Category: overnight notes

nutshell: Essential Skills

Posted on Posted in overnight notes

the test strip and trial print are necessary steps to making prints. Concept: test strip; ring around.

enlargers using the common lamps can be setup at the same starting point. A normal grade (2) for 10 – 20 seconds at f/16.

make first adjustments in extremes: try to “cross-over” to the other condition in one step. Print is too light? Make it too dark.

printing is discovery. writing is thinking. thinking makes new discoveries.

making ‘cardboard’ jigs — aids to covering emulsions during exposure

[ until she found out she could sing, she was just another horny woman from houston ]

the simple relation is exposure controls density of result. it gets as complicated from this as you may wish to go. there are two forms this failing: short exposure, and long exposure — reciprocity failure isn’t as common in short as long. tests from makers aren’t reliable beyond 10 seconds, nor for multiple short exposures. they don’t have the equipment to test this. (sensitometers)

color paper designed for laser exposure is designed for short exposures. that for common darkroom enlarger lamps is designed for long exposure.

the most essential skill: finding information. first: look the manufacturer. next, look to references published by university, research publications. never use forums as your first nor consistent source of information: they are replays of each other’s opinions. if they haven’t published a book; if they don’t have a website with pictures — they are only magpies not eagles. their opinion is their’s don’t automatically make it yours.

Learning Dye Transfer

Posted on Posted in exs notebook, labnotes, overnight notes

Maybe. Actually, not. Kodak Dye Transfer ran its course — it was a commercial darling, but a market failure.

One difficulty with learning the process was in getting the relevant information together. Too often the beginner was stalled with too little information; more often they were showered with too much information. Like most first steps those first choices of: ‘how much is enough’, and ‘where to get it’ stalled most learners. Like this bit of information:

A Table of Contents:

  • Making color separations
  • Separations from masked transparencies
  • Evaluation of separation negatives
  • Post treatment of separations
  • Masking
  • Fake color and other alterations
  • Controls beyond
  • Materials and tools for separations

AND where is it now? You of this post-Kodak world learn from the survivor — the loud survivor. Many of whom are known more today than they were then. They didn’t participate in the labworld, instead they lived on the edge by writing about the process — word by word. Dollar by dollar. Until in this electronic forum they are the only voice. What do they say? Mostly tales of their purchases and notice of their sales — everything is on layaway.

Off site links illustrating the world view of those that did not, as they talked with one newcome who did — She became the spine of OIC, the only group who rolled new prints with a new matrix film (F18).