Calotypes

[NedL01]

Hi Everyone,
I've been trying to learn how to make calotypes, and to make salt prints from them. I'm still learning how to do it, but making progress.
I was charting my progress over at f295: http://www.f295.org/main/showthread.php ... -calotypes
I will continue it here in this thread.

I've used several different homemade cameras, but recently I got a 7x11 Eastman No.2. I'm still learning how to use the large format camera and the different movements. Today I had a nice step forward when I figured out why I was having trouble with the darkslide catching on the calotype when I put it back in after making an exposure. A small piece of tape solved the problem!

I made a calotype this morning, and it is developed and in the wash right now. It needs to dry for about 2 days between changes of blotters before I can make a print from it. I'll post it here in a couple days. The photo this morning was fairly challenging for a novice at large format like me: it needed a lot of front rise, but that put the top of the trees out of the area that is covered by the lens, so I had to tilt the tripod and use some rear tilt. I think the treetops will end up a little soft, but they are redwoods standing in thick fog, so it might still look okay, we'll see. I'm feeling pretty happy right now that everything went well and I'm making calotypes with my "new" 100 year old camera.

[jon.oman]

I look forward to your latest image! I have yet to do any alternate processes. I do have a plate burner that is just begging to be used! I want to start with cyanotypes. I do have everything I need to do this, except the time to do it!

[NedL01]

Here's the calotype I made yesterday morning. It's my first successful one from this camera. The camera is a 7x11 Eastman No.2
Hope to make a salt print from this soon.

These "fairy rings" of redwood trees spring up on the remains of old trees, the baby trees tap into the roots of the "mother" tree. At one time there was probably a prehistoric giant standing on the same ground. These trees are not really babies, they are probably 150 feet tall, but they are not nearly full grown either. Maybe a few hundred years old.

Hope to make a salt print from this soon.


Isle of Redwoods par Ned, on ipernity

This is the calotype process that Alexander Greenlaw used in India. Here is a brief summary of how it is made:

Soak the paper in potassium iodide solution for an hour, let dry.
Sensitize the paper in silver nitrate ( this forms silver iodide in the paper )
Wash carefully, and let dry overnight between blotters.
Make the exposure the next day, the sensitized paper does not keep longer.
Develop in gallic acid, with a little aceto-nitrate of silver added.
Wash, then fix in hypo.
Short bath in sodium sulfite ( to clear the hypo ) then wash for a couple hours
Dry carefully between blotters.

I did not really start having much success with this process until I started using vidalon vellum paper.

Calotype exposures are really slow! To give you an idea, this exposure was 25 minutes at f/16. On a piece of normal photopaper, the exposure would have been just over 1 second. On FP4+ film it would have been 1/15th of a second. I waited for a windless day to try to make this photograph, and even though the forecast said the wind would be less than 2MPH, it was more than that during the exposure.

[jon.oman]

Very impressive! Thanks for the write-up. I never knew how these were made.

[NedL01]

You can see this was in thick fog. Here's the salt print.

Redwoods in Fog par Ned, on ipernity

Lana Aquarelle paper

Toned first with gold borax toner, then added a very small amount of ammonium thiocyanate which subtly shifts the color from reddish toward burgundy.

[jon.oman]

Nice! I'm sure it really looks nice in person. Just not the same thing on the web!

[NedL01]

Thanks Jon. Very true about scans or digi-snaps for sharing on the web. I gave up trying to scan these because I could never get the colors even close.

[NedL01]

A seaside calotype from Monday:


Duncan's Landing par Ned, on ipernity

7x11 Eastman View No. 2.
This was a 12 minute exposure at f/32.
Print to follow!

[jon.oman]

Nice! I like it as a negative, but really want to see the print....

[NedL01]

And the salt print!


Duncan's Landing Salt par Ned, on ipernity