Processes – Page 2 – Richy Photo Blog

Lockdown Lumens

The bright spring days made perfect conditions for lumen prints. With this technique you use darkroom photographic paper (old works best), sandwich objects on it under a pane of glass and expose to the sun for an experimental period of time. The paper incorporates some developing agents so you get a self-developed image after exposure. You then rinse the paper in fixer to dissolve the unexposed silver halides, as is normal with any photo processing, and you have the final image.

The fixing changes the image tones slightly but makes it permanent. Variables to control the final image image include, the paper make and age, the type of fixer used, the exposure time. Moisture can effect the image, activating the inherent developing agent, so with plants you get variable effects.

Although the paper is for black and white prints the outcome is often a lovely shade of brown with beautiful variations showing the finest detail of the plant. You get an almost 3D view as the denser parts of the plant allow less light through and vice versa for the lightest, and parts not on contact with the paper will also create a shadow.

I like the uncertainty of the process and each print is unique. I find them very beautiful.

Getting There

After 3 weeks weeks of solid work from dawn till dusk in my single minded, ‘man on a mission’ mode. I am now getting some acceptable prints in the various methods I am using.

There have been a lot of issues to resolve from a band new camera leaking light like a sieve, working with different chemistry not quite giving expected results, a box of bad paper, and of course my own mistakes.

The vandyke brown prints, the most complex and laborious process involving hand coating paper, has not worked as well as envisaged with the different brand of chemistry here but have got some nice images.

The prints made from photographic paper in the camera have worked better than expected despite a delay having to replace a new box of paper and work out a new developer after the original went off. These tone nicely too.

And then I started to try some lumen prints, placing objects on photographic paper and exposing to the sun. These I always planned to do with the prairie plants really like the outcome. I love the almost 3D effect and odd colours you can get.

These all alook a bit hazy as they are a bit curly until mounted and in protective bags so reflect the light.

Burnt Porridge

Saturday morning burnt the porridge. A groggy awakening but wanting to take advantage of the light so set about taking shots of several scenes outside the Depot.

This resulted in: one double exposure; one half pulled slide with a film in it; a half full box of paper not closed properly and fogged. Oh and later, completing a technique of sensitising photographic paper in camera a boost by a quick exposure through a filter; yes, I forgot to put the filter in front; another 2 sheets of 8×10 wasted.

If you’re brain is half wake so you burn the porridge DO NOT go and perform technical, detailed, and precise procedures.

The compensation is that the one shot that worked came out beautifully, now very happy with the direct positive prints. The downside is that was the box of paper that got fogged so had to order a new box. – Update – actually only one sheet was fogged all the rest OK.

Trial and Error

I have spent the week getting my processes calibrated and finalised. It is hard work of trial and error but with one process I am fairly happy it will produce what I want, although not helped by the fact that my new 8×10 camera has light leaks, so have to laboriously tape it up after making any lens or orientation change.

Test strips from the vandyke brown process. These are from negatives I develop from from the 8×10 camera. There is some difference in the chemical brand I am using here the result is not quite the same at home and had to take numerous test strips to find the right exposure for the paper, pretty happy that this will produce what I want. Ready to start my first proper prints.

First full print using Ilford Direct Positive paper. This is photographic paper placed in the camera and when developed normally produces a lovely positive print on this fibre based paper. Because it is exposed directly in the camera the image is reversed left/right.

It is a tricky medium to use. It is very low speed, requires long exposures, is naturally very hight contrast. Several techniques can be used to help tame this but it is it hard to get consistent results especially as the paper is sensitive to the UV spectrum of light you have to take tnto account the time of day when exposing. Still, pretty pleased how these are turning out, I think I have it sussed.

Ah, sometimes the mistakes can be attractive. The other process I planned to use is that of transferring the image of instant print film, just after it has started to develop, onto silkscreen paper. Part of this has to be done in the dark and it is a fiddly process. That part didn’t work well here pulling the film through rollers it got caught, but once freed I pulled it through anyway although damaged. Like this it never made it to the transfer.

Trying out framing. In this case the instant film went through the rollers OK but it slipped whilst I was positioning it on the watercolour paper in the dark. Anyway, again, quite like the result.