Category: labnotes

Soup is the Pot

Posted on Posted in labnotes, morning wood, overnight notes

soup is the pot on the stove.

every kitchen of an accomplished cook has a long running pot of something. That is called the soup.

The lab world evolved addressing more problems of production, not just the obvious one. Making food to taste meant knowing the taste. This is learned by trial after trial. Commercial kitchens make more meals, and better meals than most home cooks.

Terms from the times:

Brownprint — what the Kodalith paper made. Meant as guide and softproof.

Early scanners: RCA CombiScanner. PDI Scanner. Fairchild Scan-A-Color. Crossfield Scanatron. These were available in the mid 70s.

But revolutions never happen once. The 70s were a revision of problems, not the full solution. Photography had to be replaced. The scanner is just a technical aid to continuing a past. A resuscitator.

Big differences between the professional cook and the home cooker. Professionals don’t spend time gossiping about the difficulties; rather, they talk about the possibilities.

film friday: 9/1

Posted on Posted in labnotes, overnight notes, Prints, the Lab, The Negative

Much is said about masks. This is what one looks like. Thin, blurry piece of film.

What to get for a retouching text — these are from last century. Reed’s is the key reference to have.

tools of the trade: Dye Transfer lab. some early essentials.

  • densiguide instead of densitometer
  • diffusion sheets
  • Kodak 5x Achromatic magnifier.. to align masks as you tape them
  • Kodak transparency Q card. This is the hardest to locate these days. They can be made. Sometime I will /have posted how.

from Brokaw’s section of E-81, Kodak’s unpublished, last dye transfer guide, written and edited by Frank McLaughlin. The first materials written about Dye Transfer came from those in their lab. Later materials, E-80 were written by market support staff, including Frank McLaughlin. The last time materials were updated, Mr. McLaughlin arranged for an updated manual to be written by many members of the dye transfer community.

Dennis Brokaw : Large Format Separations for Dye Transfer Printing

<<–This is his supply list.

Mr Brokaw was cited by Forumatti Wiley as a credential for Drew’s powers of photography.

Waybacking the process: