RPS Analogue Newsletter issue 3 20160516

ANALOGUE film, alternative, hybrid and darkroom

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ANALOGUE ➤ PROFILE

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Editorial

Contents

Welcome to the spring edition of Analogue, which should reach you just before the AGM on 7 May.

This issue marks another first, having two members’ images in colour.

These are by Sean Bulson and Kay Reeves respectively. Sean talks about his work documenting housing estates and using a Hasselblad XPan, while Kay explains why she uses colour slide (transparency) film for her work.

Back in monochrome, but not strictly black-and-white, is Donald Richards’ explanation of print-making using the platinum/palladium process. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the delicate tones this process can portray come across on a computer screen or using the common methods of producing hard-copy from a digital file.

Next, although not exactly in the footsteps of Vivian Maier, we look at a mini-portfolio of The people of Havant 2008 through the lens of Pietro Roccicchioli as a prelude to his forthcoming exhibition. I hope this will encourage others among you to come forward with your work!

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7 Exhibition

Precious metal

The People of Havant 2008

Dr. Donald E. Richards illustrates a method for making Platinum/ Palladium prints that spans 150 years of photographic history.

Pietro Roccicchioli extols his forthcoming exhibition.

5 Tech Slide film: Why and what?

Kay Reeve discusses the positives to be had in using slide film.

9 Profile The Long View Sean Bulson on documenting the end of a housing ideal.

12 Tech Making the Platinum/Palladium print

Finally, if you are wondering about my plea for information in the last issue of Analogue about manufacturer’s publications. Well, in the manner of I’m sorry I haven’t a clue I was inundated with a letter.... The list now has 179 items and I will be making it available online – watch the Forum for details. Please keep your suggestions coming!

Analogue Group Chair: David Healey ARPS Vice-chair: Dr Afzal Ansary FRPS Treasurer: Peter Young Events: Steven Godfrey Secretary: Andy Moore Editor: Richard Bradford ARPS Designer: Simon W Miles E: analogue@rps.org

As usual, feedback is welcome on the Forum or direct to me. Let’s see more of your articles and/or images, too! Please contact the Editor at analogue@rps.org.

Richard Bradford ARPS Editor cover: Platinum/palladium

The Royal Photographic

print by Dr. Donald E.

Society

Richards.

Fenton House, 122 Wells Rd,

inside cover: far left image 3;

Bath BA2 3AH

middle left image 5; middle

T: +44 (0)1225 325733 E: reception@rps.org W: www.rps.org

right image 6; far right image 4; all by Sean Bulson right: Blue by Kay Reeve.

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Tech

➤T Precious metal A method for making platinum/palladium (Pt/Pd) prints that spans 150 years of photographic history.

Dr Donald E. Richards.

Compared to the traditional silver gelatine prints, Pt/Pd prints are less well known by the general public. However, the process is not only quite old, as the first patent for this method was awarded in 1873 to William Willis, but a partial list of photographers who used this method to produce some or all of their images reads like a ‘who is who’ in the history of photography: In the US Alfred Stiglitz, Edward Steichen, Paul Strand, Edward Weston; on this side of the Atlantic, Frederick H. Evans, whose images of English cathedrals are justifiably famous. As examples of the more modern well known photographers who used or are still using this method there are Irving Penn in the 1950-60’s, and currently Tillman Crane and Dan Burkholder (see references).

The image obtained with Pt/Pd has a delicate sepia tone, and is of relatively low contrast, with very expanded tonal range. People have described it as having a ‘presence’, or ‘depth’. In common with many alternative photographic methods that rely on coating paper with a solution, the image is not only on the surface of the paper (as is the case with silver gelatine prints) but also in the paper, and this may contribute to the different look. (see images below).

The method outlined here to obtain a Pt/Pd print is by no means the only one. However, it is the one I learnt by attending a 5-day course with Tillman Crane, in the Inversnaid Photographic Centre (a paradise for photographers, that sadly no longer runs workshops).

The making of digital negatives I learnt from Dan Burkholder’s software and instructions (see references). If any reader wishes to have full details, they are welcome to contact me.

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As with most traditional photographic methods, the printing starts with a negative. This can be obtained in several ways. When using film, I expose 5x4 Tri-X film in a view camera and develop the negatives in Kodak’s HC110 developer, in trays, by hand, in total darkness, followed by the usual stop bath, fixer, and wash. Arentz’s book (see references) has details of the necessary density range of the negative.

However, the method I now favour for obtaining the negatives is the one pioneered by Dan Burkholder (see Figure 1), which spans 150 years of photographic history. Using a digital camera (a Canon S-90), I get a colour digital file. In Photoshop, I transform it into a black and white image, and do any necessary manipulations. I then use Dan Burkholder’s software (see references) to produce a negative digital image. The software inverts the image, making it into a negative, and also applies a Photoshop Curves correction to it. It is also possible to start with a traditional silver negative, scan it, transfer the scan to a computer, and continue as described in steps 4 and 5 of Figure 1. This negative image is then printed onto transparent media using a digital printer (see Figure 1), thus obtaining a digital negative.

From the negative, either a silver or a digital one, the next step is to print it on sensitive paper. Unfortunately, platinum papers–as opposed to the ‘off the shelf’ silver gelatine type–stopped being produced in the 1920’s (it is said that Frederick Evans abandoned photography when the papers were discontinued). This means making your own sensitive paper.

The chemicals needed are obtained from Bostick and Sullivan in the US (see references). First, prepare a solution containing iron oxalate, palladium hexachloropalladite and gold hexachloroplatinate. Using a glass rod, extend the solution carefully onto a piece of 100 % cotton rag paper until the paper has a

About the author I have been making traditional silver gelatine prints for many years, exposing 4”x5” negatives in a 4”x5” view camera. I love the look and feel of a silver print. However, from the very few prints I first saw, I thought platinum prints were also very beautiful. Nevertheless, I decided to learn the method of making them only when, because of the increased use of digital materials, I started worrying that traditional silver gelatine papers might disappear. I now make both silver and platinum prints, and I cannot say which I like the best.

I have had solo exhibitions of my prints in Círculo de Periodistas de San Martín (Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 2000); John Innes Centre (Norwich, UK, July 2004); WindmillArt Gallery (Linton, UK, 2014); Anteros Art Foundation (Norwich, UK, April 2015); and Robinson College (Cambridge, UK, October 2015). In December 2015 one of my (silver) prints was awarded the bronze medal in the exhibition of the Analogue Group of the RPS in Bath.

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Tech homogeneous covering. The paper is dried, and the now sensitive paper is ready to be exposed (see Figure 2).

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For exposure, the negative has to be contact-printed onto the dried paper in a contact frame, emulsion side against emulsion side. The final image is thus the size of the negative. Some readers may ask why we cannot print the negative using an enlarger, as for silver gelatine prints. The reason is that the sensitive paper needs to be exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, as light in the visible portion of the spectrum does not have the energy necessary to activate the process.

There are no UV-light enlargers!

All my platinum prints have been made using an easily available source of UV light (see detailed method below), although commercial UV boxes specifically made for photography are available (Edwards Engineered Products, see references), and Arentz’s book has a plan for making a UV box for Pt/Pd printing (see references).

Once exposed to the UV light, the paper is immersed into the developer

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solution for a couple of minutes.

Then the print is washed in a solution of a chelating agent to eliminate the excess salts of iron, platinum and palladium. Finally, it is given a wash in running water.

The final image is made of Pt and Pd in metallic form, both being chemically very inert. For that reason it is said that a Pt/Pd image lasts as long as the paper onto which it is printed.

Because of the elaborate nature of this method, each print is a “one off”, that is, although very similar prints with the same negative can be produced, it is unlikely that they will be exactly the same. Each coating of the paper, for example, may be different, however much one tries to be consistent; there are some reports that ambient humidity may have an effect; and there may be other variables out of our control.

This method of print-making should attract a wide variety of photographers. If you are a mainly a digital worker, start from a digital file (some people are now using their phones!) to capture the initial image).

If you are a traditional film worker, and work with a 5x4 negative or larger, you can simply use a negative of the adequate contrast. If you work with negative film of any size, from 35 mm to 10x8, or bigger, you can scan the negative, transfer the file to a computer, and make a negative.

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Continued on page 11.

References Arentz, Dick (2000) Platinum and Palladium Printing Focal Press.

Probably the standard reference text for Pt/Pd printing.

Bostick and Sullivan: http://www. bostick-sullivan.com Burkholder, Dan: http://www. danburkholder.com. Here one can download the software for making digital negatives. The documentation has a very detailed description of how to proceed. I have needed no extra source of information.

Edwards Engineered Products: http:// www.eepjon.com. A commercial source of UV boxes for platinum printing, based in the US. Tillman Crane: http://www. tillmancrane.com

Making a digital negative. A portion of a colour world (1) is captured with a digital camera (2). the file is transferred to a computer (3) where it is changed into a black and white negative image, using Burkholder’s software (4). The negative image is printed onto transparent material (5), thus obtaining a digital negative. It is also possible to start with a traditional silver negative that is scanned into a computer, and then proceed with steps (4) and (5).

Making the sensitive emulsion. (1) The three solutions of iron, platinum and palladium on the left, and the container where they will be mixed. (2) The mixed solution is deposited onto the piece of 100% rag paper, and (3) the liquid is spread with a glass rod (called a ‘puddle pusher’) until the paper is homogenously covered with the solution (4 and 5). Then the paper is air-dried, and is ready to use.

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Tech

➤T Slide film: Why and what Kay Reeve, FRPS I use slide film. This statement produces a variety of responses from utter incredulity – Why on earth don’t you move on? Are you a total technophobe? – to interest, encouragement and support.

So when and why do I use it? Always when I want an image to project. I do a series of talks, mostly for natural history societies and community groups, showing natural subjects, where accurate colour and tone rendition is essential, and where good contrast and brightness do much to enhance the enjoyment of the audience.

There are a number of problems with digital projectors, and these are at their most acute when they belong to organisations whose main purpose is not photography, and when they are managed by people who do not understand the the need for regular maintenance and calibration–this is typical with village, school and church halls. For highest quality digital projection, the images really need to be processed on a computer screen calibrated to the same standard as the projector. This is unlikely when images from a number of different authors are shown in the same sequence, and while it has become normal in photographic circles to make allowances for this, it is not ideal. It could be argued that there should be no problem when the images are all the work of one author, but I regularly use three digital cameras – a Lumix bridge camera, a Nikon Df, a Phase One P20 back ANALOGUE ➤ TECH

for my Hasselblad H1 – and although I always shoot RAW, each has its own ‘image signature’ in terms of colour balance, saturation and sharpness. So producing a consistent set of images from these three would at best be time-consuming and tedious, whereas the same type of slide film is consistent whatever camera is used to expose it (provided it is correctly processed).

Digital projectors struggle to deliver the same range of tones which a good slide, projected by a clean projector in a darkened room, can achieve. Subtle differences in greens can also be a problem, which particularly concerns the nature photographer. In any case, I and I think many others simply prefer the aesthetic quality of slides over digital projected images.

If anyone is tempted by slide photography, but feels they need the advantages which digital photography brings, such as the ease of sharing images and high quality home printing without a darkroom, then remember that these are also available by scanning slides. Although scanning is beyond the scope of this article, I am illustrating it with a number of slides all taken on Fuji Provia 100F and scanned by me.

However, suppliers are not always easy to find, particularly Canon). Hasselblad also still make a camera which takes a film back – I have not researched other medium format manufacturers. If you are into medium format, I am sure you do not need my advice!

Numerous dealers offer second-hand cameras, but be careful, as you get what you pay for. If you are returning to film photography and have a camera which you have not used for years, get it serviced before you start. The manufacturer may offer the service, or there are independent repairers. In some circumstances, new lenses may fit old cameras, or old lenses new cameras, but this is not always the case – ask advice from a reputable dealer.

Images: this page; Chesterton at dusk overleaf top far left; blue overleaf top middle left; Orange Tips paired overleaf top middle right; pink overleaf top far right; Small Pearl Bordered Fritilliary overleaf lower far right; Female Azure Damselfly with potential prey all images © Kay Reeve

So what do you need, and where do you get it?

The requirements are: A film camera I use a number of Nikon cameras at 35mm – an FM2, an FM3A, and an F6. I also have a 645format film back for the Hasselblad. (New film cameras are still available from Nikon, Leica and Canon–their EOS 33V. ➤ 3 ➤ SPRING 2016 ➤ 5

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Tech

➤ Images: this page; Chesterton at dusk

Film There is not the range there once was. Fuji still make Velvia 50, Velvia 100 and Provia 100F. Agfa supply CT Precisa 100. Try them and choose which you prefer. Lomography also make slide film if you fancy something different. The only slide film whose passing I really regret was Kodachrome 25, the sharpest and best ever, but with modern zoom lenses, inconveniently slow. My current choices are Provia 100F at 35mm, Velvia 50 at 120. Provia 100F seems to give a more pleasing result with natural history subjects, for which Velvia (particularly Velvia 100) is rather over-saturated. I tend to take more landscape subjects in medium format, for which Velvia 50’s slightly warmer colours are nicer, although it really is a question of personal choice. In some ways it is inconvenient that there is now no slide film faster than 100 ISO, but when necessary I up-rate a roll of Provia 100F to 400 ISO and get it push processed, which a good laboratory can do for you. There is some loss of quality, but it is normally perfectly acceptable.

Processing The era of process-paid films is over. You can process your own, but I always send mine to a reliable laboratory, and get them to mount 35mm slides. There is some extra cost, but mounted slides are much more convenient to handle, and you cannot really tell the quality of a slide until you project it.

Gepe slide mounts and equipment are available if you prefer to mount your own.

Slide Projector

overleaf top far left;that the same comments apply as for cameras.

Remember blue slide projectors gather dust during operation and need to be kept clean. Be careful what you to project on to.

Some screens overleaf top middle left; designed for digital projectors may not have the best reflective Orange Tips paired qualities for slides.

Suppliers

overleaf top middle right; pink

overleaf top for far right; I have used a small number of reliable suppliers years, Small Pearl Bordered but when I came to research for this article, I was agreeably Fritilliary surprised by how many there are - look on the internet, but be cautious: not all the information may be up to date, and overleaf lower far right; always check by phone or return e-mail before committing Female Azure Damselfly to any transaction. Certain photographic carry with magazines potential prey advertisements which are useful in their own right, and also in all images ® Kay Reeve pointing you towards current websites.

Here, in alphabetical order, are six I have dealt with recently and you might find helpful to start with. There are many more: Aperture UK: http://www.apertureuk.com Cameratiks: http://www.cameratiks.co.uk Dale Photographic: http://www.dalephotographic.co.uk The Darkroom UK: http://www.the-darkroom.co.uk The Imaging Warehouse: http://www.theimagingwarehouse.com Silverprint: http://www.silverprint.co.uk

Finally, a word about the theory of slide photography. Do not click away and hope. Take care over each image at the taking stage and you should get good quality and a great deal of enjoyment.

New models still seem to be available from Braun and Reflecta.

As regards second-hand, or long unused projectors, exactly ANALOGUE ➤ TECH ➤ TECH

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Exhibition

➤E The People of Havant 2008 Pietro Roccicchioli explains the background behind his forthcoming exhibition at the Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, 56 East Street, Havant, PO9 1BS. 4th April to 30th June 2016. https://www.facebook.com/pietro.rocchiccioli https://www.facebook.com/The-People-of-Havant-183066325404895

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During my second year (2008) of the BA (Hons) Photography at The University of Portsmouth we had a documentary module with the wide scope of a place or a location.

After some consideration I thought of Havant, a typical market town that was trying to re-invent itself in the new century. I used black and white film to put into context the social, cultural, and political ramifications showing the so-called modernization. The concepts of people, space and place are examined to reveal the subtleties of human existence with images captured in Havant central to their community.

Using the Mamiya medium format film camera and a standard lens is not the usual equipment for street photography. Wet-printing the work and the overall project was a challenge outside of current photographic practice.

The exhibition expands the original exhibition from 2008 entitled Parlare which roughly translates as people chatting. At that time I was particularly conscious of the parlare between the people and myself in life around Havant’s market, high street, and shopping centre. The portraits centre on the relationships I formed with the subjects, their experiences and lives, the places they lived, and their thoughts and fears. I used text with these images to provide the extra edge to my work. I feel the incidental conversations with my subjects, which related to society at that precise moment, augment the reality and provided me with another area of development regarding photographic project work and related research.

There were two influences for my work. The first were Chris Killip’s gritty black and white images of north-east England. I also analysed Daniel Meadows’ The Bus an old double-decker in which he toured around England in 1973-4 and which was his home, studio, and darkroom.

I always hoped that I could hold a retrospective. Posters and adverts will be displayed in the Havant area inviting the people in the photographs to come and have another picture taken, as a comparison against the 2008 version.

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Exhibition

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Profile

➤P The Long View The Long View: Documenting the end of a housing ideal.

Sean Bulson LRPS discusses using the Hasselblad XPan to document London housing estates destined for demolition.

Writing in the RPS Journal (January, 2012), I argued for a form of photography that goes beyond the aesthetic, as there is, of course, far more to photography than the purely visual: ‘To focus only on the aesthetic can lead to unreflective perspective, a form of escapism via an idealised image. While there’s a place for this, there’s also a place for a more critical approach, connecting to philosophical ideas that insight and understanding, taking you beyond aesthetics, and into the realm of meaning’.

I have since worked on a number of projects intended to add photographic insight to the debate on specific social issues. One such issue is housing, and the alleged ‘social cleansing‘ associated with regeneration in London. In particular, the regeneration of the modernist post-war housing estates of the 1960s and 1970s.

Designed with a degree of idealism, these estates aspired to offer local authority housing for all: generous living spaces, light and bright, with walkways (or ‘streets in the sky’) intended to recreate a sense of community.

The debate surrounding their destruction is contentious and complex. From a documentary perspective, I was originally drawn to the project for two reasons. First, visually, the often epic scale of these estates and their clear structural quality.

ANALOGUE ➤ PROFILE

Second, conceptually, the irony of these estates being demolished in much the same indiscriminate way as the slum housing they replaced: what goes around comes around! However, the more I researched the subject, the more apparent it became that the real story is the fate of those forced to move from them (or ‘decanted’ to use the developers’ pejorative euphemism).

Having found a subject that worked aesthetically and conceptually, the housing issue has become even more acute, with affordability, especially, set to dominate the London Mayoral election of 2016. Critics argue that those on lower incomes are increasingly being pushed out of inner London by a combination of high private sector rates, benefit caps and the ongoing destruction of affordable

social housing. The life and character of inner London is being steadily altered, and gentrification may, ironically, undermine the vibrancy that attracts many new Londoners in the first place.

All my projects are shot on the Hasselblad XPan. This unique rangefinder camera combines medium format quality (it uses 35mm film, but the image width is 65mm), with the lightweight responsiveness of a 35mm camera. It is easy to hold in the hand thanks largely to the rangefinder design, and despite relatively slow lenses (f/4 or f/5.6) needing a centre filter to prevent vignetting.

If you need to work quickly you can: auto film advance; a good centre weighted meter and auto bracketing if required. Panoramic urban photography – often in places where my camera

Images: above; image 1 overleaf; image 2 page 1: image 3 page 1; image 4 page 1; image 5 page 1; image 6 all images © Sean Bulson ➤ 3 ➤ SPRING 2016 ➤ 9

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Profile

may not be welcome – suits the relative speed of the XPan, although I use a monopod or tripod if time and vantage point allow.

The housing series is shot on Kodak Portra 400. I often use black and white, but I felt this project needed to be photographed on colour film. From a documentary perspective, colour helps bring out the human character of what may appear to be impersonal modernist (even Brutalist) buildings. Graffiti is often prominent, but more interestingly, large prints reveal traces of lives left behind. For example, through broken windows on the Ferrier Estate (shot shortly before demolition) you can see pictures left hanging on walls and other signs of occupation.

All these estates were photographed in daylight.

Photographing in the soft ‘picturesque’ light of sunrise or sunset seemed at odds with the subject, while night photography would reveal too little of the architecture.

Portra 400 is a neutral film that renders colours very naturally, with little if any adjustment required in post-production. The film is processed by a professional lab, and then scanned on a Nikon Coolscan 9000. This hybrid approach gives me the best of both worlds: the quality and character of film, and the control of digital post-production.

Technically, Portra scans very well, with minimal grain for a relatively high speed film.

(A slower film would have made the camera difficult to hand hold successfully.)

beyond’. For photographing buildings, the XPan does have some special qualities. At 65mm x 24mm, the large negative gives medium format film quality in terms of resolution and tonal range. The superbly sharp (Fujinon) lenses have minimal distortion or ‘wide-angle’ field curvature. This lack of perspective distortion is one of the main advantages of XPan lenses over their 35mm ‘equivalents’. Put briefly, the 30mm f5.6 has ultra-wide 94 degree horizontal coverage – approximately equivalent to a 17mm lens in 35mm terms – but the geometry, or ‘look‘ of a 30mm focal length. Wide angle distortion is avoided in favour of a more natural looking image and a signature aesthetic of medium and large format photography.

The panoramic perspective does present real challenges regarding composition. Most obviously, the wide perspective can lead to unwanted elements distracting from the main subject, or large areas of empty negative

space undermining the image. Simplicity and balance are often the best way to avoid these problems. All photography is selective of course, but with the XPan, it is especially important that all the elements work together.

In the context of this project, the highly structured nature of the housing and the repeating patterns of the architecture often harmonise with the panoramic format.

As a photographer with a background in sociology, I am fascinated by the structures that influence, and to varying degrees, shape human behaviour. My approach to the housing series is to carefully select compositions that reflect these highly structured environments, via varying degrees of abstraction. From broad structural vistas (images page 9, page 10); to vertical strips of housing highlighting the clash between old and new (page 1); to closer, more abstract, images highlighting systematic neglect and poor maintenance (page 1) and signifiers of local opposition (page 1).

The photographs capture these estates at the end of their relatively brief existence (in architectural terms); following years of being poorly managed by the local authorities who owned them. The viewer could be forgiven for thinking that their loss will be mourned by few. After seeing photographs of these estates in earlier times – when they were properly maintained and contained a genuine social mix – I am struck more by opportunities missed and potential wasted. And above all, by a shared wish that social housing once again becomes a place to live, rather than a problem for local authorities and developers with other priorities.

To find more out more, visit: http://www. manyinhighwater.london/hwp/housing.html

The XPan (actually manufactured by Fujifilm as a joint project with Hasselblad) was not designed specifically for architectural photography. Launched in 1998, the original press release pitched the camera to a broad range of ‘professional and discerning amateur photographers...involved in advertising, architectural, nature photography and ANALOGUE ➤ EDITORIAL

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Tech

The Royal Photographic Society was founded in 1853 to “promote the art and science of photography”.

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Making the Platinum/Palladium print Donald E. Richards details a method for making a 4”x5” Pt/Pd print.

Continued from page 4.

Once the digital negative image is obtained (see Figure 1/page 5), it is printed from Photoshop onto Agfa CopyJet film (from Positivity Limited, UK) to obtain a digital negative. We can also use, as stated, a traditional silver negative.

All the subsequent steps can be performed under subdued tungsten light (enough to see well ‒ this is not strictly a ‘darkroom’ procedure). Avoid fluorescent light, which may have some UV in its spectrum.

The solutions needed to make the sensitive emulsion on paper are obtained from Bostick and Sullivan (B&S; see references). Although they are based in the US, there are no restrictions for shipping to the UK the solutions I mention below. I know of no company that sells these materials in the UK. To a shot glass, add with individual droppers: 1. 6 drops of ‘Palladium Solution No 3’ (palladium hexachloropalladite, where Pd ion has a valence of +2); 2. 6 drops of ‘Ferric Oxalate Solution No 1’ (ferric oxalate 27%); 3. 1 drop of ‘Sodium platinum (Na2)’ 5 %, diluted from a 20% solution (gold hexachloroplatinate, where Pt ion has a +4 valence).

I buy the solutions in 25 ml bottles that come with the dropper as seal. Standard droppers used in chemistry and medicine deliver 50 µl per drop, but I don’t know if that is so for B&S droppers. The ferric oxalate solution lasts a couple of years if kept at 4C. The other solutions last for a long time at room temperature (I tend to run out of them before I notice any changes in the prints).

With a clean dropper, I place the mixture onto a piece of 100 % rag paper, either Arches Platine (from Silverprint, UK), or Bergger Cot 320 (from Linhof Studio, UK). I then extend the solution carefully with a glass rod (a ‘puddle pusher’ from B&S) until I get a homogeneous covering of the paper.

The paper is dried with a hair dryer in the cold setting, and the now sensitive paper is ready to be exposed (see Figure 2).

The negative and the dry paper are put into a contact frame, emulsion or ink side of the negative in contact with the sensitive layer of the paper, and exposed to UV light. I use a ‘Phillips Original Home Solaria’ lamp, (now ‘Philips Facial tanner HB175’), that is used to tan faces. The contact frame is placed about an inch from the UV tubes of the lamp, and exposed to the UV light for about 4 minutes.

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After the exposure, the paper is immersed into the developer, a solution of potassium oxalate 35% (the solid is bought from Silverprint, UK), making sure that the paper is covered instantly and completely by the developer solution.

The image appears very quickly, but the paper is allowed to remain in the developer for 2 minutes, with careful and constant agitation (depending on the paper used, the wet paper may be somewhat fragile). The print in this step and all other subsequent steps, until the final wash, is handled with plastic photographic tongs in photographic 11”x14” trays.

The developer does not exhaust: Dick Arentz in his book says that his developer is almost 20 years old, and mine is approaching ten years. The amount lost by evaporation and by the carry-over in the paper is replaced, when needed, with fresh developer.

After the 2 minutes, the print is taken out of the developer, and immersed into a solution of 5 % disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate, Na2 EDTA (the solid is obtained from Silverprint, UK), a chelator of divalent and higher valency ions. Make sure that you buy the sodium salt of EDTA (with two or four Na per molecule), the free acid is quite insoluble in water. The print remains in the solution for 5 minutes, with constant agitation. Then it is transferred to another bath of Na2 EDTA, where it remains for another 5 minutes with constant agitation, and finally to a third Na2 EDTA bath for another 5 minutes with constant agitation.

The final stages are to wash the print in running water for about 30 minutes, and then put it to dry, face down, on plastic wire-mesh frames.

When the first EDTA bath becomes quite dark (from carry-over of the developer), it is discarded, and replaced by the second solution of EDTA. The third solution of EDTA becomes the second one, and a fresh solution of EDTA is used as the last one.

Regarding the safety of the process, it is not inherently more dangerous than silver gelatine printing. All photographic chemicals can be harmful, so I take the usual precautions of: 1. Following the manufacturer’s instructions; 2. Never eating or drinking whilst I am printing, and; 3. Avoiding contact of my skin with any of the chemicals (using gloves and/or tongs).

I leave the room whilst the print is being exposed to the UV light, and wear protective goggles (obtained from B&S) during the short time needed to switch the lamp on and off, and I work in well ventilated rooms.

The Analogue Group was formed in 2015.

Membership of the Group is open to all Society members at an additional subscription of £15.00 per annum. This inclues the “Analogue” newsletter which is published three times per annum. Back issues are available.

Copyright: The copyright of individual articles and images belongs to the contributor, unless otherwise stated. Copyright of the Analogue newsletter belongs to The Royal Photographic Society © 2016.

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This includes articles from Images: a contributor who is also a or farcommittee left; imagemember 1 Society employee. left; image 2 above: image 3 overleaf top left; image 4 Contact details: overleaf lower left; image 5 Editor: Richard Bradford overleaf Simon right; image 6 © Design: W Miles 2016 all images ® Sean Bulson ➤ 3 ➤ SPRING 2016 ➤ 11