt percentage from the 2 1/2% solution as I use, to 3% salt solution. After that, you're in uncharted territory.

PJ's "Puddle Pusher" coating rod arrived in time to be used today and I give it twelve stars our of five. It has all the advantages of using a glass rod without the necessity of having to use something equal to a Bunsen burner to bend it for the handle areas, etc. This plexi type tube comes with a rectangle handle that makes it all amazingly easy for coating the paper. No streaks, do uneven coating, just back and forth until the wall of silver ceases to be enough to move. Thanks to Photographer's Formulary for that wonderful little device.

I worked on two prints today. The first, of the dancing Native American Indians I've printed before,  using a different negative. The negative I used today had a longer density range and I believe printed in more to how I had envisioned it. It is from this negative I am redoing my other negatives. My eye now can look at the negative image and know if it will print well and for roughly how long, in our UV printer anyway. I will post the second image in another post as there is enough to discuss on the changes to the final image it is worth separating.

I am still printing on Revere Platinum paper, 300 g/M2 weight (approx 140lb) and I find it to my liking possibly just a tab bit more than the Platine paper. Both are high quality. Both come pre-sized as well. They both work well with and hand coating processes. This print was more contrasty than the print before it, and this shows up not only in saturation of the lower tonal values but also in the color shift in the final print; from the warmer toned print of the flatter negative/darker print. The print today is cooler toned, yet printed longer, as it had a longer density range.

Palladium toned Kallitype
"Sacred Dance" ~ 8"x10
Tucson, Arizona