U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: 3 questions (one of them dumb)

Re: 3 questions (one of them dumb)



I always understood chromogenic prints to be those prints specifically made from color negatives (as opposed to prints made from color positives . . . or Polaroids? . . . or from a digital file?). I'm surprised, though, to read that calling a chromogenic print a c-print, is "improper." Did I read that right? I always thought a chromogenic print and a c-print were the exact same thing. If not, I've sure been labeling my work incorrectly for a number of years now.

Over the summer, I saw the alt process show at Tilt Gallery in Phoenix, and there was also a c-print included in that show. Although the print was wonderful, I was very surprised to see that a c-print was considered "alternative." I would have thought a straight b&w silver print to be a whole lot more "alternative" at this point, than a c-print. Is it really that unusual for someone to be making a print from a color negative these days?


On Nov 16, 2008, at 11:56 PM, Judy Seigel wrote:


1. Pretty sure I asked this a while back, but nobody answered so I repeat:

A friend, masterminding a class mixing vandyke brown emulsion, finds that when the silver nitrate is dissolved in the "distilled water" the solution turns somewhat milky. I recalled having had the same experience years ago, ultimately discovering that the "distilled water" was actually tap water, bottled as and labelled "distilled." This was established by the chemistry professor who has since retired, and nobody on the premises can or will do whatever the test was today.

Friend said she'd been told there's a solution that tests for "distilled" i(I have a note "Solenoid black from NZ" -- could that be it?) Any info or advice would be gratefully received.

2. I saw the Soho Photo gallery "Alternative Photography" show on Friday, and recommend it (for those who can get to 15 White Street in Tribeca by Nov. 20, tho check for gallery hours [Wed PM + Thursday thru Saturday, but not cast in concrete, so double check by phone].) Chris Anderson has TWO of her "parking lot" tricolor gums in the honors list -- and tho some of the variety AFAIK flunked spelling (it's orotone, not auratone, n'est-ce pas?), the variety of subject and form was a pleasure... also, upstairs, work from the Polaroid collection, and more.

But that's not my question, which is as follows: One of the works was labelled "chromogenic print." Now it's true that my memory has been eaten by moles and moths, and I myself never made such a print, but my thought was, that's just a fancy way of saying "color photo", like calling an inkjet print a "glicee." So I looked up "chromogenic print" in the two books I could find (two out of maybe 7 is a good rate around here). The best definition was in Luis Nadeau's "Encyclopedia," which explained that most "contemporary color photographic materials belong to this category" ... also called "dye coupler prints," and "(improperly) C-prints."

Maybe that IS "alternative" today... but still, isn't that just a regular (color) photograph?

3. What is glycin? I know it isn't glycerine, more's the pity, but it's not in Nadeau... There are of course some photo chemistry books around here, now deeply buried in the Morton Street Mississippi Delta. So, I thought, it can't hurt to ask.

thanks in advance,

Judy