Information

Some notes on printing and print pricing.

While capable of exposing these photographs to a large number of potential buyers, the Internet is in no way able to show the true quality of the original prints. With that in mind, please know that any photograph purchased is fully refundable, if you purchase a photograph and for any reason are not satisfied in any way, you may return it within thirty days for a full and prompt refund (minus the shipping charges). all Photographs are processed to current archival standards and are mounted and overmatted on 100% rag museum board.

Throughout this site you'll notice photographs listed as silver gelatin, silver chloride, platinum/palladium and printing out paper. What follows is a brief explanation of each process. also included is information on a tiered pricing structure for new photographs.

The photographs presented on this website were produced from negatives made with large format cameras. Originally, because of its relatively small size, the 4 x 5 inch view camera was my camera of choice. However, with my increasing interest in the contact printing processes and my aversion to making enlarged negatives, the 5 x 7, 8 x 10 and (soon) larger formats more likely will get the nod. However, the use of these relatively small camera sizes, in comparison to 8 x 10 inch and larger cameras, does offer a wider range of flexibility when it comes to printing. With certain subjects these negatives can be printed as contact prints or when needed as with a large landscape the 5 x7 inch negative can produce 16 x 20 inch prints of outstanding quality.

Silver Gelatin

The silver gelatin prints are made from either 4 x 5 inch or 5 x 7 inch negatives with enlargements ranging from 8 x 10 inches up to 16 x 20 inches. all silver gelatin prints are made on fiber based papers manufactured by Ilford, Kodak or agfa. Developers used are ansco 130 and Kodak Dektol. Prints are further processed to current archival standards with toning in Selenium as part of this process. Prints are then dry mounted and overmatted using 100% rag museum quality board.

Silver Chloride

In production for more than 100 years Kodak azo is the only silver chloride paper currently available today and the longest continuously manufactured photographic paper ever made. While still a silver based process, chloride papers are extremely slow in terms of response to light and for that reason are not suitable for making enlargements. along with printing out paper and the iron based platinum/palladium, chloride papers are a contact only process.

In simple terms what this means is that the negative must be the same size as the finished print size. During printing, the negative and paper are sandwiched together and held under pressure in a contact or vacuum frame and exposed to light. If you want to make an 8 x 10 inch print you'll need an 8 x 10 inch negative and so on. Popular in the early part of the 20th century, chloride papers eventually lost ground to the chloro-bromide and bromide enlarging papers that were beginning to appear. In recent years a renewed interest in all of the contact processes has begun. When a side by side comparison is made between a negative contact printed on today's best enlarging paper and the same negative printed on azo, the differences are immediately apparent. The most noticeable difference between the azo print and the print made on enlarging paper will be the azo's incredibly long tonal scale. Even without local manipulation such as dodging or burning, the dark tones and high values of the print do not block up but maintain full detail. along with this very long tonal scale what sets azo apart are the very rich blacks and the greater contrast or separation in the midtones, which give the print more depth and dimension and a richness not easily matched. With all these advantages the percentage of contact printing in relation to prints made with an enlarger remains small. The required use of large, cumbersome and heavy cameras needed for the big negatives will keep all but the truly compulsive from venturing into this aspect of photography. For those of us committed to quality work, the extra difficulty involved is worth it. When I first started using azo a year and a half ago I immediately knew this was something I wanted to continue with. Hopefully this paper will remain in production so those wanting to can produce work of the highest quality.

Platinum/Palladium

With certain images Silver is not the best medium in which to present the subject. In these instances Platinum/Palladium is the process that will best convey the connection with the viewer that I'm hoping to achieve. Practiced since 1872, this hands-on printmaking process produces prints characterized by a long, smooth tonal scale with midtones evenly distributed throughout the range, fully detailed shadows, and fine separation in the highlights. Print color can range from neutral black to sepia.

While not as brilliant and snappy as a Silver print, the Platinum/Palladium process brings to the work an understated and subtle beauty not found in any other printing process.

In producing these prints, 100% fine-quality rag paper is hand-coated with a mixture of a sensitizing solution and the Platinum/Palladium metals. as this is a contact printing process, the original negative must be the same size as the desired print. To render an image, the paper must be exposed to ultraviolet light, either artificial or sunlight. after processing, the finished handmade print consists of pure Platinum-Palladium metal embedded within the fibers of the paper. The result is an image with a tactile feel and great depth, as the image is in the paper, not on the surface. Images are then hinge-mounted to museum standards.

Printing Out Paper

The final material used in my printing is another contact material, printing out paper, P.O.P. With possibly a longer tonal scale than either azo or Platinum and a print color not obtainable with either of those processes, P.O.P. prints are similar to prints made on the once very popular albumen papers. Whereas albumen is a hand coated paper, P.O.P. is a commercially made fiber paper produced by The Chicago albumen Works Company of Housatonic Massachusetts. In printing on this paper no developer is used. after exposure to ultraviolet light with times from five to fifteen minutes you're left with a fully formed image. Toning in gold chloride will produce colors from brown to purple. Regular fixing and washing completes the process. Finished prints are then dry mounted and overmatted on 100% rag museum board.

Each printing method has a use in my work. When it comes to print quality, nothing can compare to the prints produced from the bigger negatives with any of the contact processes described. That being said, the 1939, 5 x 7 inch Deardorff that I started with is not up for sale. (Not yet anyway).