Carbon printing (and other alt processes) Workshop, Hayward, CA

**Vaughn** · 2-May-2008, 10:24

I will be an instructor at the Alt Process Workshop given by PhotoCentral in Hayward, CA on June 21 and 22 (Sat&Sun), 2008.

The workshop will cover several alt processes...exactly which ones is still be decided, but I will be teaching carbon printing. Other processes may be van Dyke, cyanotype and inkjet over platinum. When I find out the exact processes that will be covered I will update this annoucement.

Obviously covering several processes in a single weekend will not leave time to cover any of them in great depth, but our goal is for everyone to leave the workshop with a good understanding of the processes, as well as a print that they have made in each of the processes.

I will be supplying the participants with carbon tissue I will make prior to the workshop. The workshop is from 10am to 5pm each day, but I plan to be available Saturday evening for those who wish to fine-tune the carbon print they made earlier, perhaps make a print from a different image, and to go into the process in more depth if desired.

Additional info:

http://www.photocentral.org/classes.html#Workshops

Vaughn Hutchins

**Vaughn** · 22-May-2008, 10:09

With the workshop a month away, the schedule has been finalized.

June 21 and 22, 2008, PhotoCentral, Hayward, CA

Celac Colvert will be teaching van Dyke Brown. Celac works at Keeble & Shuchat Photography in Palo Alto, CA. Kate Jordahl will be teaching cyanotype. Kate is the Dean of Art at Foothill College, CA. Kate and her husband Geir founded PhotoCentral in Hayward and they both are amazing photographers and teachers. I will be teaching Carbon Printing.

Three processes in one weekend -- it will be busy and exciting! I will just have enough time to give people a basic understanding of the process...and for everyone to make a print. While the workshop officially is done for the day at 5pm on Saturday, I will be available onwards into the evening to help participants fine tune their carbon prints and explore the process in more depth. Kate will also be there after 5pm for those wanting additional help with cyanotypes. There will be time on Sunday for additional work.

I will be bringing carbon tissue that I make myself for the participants to use.

Vaughn

**Jim Fitzgerald** · 22-May-2008, 19:48

Vaughn, I just need to get some $$$ in the bank and I can Officially sign up. Need to get the carbon thing going.

Jim

**Vaughn** · 22-May-2008, 20:09

Jim, hopefully you can make it! The workshop will be a great way to jump-start into the process. Teaching myself from a magazine article in View Camera magazine, it took me two years to start getting carbon prints I really liked. And I was ten years into the process before I actually saw a carbon print other than my own attempts. Things have changed with the internet and workshops! There is so much more support available now!

Probably the only other process that is cheaper to do is cyanotypes -- and being totally bias here, there is no other process that looks as good. I really enjoy platinum/palladium printing, but when I get out and look at both my carbon prints and my pt/pd prints I kick myself and ask why am I spending all this money on expensive platinum, palladium and fancy watercolor papers!

Sounds like you have some good potential carbon negs from our Yosemite adventures -- don't bring any of your 11x14 negs to print -- lets keep it to 8x10 or smaller to start of with! LOL!

Vaughn

**Jim Fitzgerald** · 22-May-2008, 22:32

Vaughn, 8x10 negs it is! I know I have some good ones from our trip.

Jim

**sanking** · 23-May-2008, 06:46

Originally Posted by Vaughn

Probably the only other process that is cheaper to do is cyanotypes -- and being totally bias here, there is no other process that looks as good. I really enjoy platinum/palladium printing, but when I get out and look at both my carbon prints and my pt/pd prints I kick myself and ask why am I spending all this money on expensive platinum, palladium and fancy watercolor papers!

Vaughn

I agree with your comments about carbon printing versus pt/pd prints. But even if pt./pd. were inexpensive the look does not come close to that of well-made carbon prints. Pt/Pd prints look ok when wet, but are rarely impressive to me when dry. Carbon prints, on the other hand, look just as good when dry as wet.

Unfortunately very few people have ever seen a carbon print so it is hard for them to understand what we are talking about. And there is also the issue that there is no single look to a carbon print. Carbon prints can be any color, have no relief or
a lot of relief, be printed with low DR negatives or high DR negatives, and be on many type of paper surfaces, as well as glass, metal and plastics.

Sandy King

**Vaughn** · 23-May-2008, 08:04

And not forgetting those people who are truely insane and make full color carbon prints!

And printers like Gordon Chapple who print using 3 to 6 (or more?) layers of black (over a layer of silver)! The beauty of the process is all the control one has of all the variables that go into making a print. The "curse" of the process is learning to control all those variables of the process!

But it is worth it!

Platinum printers -- pardon my obvious bias...platinum is a beautiful process.

Vaughn

**Jim Fitzgerald** · 23-May-2008, 08:05

Sandy, I have seen Vaughn's carbon prints when we were at Yosemite together in February. You are right. The look of carbon prints is nothing short of amazing! Yes, there is a learning curve and it takes a lot of time to produce a good carbon print but the results I've seen are worth the effort. With the unlimited possibilities for color and tone I'm very surprised that more people do not try carbon. I'm looking forward to the workshop.

Jim

**David Luttmann** · 23-May-2008, 08:16

I'm going to have to do some research on this process myself as well. I recently had the chance to view a couple of Carbon prints and loved them. Might be something to try for the heck (and beauty) of it! I definitely prefer it to Platinum.

**sanking** · 23-May-2008, 09:15

Originally Posted by Vaughn

And not forgetting those people who are truely insane and make full color carbon prints!

And printers like Gordon Chapple who print using 3 to 6 (or more?) layers of black (over a layer of silver)! The beauty of the process is all the control one has of all the variables that go into making a print. The "curse" of the process is learning to control all those variables of the process!

But it is worth it!

Platinum printers -- pardon my obvious bias...platinum is a beautiful process.

Vaughn

I made color carbon prints at one time, but left that world of the truly insane some years ago. But there are currently two superb color carbon printers in North America, Tod Gangler of Art and Soul Studio in Seattle, and John Bentley of Toronto. John just recently had one-man show in Toronto. It may be still up.

In general I much prefer the look of carbon to pt/pd. However, with high key images that have very delicate transition tones in the highlights pt/pd, because of the natural shoulder compression, gives beautiful results. These kind of images are more difficult to make with carbon because of the straight line nature of the carbon curve.

Sandy King