Re: Photopolymer Plate Options
Keith,
Thanks for the book recommendations.
How do you change the washout time?
I should email you a pic of mine offlist to show some great measles I got...
Chris
I think it's true about a particular tonal range affecting the ratio.
When I played with this, it was from work that had been shot in the
studio under similar lighting conditions. So it makes sense that I found
a change in washout time to be more advantageous in adjusting the
tonality. Your exposure tests are also similar to my results.
As for the plates, after Jon mentioned Boxcar sell the same KM73 for a
fraction of the price I checked their website again. I can't believe I've
been paying so much! And they're ex-Minnesotans!
Keith.
On Feb 18, 2007, at 9:16 AM, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
Keith,
You are so right, in your comments below.
More on solarplate observations (btw I am switching to KM73s this
week...)
Yesterday I printed my test plate of 12 exposures. Horizontally I
exposed for 9, 4, and 2 min and vertically I exposed the aquatint screen
for 1, 2, 3, and 4 minutes.
The very frustrating, and maybe, beneficial thing about solarplate is
that all of those squares, albeit different tonally, worked OK enough.
In other words, from a 3 minute exposure to a 13 minute exposure one
would be hard pressed to tell a major difference unless you look at the
way the midtones printed. So when Dan Welden says that it is not very
sensitive to fluctuations in UV light, he ain't a kiddin'! I can scan it
and maybe get it up on my website (Camden, heheheh?)....
That said, there were some that exhibited better midtones or highlights,
depending on the ratio of the aquatint to positive exposure. So AGAIN I
went and printed a test plate...I used your ratio, Keith, of half
aquatint and half positive for two images on the same plate, one of
Camden's which was not printing the highest highlights at all--they were
flat white--and one of mine, which was good at a 3mn aquatint and 7mn
positive ratio. Finally got the highlights to show up in Camden's piece.
It was printed at 3.5/3.5mn. But mine didn't look better. So it almost
looks as if the tonal range of an image may affect how you choose your
ratio??? Camden's was an image made for pt/pd printing, from extreme
high whites to some small areas of black. Mine had a more compressed
tonal range.
You know, at least I am understanding more about this whole process but
generally I am shooting in the dark. By the time I calculate the plates
wasted I might as well have paid for a $1000 workshop.
Chris
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