Sun Prints in Fall Light
One of the inherent attributes of hand-coated paper is how differently each one responds
to its environment.
Variables such as water,ambient temperature, relative humidity.....full moon or crescent all contribute to the final "look" and feel of the print.
So as of late I've been making both Palladiums and Cyanotypes of the new work and negs from my archives. Fall conditions make it rather difficult to produce lush palladiums as the paper stores up static electricity . I've tried all sorts of pre-humidifying and the prints still don't compare to ones made during the summer months when humidity and heat are always in the air.
Cyanotypes are a different story. Not as finicky and the prints I've been getting in Fall light are spot on. In a way , I think the cyanotype is the perfect medium for me as it fits my temperament.
Meaning, I'm a results driven person, and when I need to see something in the positive form , I get all flustered and un-insprired when a darkroom session goes a wry.
The blue process has never let me down, and I have a good supply and source for the perfect paper. I've use it for almost 2 decades and it hasn't changed much.
I made a print of " Samascotts Oldest Apple Tree,Kinderhook , NY 1998 " , an 8x10 neg.
The print has a superb tonal range . The scale was almost similar to that of a salt print. Perhaps due to our water change.My Culligan filtration unit is just about toast and I suspect that the water is full of minerals that play with how the print develops during the wash.
Ever since we moved to the farm in 2000, I would say that most of my prints have been toned by water.
When I get more time I'll post pictures of some of the new prints I've been working on.
Tomorrow looks like another good weather day so I'll get a chance to continue my unusual spurt of productivity.
One of the inherent attributes of hand-coated paper is how differently each one responds
to its environment.
Variables such as water,ambient temperature, relative humidity.....full moon or crescent all contribute to the final "look" and feel of the print.
So as of late I've been making both Palladiums and Cyanotypes of the new work and negs from my archives. Fall conditions make it rather difficult to produce lush palladiums as the paper stores up static electricity . I've tried all sorts of pre-humidifying and the prints still don't compare to ones made during the summer months when humidity and heat are always in the air.
Cyanotypes are a different story. Not as finicky and the prints I've been getting in Fall light are spot on. In a way , I think the cyanotype is the perfect medium for me as it fits my temperament.
Meaning, I'm a results driven person, and when I need to see something in the positive form , I get all flustered and un-insprired when a darkroom session goes a wry.
The blue process has never let me down, and I have a good supply and source for the perfect paper. I've use it for almost 2 decades and it hasn't changed much.
I made a print of " Samascotts Oldest Apple Tree,Kinderhook , NY 1998 " , an 8x10 neg.
The print has a superb tonal range . The scale was almost similar to that of a salt print. Perhaps due to our water change.My Culligan filtration unit is just about toast and I suspect that the water is full of minerals that play with how the print develops during the wash.
Ever since we moved to the farm in 2000, I would say that most of my prints have been toned by water.
When I get more time I'll post pictures of some of the new prints I've been working on.
Tomorrow looks like another good weather day so I'll get a chance to continue my unusual spurt of productivity.
