Paper negatives

[James R. Kyle]

Don ...

Very VERY Fine work.

I am currently reading your Three postings of working with Paper Negatives.... Thank You for your great work of the explaining of this process. I have been working with Paper Negatives in LF Cameras now for three years. I Keep notes on my experiments = However = I keep stumbleing and have to start over as the papers I have (Kodabromide II RC, Polycontrast "F", and others have a little different ISO qualities. One I have tried has the high ISO of 100... I was "floored" by this... That paper is rather thin - and is used in Meatalogophy for making positives from X-Rays of welding test. I was iven about 200 8X10 sheets of this -- the paper is Kodak "INDUSTREX 620". Unbeleavable that I made an image at 100 ISO // f-11 // SS= 1/50th.... I used D-76+ two teaspoons of Sodium Bicarbonate to develop // Regular Stop and Fix. I do not make "contact prints" - but rather scan and do a little edits in CS-5. With doing that I do not have to make use of an enlarger, and can digital print up to - and perhaps larger - 20X30 Inches.

Thank you.

James R. Kyle

[Emil Schildt]

trying out my oldest lens...

Ross Petzval from about 1854...

I think I love it...

Hannah sat for me - 13x18cm paper negative

[James R. Kyle]

I make images using paper negatives, from time to time.

I can't find another thread about this, and I so would like to have a thread, where I can send my students (and other interested) to see what can be done in this way...

I know there's a lot of paper negatives around LF forum, but let's see them here.

Portraits - nudes - landscapes - still life's and so on.

I'll begin:

Kristina. 24x30cm negative. Ilex paragon soft focus lens.



and Maj - same story..

=================

There are very few Paper Negative sites that are operating on the WWW...

I have a Facebook page that is for photographers who work with Paper Negatives. Some are using "Pinhole" cameras - I and others use 4X5 and 8X10 cameras with loading the paper into the film holders. This is good as you can travel about and not have to capture the image and go to a darkroom for the development.

IF you are NOT on Facebook - I can send to you some information as to the process that I am using.

Here is the Facebook page...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1438...?ref=bookmarks

Here is my e-mail:

jamesrkyle@gmail.com

Thank you for reaching out.

P.S.= I teach as well :-)

[Fr. Mark]

About cameras for paper negatives: A few years ago I made a 5x8" pinhole camera for use with film or paper negatives following an idea I'd seen somewhere on the web where the original builder made the camera with two compartments: one for taking the picture with a built-in film holder, the other behind it and isolated from light where the unexposed and exposed stores of paper were kept. You use a piece of cardstock to keep the exposed pieces separate from the unexposed pieces. This requires a changing bag to make changes in the field. But the combination of camera and changing bag together weigh quite a bit less than my 300mm f5.6 lens for my Sinar P. I think paper negatives are a great way to learn and as an end to themselves, particularly in an era of scanners. I started with paper negatives and a pinhole camera at age 9 with a class taught out of the basement of one of the Smithsonian museums on the Mall in D.C. I re-found those negatives and reprinted them a couple years ago---some of them my 9 year old self had printed them the wrong way around (through the paper base) and was pleased to see them reasonably sharp! I wish I still had the camera, but it really wasn't anything special: just a cardboard school supplies box painted flat black inside (similar to a cigar box) and some electrical tape.

[John Earley]

It has been a while since I tried using paper negatives and previously my experience was very mixed. I had difficulty recreating useable exposures/contrast and there was a never-ending problem with paper dust. I decided to try again and with a more methodical approach. This is one of half a dozen test exposures. Dust is still a problem but I'm working on that and it isn't as bad as my previous attempts.

8x10 Ilford Multigrade, Nikon 300mm f9 wide open at 1 minute with an Ilford 00 Multigrade filter over the lens. No pre flash. Natural window light. Developed in Dektol. Scanned on an Epson V600, inverted in PhotoShop and adjusted in Lightroom.

Paper neg trial-2 by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr

[Tin Can]

About cameras for paper negatives: A few years ago I made a 5x8" pinhole camera for use with film or paper negatives following an idea I'd seen somewhere on the web where the original builder made the camera with two compartments: one for taking the picture with a built-in film holder, the other behind it and isolated from light where the unexposed and exposed stores of paper were kept. You use a piece of cardstock to keep the exposed pieces separate from the unexposed pieces. This requires a changing bag to make changes in the field. But the combination of camera and changing bag together weigh quite a bit less than my 300mm f5.6 lens for my Sinar P. I think paper negatives are a great way to learn and as an end to themselves, particularly in an era of scanners. I started with paper negatives and a pinhole camera at age 9 with a class taught out of the basement of one of the Smithsonian museums on the Mall in D.C. I re-found those negatives and reprinted them a couple years ago---some of them my 9 year old self had printed them the wrong way around (through the paper base) and was pleased to see them reasonably sharp! I wish I still had the camera, but it really wasn't anything special: just a cardboard school supplies box painted flat black inside (similar to a cigar box) and some electrical tape.

Please post those old prints!

[Alex DiBacco]

The farm nearby finally opened up for apple picking, so me and my wife naturally had to go and spend too much money

Shot on Oriental Seagull G-3, turned positive in Photoshop.
Calumet Cadet 4x5 with a Kodak Ektar 127mm, 70 second exposure at f/5.6. Dev was 60 sec in PF130.

[John Earley]

8x10 Ilford Multigrade negative, R. Knoll f5.5/360mm, f25@6min, developed in Dektol. Scanned on V600, inverted in PS and minor adjustments in LR.

8x10 Ilford Multigrade Enlarging Paper Negative, R. Knoll f5.5-360 Doppel-Rigonar, Calumet C1 by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr

[peter brooks]

Just made my first paper negs - what fun!


Cyclamen by Peter Brooks

Wood Canham, 300mm barrel Imagon with third disk (fully open), 56 seconds (7 x 8secs Sinar shutter!), natural light.
5x7 Multigrade IV, pre-flashed. Inverted in PS.

[peter brooks]

Does paper suffer from reciprocity? I'd like to do some early morning / late evening shots but with an ISO of 3 to 6 I'm a bit worried

I'm using Ilford Multigrade IV RC Glossy.

Thanks,
Peter