(click on the image to enlarge)
"First Paper Negative" © Flavio Martín Morante_2012
What can be seen above is my first paper negative fresh out of the darkroom. After several months studying by myself about W. H. F Talbot and calotype, pinhole photography and mathematics, etc, etc, I was able today to produce this first paper negative which the mix of feelings that it did generated its production I can only compare it to my first time printing a picture back on 1999. All the magic, the wonder, the excitement that photography gives me, came back, yes it did came back after some years trying to find the "perfect medium to oneself". This is just a starting point, I still have a lot to work out technically speaking in order to be able to use this whole technique/process for a few projects I have in mind, but, you gotta start somewhere.
(click on the image to enlarge)
"One, Two, Three, Four, Five..." © Flavio Martín Morante_2012
To take this picture (see at the end of this post) took me almost an hour, with four attempts and four different timings and measuring, but after the right light meter reading and the correct math formula, I got it with an exposure of 5' 30". Pinhole photography is a whole new world to me, since its the first time I photograph without a lens, so to go back almost 500 years (on the pinhole) and 160 years (on the calotype) does not come easy, but I like complicated things :)
(click on the image to enlarge)
© Flavio Martín Morante_2012
So, the image above is what I stood in front today for a nice long while trying to make sure that every reading and calculation was right before making the picture. And below is the result, which is a digitalized positive of the paper negative. I am hoping to create many negatives and perfect the exposures times before jumping into making prints from them. Still, the scanned and inverted sample gives a nice idea of what it would look like, despite that the actual resulting print would be able to do better justice to the tones and contrasts of the final image.
(click on the image to enlarge)
"My First Calotype (Negative)" © Flavio Martín Morante_2012
Paper negative. Ilford Multigrade RC IV.
Exposed 5'30" at f231.
Developed 1'30" on Kodak Dektol.
Size_ 4 X 5 inches.
(click on the image to enlarge)
"My First Calotype (Positive)" © Flavio Martín Morante_2012
Scanned and digitalized paper negative.
More images coming soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment