Love salt prints! My results have been hit-and-miss so far, with the most common issue is having the image wash away, either in the salt water bath after exposure, or in the fixing. It's still fun, and when it works, there's nothing like it. Thanks Bill for posting this, and all your other videos!
Hey David! Thank you! I’m wondering if the problem might be too short of an exposure when it doesn’t work. Sometimes I think my image looks good and then I pull it out and most of it fades in the washing and subsequent fixing. Also, I found it sometimes my sensitizer goes bad after a while. We had that happen in a workshop once, and when I mixed up a new batch, everything was good again. Just some thoughts. Thank you for watching!
@@BillSchwab Thank you Bill! Yes I've suspected inadequate exposure, and also drying the coated paper too quickly before using it. I get impatient waiting, I want to coat and print right away. I hadn't considered my chemicals, they have been around quite a while. I was hoping they'd stay good as long as they weren't put into solution. I appreciate your reply, thank you!
Hi Bill, the salt print process was invented by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1839. It would be nice to have a closeup of the finished print at the end of the video.
Thank you. That's right... we were already into wet plate by the 1850s. Thanks for the suggestion as well. I'll make sure to add a close-up in future videos.
For a pure analog workflow, no curves or Photoshop is required if you make wet or dry collodion negatives for making salt prints. I personally find that my salt prints made from collodion negatives look much richer and possess more depth using this approach.
I love working on a pure analog workflow, especially with collodion negatives but I find better control over the negatives building curves for them rather than trying to make my in camera negatives work through chemistry. It’s more a matter of personal preference than anything, I believe.
I am wondering how much sensitizer you are using. 2 drops does not seem much but it coats ok in the video. Usual advice is 2 ml for an 8x10. Scaling down to 4x5 means you need about 0.5ml. They must be big drops or you are able to coat with very little sensitizer on that paper.
It wasn’t only two drops. It was pretty much two eyedroppers full. Still, I like to use the bare minimum for coating the paper with the sensitizer. I found that it gives me a more smooth coating.
Hi Bill. Just want to say thank you for the info on alternative processes. I was wondering about your light box kit video. You quickly mentioned the Cone edition box. You stated that if one had the money, that this 'very expensive' box would be fine to invest in. I was wondering other than the speed of the uv lights, are there other advantages to using that box? I'm wondering why Cone feels their box is so superior.
Thank you for the video, are there any toners that are fairly benign? I have mast cell disease "allergic reactions to many things" and I want to try salt printing, I've somehow avoided toning after all of these years but it seems it's not avoidable with salt printing? Recommendations for other toning methods would be appreciated.
Hi Amanda, I understand your predicament. There are some more benign toners that she could use, but not that would prolong the life of the image. For instance, you could use different teas, etc. If it helps, there’s not a lot of fumes or smells associated with these toners, so you may be able to work with them with nitrile gloves?
Love salt prints! My results have been hit-and-miss so far, with the most common issue is having the image wash away, either in the salt water bath after exposure, or in the fixing. It's still fun, and when it works, there's nothing like it.
Thanks Bill for posting this, and all your other videos!
Hey David! Thank you! I’m wondering if the problem might be too short of an exposure when it doesn’t work. Sometimes I think my image looks good and then I pull it out and most of it fades in the washing and subsequent fixing. Also, I found it sometimes my sensitizer goes bad after a while. We had that happen in a workshop once, and when I mixed up a new batch, everything was good again. Just some thoughts. Thank you for watching!
@@BillSchwab Thank you Bill! Yes I've suspected inadequate exposure, and also drying the coated paper too quickly before using it. I get impatient waiting, I want to coat and print right away. I hadn't considered my chemicals, they have been around quite a while. I was hoping they'd stay good as long as they weren't put into solution. I appreciate your reply, thank you!
Hi Bill, the salt print process was invented by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1839. It would be nice to have a closeup of the finished print at the end of the video.
Thank you. That's right... we were already into wet plate by the 1850s. Thanks for the suggestion as well. I'll make sure to add a close-up in future videos.
For a pure analog workflow, no curves or Photoshop is required if you make wet or dry collodion negatives for making salt prints. I personally find that my salt prints made from collodion negatives look much richer and possess more depth using this approach.
I love working on a pure analog workflow, especially with collodion negatives but I find better control over the negatives building curves for them rather than trying to make my in camera negatives work through chemistry. It’s more a matter of personal preference than anything, I believe.
fire up chips!
I am wondering how much sensitizer you are using. 2 drops does not seem much but it coats ok in the video. Usual advice is 2 ml for an 8x10. Scaling down to 4x5 means you need about 0.5ml. They must be big drops or you are able to coat with very little sensitizer on that paper.
It wasn’t only two drops. It was pretty much two eyedroppers full. Still, I like to use the bare minimum for coating the paper with the sensitizer. I found that it gives me a more smooth coating.
Thanks! Good tip to use a minimum amount.
Hi Bill. Just want to say thank you for the info on alternative processes. I was wondering about your light box kit video. You quickly mentioned the Cone edition box. You stated that if one had the money, that this 'very expensive' box would be fine to invest in. I was wondering other than the speed of the uv lights, are there other advantages to using that box? I'm wondering why Cone feels their box is so superior.
That was a great outdoor project.
Thank you for the video, are there any toners that are fairly benign? I have mast cell disease "allergic reactions to many things" and I want to try salt printing, I've somehow avoided toning after all of these years but it seems it's not avoidable with salt printing? Recommendations for other toning methods would be appreciated.
Hi Amanda, I understand your predicament. There are some more benign toners that she could use, but not that would prolong the life of the image. For instance, you could use different teas, etc. If it helps, there’s not a lot of fumes or smells associated with these toners, so you may be able to work with them with nitrile gloves?