Re: Ware/Malde-Ziatype-DOP palladium,was RE: "New" Paper for Pt/Pd (and other iron processes, too)
I have not done anything with ziatype other than print with straight FAO plus lithium palladium chloride. Sandy At 8:21 AM -0700 11/30/06, Camden Hardy wrote: Sandy, Have you tried adding sodium tungstate to the ziatype emulsion to get warmer tones? If so, how does the color compare to that of the Ware/Malde POP process? Camden Hardy camden[at]hardyphotography[dot]net http://www.hardyphotography.net On Wed, November 29, 2006 10:37 pm, Sandy King wrote:Hi Loris, I always control temperature at around 70F, and within certain limits I can also control RH. However, for various reasons it is much easier to control RH in the 50-60% range in my working room than at the extremes. At 55% RH I really like the results I get with the Ware/Malde POP palladium process. Dmax is excellent and the color is a nice warm black. In some ways nicer than with DOP palladium. But if the RH changes by as much as 5% there will be a chance in image color, warmer going down, more neutral going up. But this is ok, since I have excellent control of RH in the 50-60% range. However, the color shift with RH change is one of the great attractions of the Ware/Malde method. And with dichromate contrast control, which Mike chose not to exploit, you can get contrast control *and* the color you want. And without the cessium salt needed with Ziatype. However, if the type of image one likes is very neutral black, Ziatype with the lithium salt by itself gives great results. I would find it very difficult to make this color with Ware/Malde because a RH of 80% or so would be almost impossible to obtain in my working environment. Sandy At 8:16 PM +0200 11/29/06, Loris Medici wrote:I see. Agree with you on the fact that making identical looking prints with POP version (at least Ziatype) can be hard... But, that shouldn't that much hard to you? I mean you have a lightsource with integrator, you can control humidity and temperature in your working area, you're accustomed to be consistent in coating + drying the paper (in fact, you're a master carbon printer!). Do you still find hard to get consistent / close results? About compression in the shadows: I cheat, I artificially increase contrast in the shadows. When you have problems - even if you have a perfect calibration - some extra contrast boost in the shadows (it should look almost weird on your screen) will do good in that aspect... The more texture you have in the shadows, the less you have this "looks dull" problem. Low key images with delicate tonal transitions make another problem - I think Pt/Pd (or any other process which results a matte print) is not the best choice for this type of imagery... Carbon is, in my understanding. Regards, Loris. -----Original Message----- From: Sandy King [mailto:sanking@clemson.edu] Sent: 29 Kasžm 2006 Çars¸amba 18:16 To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca Subject: RE: "New" Paper for Pt/Pd (and other iron processes, too) What I meant by hard to beat is the consistency of DOP, i.e. the capability of making multiple prints, all with the same density and color, without worrying about changes in exposure. FAO with the ammonium salt gives beautiful chocolate colors, if printing at low humidity. But you need some type of contrast control if working with negatives of DR of 1.8 or so intended for DOP palladium. You can actually get it by adding a few drops of dichromate to the sensitizer, as you do with ziatype. There is no down side to this as far as I can see, and the ability to control contrast this way makes the Ware/Malde process quite flexible. FAO with the lithium salt (ziatype) also works well, though I have only made a few prints with it. But for persons who like nice neutral black prints>>this is the way to go with palladium.But printing with Pt./Pd. drives me crazy at times. The prints always have this glorious look when they are washing, and when you hang them up to dry. Then you come back the next morning when they are dry and they look dull. By contrast, carbon prints improve in look as they dry. I do find that a couple of coats of some kind of clear gloss lacquer or varnish recovers some of the wet look, but not all of it. Sandy
|