Digital Silver

[Thom Bennett]

Bob,

Thanks for your answer. I certainly understand, as a business owner, making digital prints. About 1/3 of my business prior to the digital revolution was making exhibition prints for other photographers and I saw that go away quickly. For me, it was welcome in that I wanted to do more commercial and editorial work and simply print for myself. I appreciate that you have remained relevant in the print making world and, with your Large silver film, seem to be revolutionizing the way prints are made. Kudos to you for keeping the tradition alive and growing.

"...and very unique a mint 11 x14 Deveere Vertical enlarger for up to 11 x14 film." Dammit Bob! I've just started shooting 11x14 and I just may have to see one of those big-ass negs blown up as large as possible.

Talk to you soon,

Thom

[Deval]

Bob, Thanks for such a thorough explanation on the process involved. I'm certainly willing to give it a spin when you are fully up and running in your new location. It seems like the "soul" of manual printing still exists with the lambda projection and the use of chemistry... Some would probably argue that unless you touch the wet paper with your bare hands, you miss out on an existential connection with your picture. I'm at a point when I've started trusting my decisions and gut calls when developing the film itself, and am excited about the possibility of learning the dark arts of printing, but until then it would be nice to have to surrogate prints that I have some control over as far as the final output.

[Oren Grad]

I think I should clarify this a bit.. I have split Elevator into two different companys.. My long time business partner is keeping the name Elevator Digital Ltd.
I am starting a smaller fine art lab and have moved to a second location on Toronto.s Subway System. The Lambda and enlargers and scanners are with me, as well I have opened an exhibition space.
total 3000sq ft on two floors , I have been here for two weeks now and finding my way. The move was very , very difficult .

Bob - thanks for the update, and good luck! Thanks also for linking the "patersoncarnie" site in your signature - great to see what you've been up to.

[bob carnie]

we process the rolls of lambda paper by hand... different from all the other vendors.

Bob, Thanks for such a thorough explanation on the process involved. I'm certainly willing to give it a spin when you are fully up and running in your new location. It seems like the "soul" of manual printing still exists with the lambda projection and the use of chemistry... Some would probably argue that unless you touch the wet paper with your bare hands, you miss out on an existential connection with your picture. I'm at a point when I've started trusting my decisions and gut calls when developing the film itself, and am excited about the possibility of learning the dark arts of printing, but until then it would be nice to have to surrogate prints that I have some control over as far as the final output.

[tgtaylor]

Food for thought:

The film negative offers the greatest tonal range, providing
subtleties of tones that the digital negative could not produce.
The conjecture was dots making up the inkjet negative are at
one level but the silver analogue negative provides a gradation
of tones. Additionally, a relief of different levels in the film
emulsion offers further dimensions. PMK developer formed the
greatest relief in the film emulsion.

The successful salted paper print requires a negative with a
long tonal range and sufficient density for enough silver
chloride to change into image making metallic silver during
exposure. Extensive testing proved that Ilford FP4 negatives
processed in the double strength PMK developer provided an
excellent continuous tone, and produced the extra density
desirable for salt printing. The inkjet negatives with similar
colours to the FP4/PMK negative proved to surpass a number
of other types of analogue film negatives tested.
Negatives with inadequate tonal ranges and density failed to
produce quality salt prints.


Quoted from Mechanisms of Controlling Colour and Aesthetic Appearance of the Photographic Salt Print, A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Applied Science (Photography). Eleanor Young, 2008, page 58.

Thomas