That vintage look

[cyrus]

Post your vintage-look portraits

[cyrus]

I tried ferrotyping to get that old fashioned look too. Not so great.:rolleyes:

[Joanna Carter]

Post your vintage-look portraits
What can I say - simply stunning :)

[Jay DeFehr]

Those look great, Cyrus! I would never guess they are not vintage prints.

[cyrus]

Its mostly about the makeup and hair...and pearls, of course.
Commercial Ektar 14
Stocking diffuser over enlarger lens (thanks Bob!)
and I discovered that a touch of really high contrast burning-in of the eyes really makes them pop

[Jay DeFehr]

I think you're being too modest, though the hair and makeup ARE perfect. The pose, lighting, vignetting, vintage glass (I'm guessing), and image tone all combine for the overall effect. I think it's quite a technical achievement, and looks great, too.

[cyrus]

I think you're being too modest, though the hair and makeup ARE perfect. The pose, lighting, vignetting, vintage glass (I'm guessing), and image tone all combine for the overall effect. I think it's quite a technical achievement, and looks great, too.

..and pearls. :)

[Joe Smigiel]

Nice portraits and a great thread idea.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Well, this is not actually a portrait.... well it is just not of a person. I think it has a vintage look?

[Ari]

I think you're being too modest, though the hair and makeup ARE perfect. The pose, lighting, vignetting, vintage glass (I'm guessing), and image tone all combine for the overall effect. I think it's quite a technical achievement, and looks great, too.

Don't forget the model; she has that look of a bygone era, that vintage look, if you will. :)
Anyway, she really makes the photo work, for me at least.

[Jim Galli]

Very convincing! 1939 again.

[William Whitaker]

The lack of visible tattoos helps the vintage illusion, too.

[Jim Galli]

The lack of visible tattoos helps the vintage illusion, too.

Ah Will, a lip ring or two never goes out of style :D:D

[goamules]

The lack of visible tattoos helps the vintage illusion, too.

HA! I concur with that.

[Brian C. Miller]

I tried ferrotyping to get that old fashioned look too. Not so great.:rolleyes:

What paper was that? It looks like the paper separated on the drum.

[bob carnie]

Wow , I missed the whole point of the thread,, great job, did you split the print? with diffusion for one and hard for the other?


Its mostly about the makeup and hair...and pearls, of course.
Commercial Ektar 14
Stocking diffuser over enlarger lens (thanks Bob!)
and I discovered that a touch of really high contrast burning-in of the eyes really makes them pop

[cyrus]

The paper I tried ferrotyping was Ilford FB glossy. The photo is in the middle of the process of me removing the stuck-on print, which is why it looks like it separated - I tore off chunks already. It came off readily enough once soaked (the white towellete seen in the photo should not be confused with paper - it was there to catch extra water sprays.) I used to dry paper emulsion side down on glass too, with the same sticky outcome> Not having much luck with the whole ferrotyping thing! But in reality I think matt and semi-matt is underrated.

[cyrus]

Wow , I missed the whole point of the thread,, great job, did you split the print? with diffusion for one and hard for the other?

Well, more diffusion on the right than the left. The old Wollensack enlarger lens helped get the look too. It came with an old D2 enlarger I picked up a while ago. In my petulant youth I dismissed it to the back of a drawer, favoring the sharper modern lenses; now I am happy to have it.

[Tom J McDonald]

Incredible pictures.

[lenser]

Cyrus,

You might run a google search for Ferrotype solution or polish. It has been years since I've worked with plates, but I recall both Kodak and Edwal had a product for the plates which made it much simpler to both get an even finish and an easy release when dry.

[cyrus]

Cyrus,

You might run a google search for Ferrotype solution or polish. It has been years since I've worked with plates, but I recall both Kodak and Edwal had a product for the plates which made it much simpler to both get an even finish and an easy release when dry.

Thanks Lenser. I have read about a variety of explanations for why things stick to ferroplates, and a variety of suggestions to not make it so -- one suggested using "oxgall" (WTF is oxgall?) -- and I read about Pakosol too, the solution that was supposed to make prints come off easier (no longer in production, apparently it was a mixture of glycerin and photo flo) and also about some bar keepers polsih (seems to me that carnuba wax would be a substitute) but I've frankly decided that matt paper is underrated so I've given up on the ferrotyping thing. No oxen need donate their gall!

[Robert Hughes]

Wikipedia: "Ox gall is gall, usually obtained from cows, that is mixed with alcohol and used as the wetting agent in marbling, engraving, lithography, and watercolor painting. It is a greenish-brown liquid mixture containing cholesterol, lecithin, taurocholic acid, and glycoholic acid."

I've used ox gall in paper marbling - it holds the colorant on top of the water so paper dipped onto its surface will accept the marbling:
http://www.show.me.uk/dbimages/chunked_image/2005_6181.JPG

[cyrus]

So, it was suggested to wipe down the ferrotype plate with cow-juice to prevent prints from sticking to it.

Uh, no thanks! LOL

[Robert Hughes]

Do you know what gelatin is, and what it's used for in photography?

[cyrus]

Do you know what gelatin is, and what it's used for in photography?

I'M NOT LISTENING NAAAA NAAA NAAAA :p

[cyrus]

Yes, emulsion is the result of fairies pooping.

[cyrus]

Where would one get ox gall from anyway - the local butcher? And who decided to try THAT out in the first place? Its very...Hannibal Lecter.

Just kidding of course.

[Robert Hughes]

Check with a printing supplies company, or your local book art center or art supplies shop.

[archer]

When ferrotyping glossy paper the preferred solution is Flexogloss(sp). After complete washing, the print is placed in the dilute solution of Flexogloss for one minute or more but not too long or certain parts of the paper base will become saturated and cause bubbling or blistering of the emulsion surface. The print is then slightly drained and quickly slid on to the heated surface of the drum where it is then squeegeed. If using the polished chromed brass plates, without heat, do not drain the print but slide the wet print onto the plate and then squeegee and place the plate between two blotters to allow the slow and uniform drying of the print to prevent oyster rings on the print. I have many prints that I ferrotyped in the 1960's and they really beautiful but as glossy as glass and much glossier than any RC paper. In the 60's ferrotyped glossy prints were the norm for most commercial work and I produced thousands of them with very few failures.
Denise Libby