Alternative processes for beginners

[Curtis Nelson]

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, many if not all these processes employ contact printing from a negative, the size of the print is the size of the negative.

Since I don't really have a way to make 8x10 negs from my 4x5 negs, I was considering using a waxed or oiled paper negative. Has anyone tried that? Would the contrast be too low to make Van Dyke brown work?

[bob carnie]

Ted - good point

I would like to add that with today's service bureaus we have numerous options for sourcing enlarged negatives.

What I have found is you can make it extremely complicated (for some of us) by plotting adjustment curves VIA QTR or other means of adjusting digital negatives.
OR you can simply send a variety of contrast curves to an image and then gang them up on a single sheet. Then on the process of your choice make a print and see which curve most
resembles your vision.

A good negative whether analoque or digital makes a good print... If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it probably is a duck..

With most alt process there is wiggle room at the coating and exposure stage, and some like Christina Anderson will use a brush to control contrast and look of a print.
So my 2cents is start really simple with the negative stage and look at the results.

We use QTR here for repeatable results but for some of the work we do we just play with the negatives.

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, many if not all these processes employ contact printing from a negative, the size of the print is the size of the negative.

[Jim Noel]

Since I don't really have a way to make 8x10 negs from my 4x5 negs, I was considering using a waxed or oiled paper negative. Has anyone tried that? Would the contrast be too low to make Van Dyke brown work?

4x5 is plenty large for alternative printing. Some of the ones I like best are of this size, or smaller although I have made many in 7x17.. Begin with the negatives you have and make some VDB's. Once you have the process down experiment with large negatives. These can be made on the computer, or as you indicated with paper negatives. If done correctly, a paper negative works well, whether oiled or not. If you have the capability of making an enlarged paper negative, you can also make an enlarged film negative on ortho/litho film.
The main point here is to get started. VDB is not very expensive, and 4x5 prints can be beautiful. Bigger is not always better, and is frequently worse.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Cyanotype and Vandykes.

[koraks]

VDB is not very expensive, and 4x5 prints can be beautiful. Bigger is not always better, and is frequently worse.

Wholeheartedly agree. Of the contact prints I make, I think I like the 4x5's best. 5x7 is in my eyes the ideal contact printing format; sadly I don't have a 5x7 back and bellows for my Sinar.

[Curtis Nelson]

The main point here is to get started. VDB is not very expensive, and 4x5 prints can be beautiful. Bigger is not always better, and is frequently worse.

This sounds like great advice. I think I'll head down this path a little and see where I end up

[tgtaylor]

I'm a little late here but since you haven't settled on a particular process that I highly recommend https://www.amazon.com/Book-Alternat...istopher+james. This book is an excellent introduction to numerous alternative processes and gives an historical background and step-by-step practical working instructions for each process. This is the book (2d Edition) I got when I started and began with the Cyanotype and is a great library resource on the alternative processes. The instructions are clear and you can read through the various processes to see which one is most appealing to you to start with. What is "easy" for one may not be for another.

Thomas

[Randy]

The simplicity and low cost of the classic cyanotype is why I started with it about a year ago. I am very pleased with my results - just won 2nd place in our local art exhibit with a print from a 4X5 neg - $200 smackers