The Experimental Darkroom is a book focused on traditional black & white photographic materials—darkroom chemistry and silver gelatin paper—now used in many non-traditional ways. The book starts with a comprehensive digital negatives chapter. Topics are divided into five sections: cameraless experimentation, camera experimentation, printing experimentation, finished print experimentation, and a section highlighting contemporary photographers who use these approaches today. Each process under discussion is accompanied by photographic examples and a step-by-step method written in a “Just the facts, ma’am” style. Topics included are:
• Photograms and clichés verre
• Lumen prints
• Chemigrams
• Pinhole and zoneplate
• Holgas
• Chromo
• Liquid emulsion and modern tintype
• Lith printing
• Sabattier
• Mordançage
• Bleaching and bleachout
• Toning, traditional to experimental
• Applied color and abrasion tone
• Encaustic, photomontage, and collage
• Bromoil
The Experimental Darkroom encourages taking risks and having fun. Over 400 images and 71 artists are included in its 276 pages. The outcome will be an expansion of creative options for the silver gelatin print. The options are engaging and now more accessible with digital negatives. Images are no longer solely captured in camera or on analog film. The darkroom is no longer always dark. The print is no longer a pristine and accurate rendition of what the camera sees. Photographers are pushing the boundaries of black & white photographic practice. It is an exciting time to get into the darkroom and play!
Author(s): Christina Z Anderson
Series: Contemporary Practices In Alternative Process Photography
Edition: 1
Publisher: Routledge | Taylor & Francis Group
Year: 2023
Language: English
Commentary: TruePDF
Pages: 276
Tags: Photography: Printing Processes: Silver; Photography: Processing: Experiments; Black-And-White Photography
Cover
Half Title
Series
Title
Copyright
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: Setting Up the Contemporary Darkroom
Chapter 2: Digital Negatives for the Darkroom
Photoshop software
Epson ink jet printer
QTR and Print-Tool software
Build QTR Curve software
Transparency material
Stouffer step wedge
Digital step wedges
Contact printing frame
Determining exposure for all methods
Creating the Photoshop curve
Applying the curve to a negative
QuadToneRIP
Installing QTR and Print-Tool
Installing a profile
Installing the Build QTR Curve tool
Understanding profile terminology
Installing software
Finding the correct exposure time
Creating a starting profile
Testing the profile
Evaluating and modifying the profile
Linearizing the profile with Build QTR Curve
Printing and evaluating the print
Printing the monochrome negative
QTR profile for lumen printing
Troubleshooting the digital negative
Troubleshooting the QTR negative
Printing with the Print-Tool app
Part One: Cameraless Experimentation
Chapter 3: Photograms and Clichés Verre
Photogram variables to consider
Exposure time
Direct projection photogram
Reverse photogram
Bas relief photogram
Direct positive paper
Tips and ideas
Cliché verre
Making a cliché verre
Chapter 4: Lumen Prints
Making a lumen print
Toning
Tips and ideas
Digital negatives and lumen printing
Lumen print step wedges
Favorite papers
Not so favorite papers
Using lith developer with lumen prints
Cyanolumens
Phytograms
Chapter 5: The Chemigram
Hard and soft resists
Examples of hard resists
Examples of soft resists
Other resists
Tools
Examples of process choices
Making a chemigram test strip
The laser chemigram
Tips and ideas
Part Two: Camera Experimentation
Chapter 6: Pinhole and Zoneplate
Pinhole technicals
Calculating optimal pinhole size
Finding the right needle
Needle size chart
Calculating the f-stop
Calculating exposure
Speaking of exposure factor
Reciprocity correction for film
Reciprocity correction for paper
Image diameter
Direct positive paper
How to make a pinhole
Oatmeal/ice cream pinhole camera
Film canister pinhole camera
35mm pinhole body cap
Zone plate
Tips and ideas
Pinhole resources
Pinhole exposure tables
Chapter 7: The Holga
The lens
Focus
Aperture
Shutter
Film
Flash
Multiple exposure
Loading a Holga 120 mm
Unloading the Holga 120 mm
Loading the Holga 35 mm
Unloading the Holga 35 mm
Taping your Holga
Long exposures
Tips and ideas
Part Three: Printing Experimentation
Chapter 8: Chromo
Discoveries
Materials needed
Image type
The chromo tray method
Tray 1
Tray 2 (if desired)
Tray procedure
The chromo brush method
Brush procedure
Tips and ideas
Chemistry of the solutions
Chromo sources
Chapter 9: Liquid Emulsion and Modern Tintype
Emulsion hardener
Surface preparation
Gelatin-alum subbing solution for glass
Coating
Exposure
Processing
Tips and ideas
Modern tintype using liquid emulsion
Supplies
Tintype developer I
Tintype developer II
Quickie tintype developer
Rockland tintype developer
Tintype directions
Lavender varnish recipe
Troubleshooting modern tintype
Chapter 10: Lith Printing
Papers for lith printing
Lith developers
Lith Developer ID 13
Lith Developer ID 85
How lith works
The lith process
Second Pass lith
Bleach-back lith
Troubleshooting
Chapter 11: Sabattier
About sabattier
Paper and developer to use
Clarence Rainwater’s R77
Sabattier the quick way
Duotone sabattier
Thiosulfate sabattier
Tips and ideas
Part Four: Finished Print Experimentation
Chapter 12: Mordançage
Coote formula
Papers to use
Mordançage process
Mordançage negatives
Speck formula I
Troubleshooting—the paper is stained
Troubleshooting—mordançage not working
Tips and ideas
Chapter 13: Bleaching and Bleachout
Standard bleach formula
Bleach as a corrective or selective tool
Farmer’s Reducer bleach formula
Bleachout
Tips and ideas
Chapter 14: Toning
One bath vs two bath toners
Print preparation for all toning
Selenium toning
Split toning with selenium
Bleaching after selenium
Gold toning
1% gold chloride solution
Gold sodium bicarbonate toner
Gold thiocyanate toner
Gold thiourea toner
Blue toning
Iron blue toner
Copper toning
Ferguson’s copper toner
Tea toning
Walnut or other nut toning
Sepia toning
Thiourea toning
Clay Harmon’s one-shot thiourea toners
Selective toning
Multiple toning
Mortensen’s metalchrome
Chapter 15: Applied Color and Abrasion Tone
Supplies
Steps
Tips and ideas
Abrasion tone
Abrasion tone (without abrasion)
Mortensen’s abrasion tone
Chapter 16: Encaustic, Collage, Photomontage
Supplies
Low tech encaustic
Medium tech encaustic
The encaustic process
The ivorytype
Tips and ideas
Sources
Collage and photomontage
Possible supports
Possible materials
Adhesives
Tools
Five steps to collage
Photomontage
Tips and ideas
Chapter 17: Bromoil
Paper choices
Other supplies
Bromoil bleach formula
Making the print for bromoil
A bit quicker bromoil
Bleaching the print
Inking the print with the brush
Inking the print with the brayer
Oleobrome
Bromotype
Troubleshooting bromoil
Tips and ideas
Part Five: Contemporary Experimental Artists
Chapter 18: Contemporary Experimental Artists
Patricia A. Bender
Annemarie Borg
Brigitte Carnochan
Douglas Collins
Bridget Conn
Karen Hymer
Mike Jackson
Kate Jordahl
Tiina Kirik
Leah Macdonald
Chris McCaw
Brittany Nelson
Eva Nikolova
Elizabeth Opalenik
Chris Peregoy
Nolan Preece
Tim Rudman
Leah Schretenthaler
Sara Silks
Kathy Vargas
Appendix
In-camera composition tips
Further Chromo Formulas
Alan Bean’s process
Denny Moers’ “painting with light”
Jolly’s Procedure One
Jolly’s Procedure Two
Jolly’s updated process
More notes from Jolly
Jolly Silver Mirror Printing process
Silver Mirror Printing update
Edmund Teske’s process
Dan Burkholder’s method
Further Mordançage Formulas
Speck’s patent
Original Marriage formula
E.J. Wall’s etching process
Baxter’s formula
Baker’s formula
Kodak etch bath EB-3
L.P. Clerc’s formula
Allen P. Greenleaf’s formula
Alan McFaden’s formula
Jonathan Bailey’s formula
Further Toning Formulas
Gold thiocyanate toner II
Gold thiourea toner II
Cassell’s copper toner
Photo Miniature copper toner
Chinese toning (selenium/iodine)
Iodine bleach
FSA toning
The process
Other FSA toners
Halo-chrome™
Bleach formula
Redeveloper formula
Halo-chrome™ on a finished print
Halo-chrome™ on an unfixed print
Silver toning processes—SS
Step one: copper bleach formula
Step two: redeveloper formulas
Bibliography
Index
