Contact Prints using Electronic Flash

[cotdt]

I've heard of some people using electronic flashes to control exposure when making contact prints. Anyone know how this works, and what settings to use? I'm always travelling so I want to be able to make contact prints in a changing bag, inside public restrooms or in my car. I don't have access to any darkroom. I want to make contact prints.

[Justin Cormack]

Hmm, you might be able to, but getting the right distance would be critical.

As all you need to do for contact prints is expose them to light, you should be able to do this by taking them out of the changing back for the exposure period then returning them.

Printing out paper might be much easier, as you can do everything in the light, expose in sunlight (through the car window?), and process later (you have several days leeway if you keep the prints dark). ALso you can watch the process so test strips and so on are not needed which is going to be painful if you are doing contact prints in varying conditions.

[Christopher Breitenstein]

Sounds rather cumbersome; exposing and processing in a changing bag. You could use a laptop and a film scanner to proof on the road. this would be no indication of print quality, but would give you a really good idea of how well the work is composed.

yours;

[cotdt]

Sounds rather cumbersome; exposing and processing in a changing bag. You could use a laptop and a film scanner to proof on the road. this would be no indication of print quality, but would give you a really good idea of how well the work is composed.

yours;

yes but what am i supposed to sell on the streets if the picture is on my laptop?

[rwyoung]

yes but what am i supposed to sell on the streets if the picture is on my laptop?

Make tintypes...

But you will need to get a donkey or a monkey as a prop for people to pose with. :D

[j.e.simmons]

As Fred Picker would have said, "Try it." I'd begin my experiments in a darkroom and rig the flash in some manner so that I could test the height needed. Perhaps you can hang it from an enlarger to vary the height. You want to control exposure, and also control the area the flash covers - plus you need to know if the coverage is even. It may be that to get even coverage, you need the flash at a height that exceeds the size of your changing bag.

It sounds like a lot of trial and error to me - but a potentially interesting idea. Let us know if you get it to work.
juan

[Glenn Thoreson]

Printing out paper sounds like the way to go, in your situation. It uses UV (sunlight) to print. You will be able to see the print as it develops. The only chemicals you'll need are fixer and toner, if you wish to tone it. No dark of any kind required. Well, execpt when loading your printing frame. Even that can be done in dim light. That leaves you with only the need for 70 degree water for washing the print. You can, of course cut way down on the water usage by rinsing in a hypo clear agent, such as Perma Wash. The perfect portable studio setup.

[cotdt]

Printing out paper sounds like the way to go, in your situation. It uses UV (sunlight) to print. You will be able to see the print as it develops. The only chemicals you'll need are fixer and toner, if you wish to tone it. No dark of any kind required. Well, execpt when loading your printing frame. Even that can be done in dim light. That leaves you with only the need for 70 degree water for washing the print. You can, of course cut way down on the water usage by rinsing in a hypo clear agent, such as Perma Wash. The perfect portable studio setup.

WOW just the info I need! Do you have any more info on what kind of equipment I will need?

Any useful links? Is the cost reasonably cheap? I hope the quality is good enough to fetch good prices on the streets and countryside.

[D. Bryant]

WOW just the info I need! Do you have any more info on what kind of equipment I will need?

Any useful links? Is the cost reasonably cheap? I hope the quality is good enough to fetch good prices on the streets and countryside.
I don't think anyone makes it any longer. Kentmere was the last manufacturer and they are now out of business - Centenial Pop and the cost was not cheap. No papers are cheap any longer.

Don Bryant

[Greg Lockrey]

yes but what am i supposed to sell on the streets if the picture is on my laptop?


You could get something like a Canon Pixma i90 portable printer to hook up to your laptop. It will do 8.5x11" prints and the dimensions of the printer is 12x6x2" (about half or the laptop). If being portable is what you are looking for. Yes, they are battery powered.

[Justin Cormack]

I don't think anyone makes it any longer. Kentmere was the last manufacturer and they are now out of business - Centenial Pop and the cost was not cheap. No papers are cheap any longer.

Don Bryant

They arent out of business, just bought by Ilford. Apparently there was a quality issue with the last run, but it is still available normally.

[D. Bryant]

They arent out of business, just bought by Ilford. Apparently there was a quality issue with the last run, but it is still available normally.
I've heard to the contrarty, but I hope that is true. The physical plant has been dstroyed (along with some of the coating equipment) and property sold. At any rate not an inexpensive nor easy to use factory made paper, IMO.

Don Bryant

[cotdt]

What a shame =(

Anyway, are inkjet prints worth as much as contact prints on the streets?

[Gary Beasley]

Depends on the market. The average Joe might not know or care, a collector would certainly value the contact print over the digital print.

[J Peterson]

For contact Prints I'm sure it is do-able. Just make sure you hold the flash at the same distance, or put it down somewhere and bounce it. Find out the ISO of the paper from the brands website of tech sheet info and use your handhled light meter. I think ISO of paper starts at about 5 and goes beyond 400.

I'm sure once you've done it a few times you will get a good system going. But it would probably wouldn't be cheap working it all out.

If you do try it let us know how you go!

[Nick_3536]

Recpriocity failure.

Then consider how low power the bulbs used by contact printers are. 7watts. The short burst of even a small flash is a lot more power.

I'm think the OP heard of flashing paper and assumed that meant a camera flash.

I'd rather try a battery powered night light then try and make a flash work.

[Greg Lockrey]

What a shame =(

Anyway, are inkjet prints worth as much as contact prints on the streets?

Depends on who is making them. ;)

[John O'Connell]

yes but what am i supposed to sell on the streets if the picture is on my laptop?

This is a job for Polaroid. In fact, all of your questions lead me to believe you'd be better off working in Polaroid, if you could afford it.

You're working out of your car; that gives you plenty of room for a sodium sulfite tank, a daylab, or an 8x10 processor. You also want to sell prints on the street from your car, and seem to want to use traditional processes. The cheaper way is to work with Type 55; the (much) more expensive way is to use the 8x10 materials and take a second frame with regular film for later. But attempting to make contact prints with electronic flash in a changing bag is a recipe for reciprocity failure and equipment malfunction in the field.