"Wyatt Earp's Wagon" ~ Palladium toned Kallitype

For those who have followed this blog for any time know first hand I have been working steadily to find the optimal, and consistently applied density range for making a Kallitype print. Technically, using the UV printer, this same density range should also play well with a platinum/palladium print (Na2) procedure. That will be focused on in the near future. For now I finish the Kallitype portfolio work. Those images will be number 1 of an edition of 5, for all metallic print images; silver, platinum/palladium.

One thing I do not want to do is get into a habit of 'standard' print images, every one the same. That only works for me if that tonal range benefits the image. Some images aren't meant to be exactly the same tonal range as another, and it is obvious. Considering the images in the Tombstone Portfolio, they center around activity on Main Street during the day with the sun out, which happens to be the reality of things in real life. So, for me, having the same tonal range over the majority of those prints isn't out of the ordinary. It's usually always a sunny day in Arizona. It would be my guess one wouldn't see cowboys hanging out on the street when it's raining, these days.

The other portfolios of prints aren't nearly as standard. There is far more variation in tonal ranges within those bodies of work. Each shot was a different place different time and under different conditions, making them more unique in the lighting conditions, and hence print images respectively. Having said all that, with this portfolio I have arrived at a preparatory process that defines each image to its best effect, then reverse it to a negative and apply a <curve> function I created for Kallitypes. That is giving me a ten minute print time, which, as I have written on many times, is the sweet spot, for me. Twelve minutes would also be good. Under ten minutes not as good. It has to do with arriving at dMax during the print time.

I'm using the same digital preparations for the negative as the previous print images. Also the same paper, developer and toner; palladium. Being my eyesight is basically crap, for seeing finer details and any color within the red/green spectrum, I tone my prints close to ten minutes to ensure the toner is reaching the blacks, as most toners I use are 'top down' toners. That is the toning begins at the highlights and works down to the blacks, from five to ten minutes, usually. I have no doubt I miss much of the subtle shifts in tonal color over that toning time. I just make sure it's toned to the fullest.

Palladium toned Kallitype
"Wyatt Earp's Wagon" ~ 8x10 ~ 1/5
Tombstone, Arizona

Second Kallitype ~ Different Printing/Toning

The palladium toned Kallitype print posted yesterday was what I had originally intended on doing. That isn't what I actually did when printing. When you print enough Kallitypes, reading the image before development gets easier to predict correct print times, depending on the image, and the desired outcome. This doesn't mean one can't coat a print paper, then cut it into 2" strips to use as test strips is as always, a good thing, saving precious metals. Having said that, I decided to push the envelope a bit today, printing in more of the visible part of the image before development. The resultant image wasn't exactly what I had wanted, yet not unusable.

The two extra minutes darkened the image perhaps a third stop over what I wanted, which is just about the bleach back effect of thiosulfate on the print image if immersed after clearing, before toning. That bleach back brought the image back to where I had intended, at which point I then toned the print in gold toner, to intensify the shadows and add to the tonal separation. It worked quite well, leaving one difference between the two prints. This print was much warmer than its twin. Printing the image down will do this, being more affected by the citrate developer, which warms the image to begin with. If I had used the sodium acetate developer that shift would have been neutral to cool toned and the blacks would have blocked up the middle tones much more than the citrate solution.

This print is identical to the first palladium toned image, with the exception to the print time;
Print time; 12 minutes
Paper; Revere Platinum
Developed in sodium citrate
Toned in gold toner

Gold toned Kallitype
"Three Cowboys in Town" ~ 8x10 ~ 2/5
Tombstone, Arizona

New Prints ~ Tombstone Portfolio

The recent interruptions to the printing work weren't all distractions from the cause. Showing off Arizona for Chicagoan guests offers up a plethora of desirable destinations. Turns out, one of those destinations was Tombstone. An old photographic haunt over the years, different times different days, each time there with different characters doing different things, and that adds up to a lengthening portfolio. If I am presented with a tasty shot, especially devoid of the normal heavy tourist presence, like cars and other intrusions to an historical western scene, I will definitely accept it as yet another photographic gift. This trip was one such photo opportunity.

Shooting events, in the street shooting tradition, has everything to do with 'seeing' the event before it takes place. Usually counted in seconds, it becomes clear at some point if the subjects are going to form a photographic event, and if the shooter has chosen position and background well, when that golden moment arrives, clicking the shutter merely finalizes what was previsualized. Something a photographer rarely becomes fatigued or bored doing. I do miss the street shooting, which is why I have lately returned to this slice of photography. I was able to capture five more images of the Tombstone scene of the late 1870's, when Wyatt Earp roamed the streets.

This image was one of the shots that formed without me seeing it beforehand. I heard heavy booted footsteps behind me, on the wooden sidewalk. The sound was closing in very swiftly as they were soon to overtake me. I had my 20D in hand, set on aperture priority (just for such events) setting; f.8 (ISO 100). I simply turned and found the image anchor, the bottom right corner of the frame, then squeezed off a shot, hoping the auto focus was quick enough in the low light. All of which took under three seconds. Ten paces further on the sidewalk was my second gimme shot, walked right past me, coming from the street, onto the wooden walkway. Those images to come as I print them.

The testing for correct density range of a digital negative, to match the preferred tonal range of a Kallitype print is no longer needed, and I now work with one image at a time, printing the negative then making the print. When I have a master print in hand and all the notes to how I did that, I move on to the next image. This print negative was prepared in Lightroom, then finished in Paintshop Pro, to reverse the image to a negative, then apply a <curve> I created for Kallitype images. This curve should also work decently with a platinum/palladium print, for the most part. If needed, I can certainly kick up the densities easily enough. A second Kallitype print was also made. That's next.

This Kallitype was printed for 10 minutes;
Paper; Revere Platinum (open side)
Developed in sodium citrate
Toned in Palladium toner

Palladium toned Kallitype
"Three Cowboys in Town" ~ 8x10 ~ 1/5
Tombstone, Arizona

New Images ~ New Print to be

The time to return to the print room is soon in coming. Life just doesn't seem to care I have things I would rather be doing, like making new prints. It's just in your face, demanding time, now. I have new images to print, with two such images posted thus far. There are more destined to become platinum/palladium prints. For now, I can only show the images in the digital state they are at this time.

"Barrio Window"

Limited Editions vs Open Editions ~ Thoughts

I have been perusing galleries these past weeks, talking to gallery owners and photographers, sort of feeling the pulse of the exhibition scene, and expectations therein.

While visiting these galleries and black and white photography studios, the interactions with gallery owners and black and white photographers on the subject of limited editions, versus open editions, has shown me there is much disinformation bantered about, and little use of said editions in this state. Every photographer has their own perspective of what constitutes photographic art, visually, technically and presentationally. That is the three legs of the issue for gallery sales that directly affect said sales. If a print image is printed well it tends to grab the attention of the viewer, and if the print is within the price comfort zone of that buyer, the likelihood of a sale increases, a lot. If that photographic print is rare in printing medium, like hand coated prints, and, in a low edition (5), the rarity of the print and its finite nature increases the likelihood of the sale increases once again.

The argument against limited edition, coming from a photographer, was that doing so was flagrantly egoistic thinking you were going to sell a hundred or more prints by having an edition of say 1/100. Precisely the argument for limited editions. The vast majority of black and white photographers who actually have prints to show, and make sales, will ever sell more than a small number of any given print image. How many buyers of art, interested in b&w photography, would be willing to spend $500 or more for a print from an unknown photographer if there were going to be any number of copies to come, in perpetuity? For photographers, this is a touchy subject that tends to bring out lots of energy by just bringing up the topic. I don't mind making it clear that selling photographic prints in open editions is photography, but it doesn't constitute "art". Art, is collectable, holding it's value over time and generally always increasing in value over time. Speaking for myself, digital prints in open editions is but making posters that people will buy if cheap enough, if they like the image and it matches their couch or living room decor. I just don't find that clientele a desirable one.

Realizing much of my personal opinion comes off as condescending and snooty or elitist. I will say here, I don't care. I've done this for thirty years, owned a gallery representing black and white photographers, and dealt with buyers and collectors. If I could pass anything along to younger photographers who fancy themselves visual artists. Be artists. Create something unique, and rare, with your signature flare. And don't be silly enough to believe that limited editions hold you back. Simple math takes care of that. Come up with a number representing all the images you have that could be made into a print worthy of making it into a print. Then multiply that number times an edition of say 10. If you are a serious photographer and aren't just beginning, you likely have hundreds of images. If you shoot digitally that number jumps to thousands of images. If you have 100 images in editions of 10, that constitutes 1000 prints. How long do you suppose it would take to print that 1000 prints, even if you were filling orders.

Just my thoughts and take on the issue. Google Los Angeles black and white galleries, and from the lengthy list available, along with their focus and exhibitions, you will come to know that in California, if the word Art is attached to a visual image, it necessitates a Certificate of Authenticity. If you sell photographic images of any stripe, under an Easy Up tent at street fairs and art markets, much of this doesn't even make sense. Photographs are being sold and the only condition is if the viewer likes what they see. If you are looking to hang in fine art galleries with a clientele price stream that accommodates collectable prints, the rules and expectations are higher. There is no good or bad or right or wrong approach to this. It simply comes down to the clientele you are after.

New Images ~ New Prints

Carrying the 20D around over the past week of a family visit bore fruit with new images to be made into platinum/palladium prints. Before I make those prints, however, I will fill out the current portfolio of gold toned Kallitypes using some of the new images. These prints will comprise print number 1 of an edition of 5. These prints will then be offered for a very favorable price to the buyer, stimulating sales, thereby opening up for print number 2/5, and that print will be a platinum/palladium print, making said print more desirable for sale. What I believe to be the collectable avenue of photographic art.  Something I expound upon in tomorrow's article.

One of the stopovers of this past week was Tombstone, during a week day, which turned out rich in subject material and very little interference with tourist presence. That gave me almost straight up images ready for printing without need for any clone brush work to remove infractions to a period image. This type of shooting is also a bit invigorating from the normal scenic or study. Street shooting, with the focus on the certain people. In Tombstone, those people are dressed in period attire, acting out for the cameras and viewers behind them western themed actions and events, like the shootout at OK Corral.

The sample shot below was a momentary event, quick and instinctive. I heard the booted steps behind me on the wooden walkway, and I had the 20D set on aperture priority at f.8, ISO 100, auto focus, using a 28mm-135mm lens. From realizing the sound of the footsteps behind me, through quickly turning and looking for the bottom right corner anchor point, to clicking the shutter took place within three seconds. I wasn't sure I had got what I had hoped for. Turns out I did, and with a bit of tweaking in Lightroom balanced the tonal range more appreciably. The remaining distraction to the image is the girl and partial man behind the cowboy on the right, as well as the SUV passing across the street in the background.  Removable artifacts using the clone brush.

For the Kallitype print to come I will apply a softened version of the platinum/palladium <Curve> adjustment. Then on to a digital negative for printing. The hand coated print will of course add to the textural quality and depth of the print image. The platinum/palladium version will be the richest. After three weeks of interruptions it will be sweet to be back in the darkroom again.

To be Gold Toned Kallitype
"Three Cowboys in Town"
Tombstone, Arizona

New Images ~ Platinum/Palladium printing

My apologies to those who have been visiting this page over the past couple weeks, seeing no new material or new prints. I've been driving over to Las Cruces to help out an old photography friend who had open heart surgery. Big deal at our age. That would be David Shaw, whom hung in my gallery in Eugene, Oregon thirty years ago. At the time he worked mostly with silver gelatin prints, however I still have his platinum print of "Penelope", a photo view of a classic MG, with men's straw hat hanging on the mirror.

I have been utilizing what time I have as best as one can while on the run from one place to another. The tool for this is my old trusty Canon 20D, shooting in the black & white mode. Even has color filters, like the 23A or No25 red filters, also the green, yellow and blue. That could actually make for a good article, covering the tonal shifts in b&w using color filters. Speaking for myself, I rarely use a color filter, and when I do it's usually always the red filter, for the deep tonal shift in the sky and whitening of existing clouds.

An image that made itself available while I was in Mesilla, New Mexico, walking around the downtown square. The buildings that make up most of that area were built well before I was born, and that says something. Old adobe buildings and home, with old weathered wood just all over the place. Just makes you proud to be a photographer. A sample of one such shot is of a store front just off the main square. What made this shot worthy, for me, was the lighting. Just happened to be there at the right time, as I've stood on that street many times before. This is a digital image. Soon, it will become a platinum/palladium image. The goal of course, is matching this image's tonal range.

"Store Front"
Mesilla, New Mexico