"Assembly at the Battlement" ~ Palladium Toned Kallitype

 After more testing, the second image from the Civil War Reenactment portfolio is now finished. These images were scanned from forty year old negatives. I worked with the Civil War Council, Salem, Oregon, to videotape the reenactments and battles, two years running. I bivouacked with the reenactors, in their encampment. Stinkin' badges, work. I designed and laminated large 'official' identity badges for Image Associates Productions, photo and credentials, bold, on a lanyard. The television crews had to stay behind the yellow tape with spectators. I, and my team were on the battlefield, up close, full frame shooting. It was glorious.

In between taping sessions for battles and encampment reenactments, surgeon's tent, screaming wounded, Miss Vicki [lady of the night] being approached by the encampment chaplain, and complaining women, recruitment session and other most excellent pieces in the day and life of a Civil War reenactor type. Those two finished video tapes have since been converted; digitized, and on DVD now. The images of this portfolio came from the Salem, Oregon Civil War Reenactment; 1990-91 seasons. They are also from the 35mm film camera I carried at the time; Canon QT. Those negative images were recently scanned via a small Wolverine roll film scanner. Which is a most excellent scanner.

Second image in the Civil War portfolio. This print I shifted back to a warm toned under base color, before toning the print in 5% palladium toner for 7-minutes. Now, a [poor man's] palladium print, which, has a long tradition. Because of the low speed film I was using at the  time, the images are high contract to begin with, which is a lot more easily dealt with in hand coated formats. The first image; "The Cannoneers", was developed in the cool toned acetate developer, for a deeper black under print, to the palladium toning. I will also be reprinting The Cannoneers, developed in the cold toned acetate developer and toning with the Gold toner using thiourea formula; the all-at-once toner. It also is known for not just coating the silver salts, but replacing some of them with gold.

Palladium toned Kallitype ~ 1/2

"Assembly at the Battlement" 11"x14"

Salem, Oregon 1990-91

"The Cannoneers" Palladium toned Kallitype

 The printing has been disrupted, greatly. I have begun printing once again, with a dedicatd portfolio of images to be printed next. The images are from a Civil War Reenactment week in Salem, Oregon, in 1990-91. All the images are entirely period setting. I bivouacked with the several hundred rreenactors. Union camp, actually. I was mostly video taping the scenes, up close, on the battlefield, with the lens filled with actions. The photography mostly came during down time, when the different camps were bustling with activity of the day.

What I was after, wasn't so much photographing the actors, although that was done. My eye was looking for the personal touches of the actors, their tents, mascots, weapon stacks and cook fires. For me, the interesting part is seeing negatives I haven't laid eyes on for thirty years. It's befitting they be printed in hand coated methods; palladium prints, gold toned Kallitype and gum over palladium, prints.

I am pretty much printing these days on Hahnemuhle paper for the Kallitype/Palladium printing. Fabriano Artistico 140lb for the gum work. This image was developed in sodium acetate, then toned in 5% palladium toner. For those not familiar with palladium toning Kallitype prints, or any silver print, the palladium, being a more 'nobler' metal, replaces all the silver salts of what was a silver print, leaving only palladium salts in their place. A century ago this was the mainstay of platinum/palladium printers, being those two elements were as expensive then as they are now, relatively speaking, to botch a platinum print would have been a disaster for anyone other than someone with lots of money to  spare. They were referred to as a 'poor man's platinum~palladium.

I am asked, often, why I don't just refer to the prints as palladium prints, being they are. Simply because I issue a certificate of authenticity for each print I make. I have portfolios of platinum/palladium and palladium prints, printed in both raw materials. I differentiate duly for disclosure for the buyer. They should know exactly when the print was made, and how. But that's just me.

Palladium toned Kallitype

"The Cannoneers" 11"x14"

Salem, Oregon 1990-91

 

:Two Buccaneers" ~ Gum over Palladium

This has been a print I have wanted to print for a number of years. Shot while taking my daughter and grandsons to see the last of the square rigger iron hull sailing ship. I shot this with a fairly long lens, to be away from the subjects, hopefully getting a more natural setting.

This print is an 11"x14" gum over palladium print. I have tried to keep the coloring as natural as possible, although variations upon the theme happen in gum printing, especially when the printer is color blind to red/green.

Gum over Palladium Print

"Two Buccaneers" 11x14

"Bella with Hat" ~ Gum over Palladium print

 This print won't go into the portfolio. It is destined to hang on my son and his wife's wall; his eldest daughter, my granddaughter, age five at the time. This was a special print for me, being who it was I was capturing on paper. The image wasn't difficult to print, being the elements printed out well using the standard CYMK formula; the palladium print being the K layer, then cyan [turquoise], cadmium yellow, then quinacridone magenta the third layer.

The image wasn't quite right with the overall color, what I could perceive of it anyway, so I asked my daughter, who sees the fuller color spectrum, what overall color she saw of the print. She said "platinum", which told me that the image was neutral, so, I added a layer of raw umber, in a shear mix, to represent skin tones, and warm the print overall. The final color layer was applied to her hat, using violet, again, in a fairly shear mix, enough hopefully that the color can be discerned by the viewer. I have to confess I don't really see that color, just the added depth of the image from the added color layer. I was also told, there is a small streak of red on her. Well, I still am unable to see it. That would have derived of the magenta run. A signature of the printer, color blind to red/green.

Gum  over Palladium Print

"Bella with Hat"

"Pow Wow Dancers" ~ Gum over Palladium Print

I have finally completed thel third and final print of the "Pow Wow Dancers" print series. It has taken a lot of time to complete the series, being the nature of the printing, that takes weeks to complete a print. Any  single irregularity or mistake and the print is jumk, start over. This print turned out to be sixteen print layers, using over twenty color mixtures. My printing in gum continues to evolve. The very nature of gum printing is a process without end, or boundaries.

When I began printing, controlling the tonal range of the image was paramount. That no longer is a primary factor for me. The overall lighting, the mood, is the focus now. Manipulating and controlling the light with each successive color layer becomes dicey, with each new print layer. A miscalculation of color density, or color choice can add to the image or destroy it. The destroyed versions are painful.

Gum over Palladium Print

"Wow Wow Dancers"

Tucson, Arizona