First paper negative try

taylan · 10-14-2012

My first paper negative try and digitally converted positives

Chris101 · 10-14-2012

Both of these, but especially the one on the left have incredible detail and texture for a paper negative. Since you have paper developer and a way to do it, have you tried contacting (emulsion to emulsion) these to a second piece of paper instead of digitally reversing them?

taylan · 10-14-2012

Hi Chris
I tried right one image, but it was at the end of the my darkroom session and I was exhausted. For this reason just take a contact and it is far from my taste. Anyway here is the contact print:

ChrisN · 10-14-2012

Nice work Taylan, I also especially like the one on the left. And I love the way your lens renders! What lens?

I made a brief foray into this last year, and need to get back into it.

Trius · 10-14-2012

All are wonderful.

kermaier · 10-14-2012

Wow, Chris, I really like that portrait! I've been thinking about giving this a try for some time now. Would you mind sharing some info on your gear, materials, chemistry and technique?
Thanks,
Ari

ChrisN · 10-14-2012

Hi Ari - thank you! I have this one in my gallery here. From the photo details:

"Playing with paper negatives. Graflex Speed Graphic camera, 4x5, Hugo Meyer Goerlitz Trioplan 8 3/4 inch 1:4.5, Ilford RC VC Glossy paper used as negative, three-second exposure, developed as a print, scanned to tiff, inverted in Photoshop and adjusted in Lightroom.

My collaborator made a time lapse while we were working - see http://vimeo.com/35492520 ."

Cheers!

benlees · 10-14-2012

This is great stuff. Liked the time lapse- looks like you had a great time! I've often thought about looking for a cheap 8x10 camera to do the paper neg. thing.

maddoc · 10-14-2012

Awesome ! These photos make me want to try it. Is it difficult ?

ChrisN · 10-14-2012

No - very easy. Paper has iso of about 6. Just expose and develop; scan as a print then invert the scan in photoshop (or similar).

I've recently acquired an early Box brownie in 616 format - about 110 x 70mm. The shutter is simple, self-cocking, and has no double exposure prevention, so it should be easy to build up a correct exposure with multiple exposures. I'll give it a try this afternoon.

muser53 · 10-14-2012

Did a little of this many years ago. If you're going to contact print onto another sheet of paper here is a tip that I found useful: Carefully squeegee some petroleum jelly onto the back of the negative. When using a fiber based paper the negative will appear more translucent and it yields a positive with a bit more contrast & detail.

muser53 · 10-14-2012

BTW, these are very nicely seen images!

taylan · 10-14-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisN

... And I love the way your lens renders! What lens?

Lens is Schneider xenotar 150mm f:2.8
Iso: 6, t: 1/2s, f:2.8
Paper: Ilford MGIV FB Matt

Trius · 10-15-2012

Chris, you guys worked really, really fast!

oftheherd · 10-15-2012

Neat! That is something I have always had in the back of my mind to do. Sadly just one of many things that will probably have to await my next retirement.

smbilgin · 10-15-2012

Hi Taylan,

Very nice work again. I think your new toy worths every liras..

taylan · 10-15-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by smbilgin

Hi Taylan,

Very nice work again. I think your new toy worths every liras..

I think so

kermaier · 10-15-2012

Very interesting, Chris! Thanks for the info and video.
Did you cut 8x10 sheets into 4x5 pieces in the darkroom?
Also, it seems both of you used VC/MG papers, presumably without an enlarger's contrast flters. I wonder how that affects the resulting negative? I bet using graded paper, like Ilford Galerie, would look really good. Though, on second thought, flatness would be problem for fiber paper in a sheet film holder....
Did you develop your negs in a tray like prints, or in a tank like sheet film? I'd love to be able to do this in daylight with just a changing bag for loading/unloading holders and dev tanks....

::Ari

ChrisN · 10-15-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by kermaier

Very interesting, Chris! Thanks for the info and video. ... Ari

"Did you cut 8x10 sheets into 4x5 pieces in the darkroom?" Yes, with a paper guillotine.

"Also, it seems both of you used VC/MG papers, presumably without an enlarger's contrast flters. ..." Yes, Ilford RC VC Glossy.

"Did you develop your negs in a tray like prints, or in a tank like sheet film? I'd love to be able to do this in daylight with just a changing bag for loading/unloading holders and dev tanks..." Yes, tray development exactly as I would for developing a print, under the normal safelights. That's a big attraction for me, the ability to work under safelights, especially cutting the paper to size and loading the film holders. This makes the whole process easy and fun, especially when using it as a way to introduce beginners to large-format photography.

maddoc · 10-15-2012

Thanks a lot for the useful info, especially about the ISO rating. Developing under a safety light is interesting since it would allow some more control over the process. When temperatures have come down more and I can use the bathroom at home as a darkroom again, I will try it.

jarski · 10-15-2012

nice work here. reminded me last year meeting a guy in Jaipur India shooting old Zeiss box camera, and paper negatives.

here they are at work. had my negative and positive also taken, but no scanner avail currently.

Jaipur Street Photographer by Jarno Nevala, on Flickr

JoeV · 10-16-2012

These are very nice. Myself, I've been shooting paper negatives for years, and recently have made a foray into using the Harman direct positive fiber paper, which is a bit more difficult to work with but offers tremendous possibilities for shooting and processing in the field or on the street using a changing bag and developing tank.

Here's an example, taken on a Speed Graphic with a 7x50 binocular lens cell as an objective lens (50mm diameter, 150mm focal length, stopped down to 20mm aperture, exposed under north-facing shaded daylight):

On both examples you can get a hint of the curl of the paper and it's texture by the shiny bottom edge picked up by the scanner.

~Joe

V-12 · 10-16-2012

Some inspiring work here from taylan, Chris and Joe. I have been thinking about using Direct Positive Paper, what are the advantages/disadvantages over regular photographic paper?

V

taylan · 10-17-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by V-12

Some inspiring work here from taylan, Chris and Joe. I have been thinking about using Direct Positive Paper, what are the advantages/disadvantages over regular photographic paper?

V

You can get a mirror image with direct positive paper. I don't know if it is an advantage or not

. It depend on how you use it

ChrisN · 10-17-2012

To quote Maris Rusis, on the Large Format Photography forum:

"Harman Direct Positive Paper offers a rare opportunity to display camera-original material as a final product.

In aesthetic terms it represents the shortest possible distance between subject and photograph and has a special power and magic because of that. There are philosophical implications about photographic truth, indexicality, absence of manipulation, credibility and trust in the image, and so on. That's going to be the basis of my spiel when (if) I get enough DPP photographs together to mount a gallery scale exhibition."

Post #29, in this thread (which was started, incidentally, by JoeV).