[alt-photo] salt printing

[Christina Anderson]

Dear All,

I have been reading through Ellie Young's salt printing manual and am very impressed with the testing she has completed. The usual expert document is quoted as Reilly's and to read both of them together is a good thing, because Young has some visual proof where Reilly's text may be incorrect. Wish I would have read Young back in 2006.

In researching salt for a revision of my salt chapter, I am amazed at how at every step in the process there is conflicting advice, whether something is warmer or cooler using this or that substance, how strong a bath to use for fixing or washing or whatnot...

In searching the list archives, there is actually very little on salted paper compared to other processes, but the main continual issue that cropped up was staining and fading of prints, and Ellie's manual addresses the whys of this.

I noticed last night when googling it that it is available on Amazon here and also on the alternativephotography.com website here:
http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/saltprints/the-salt-print-manual
http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Print-Manual-Ellie-Young/dp/144528328X

For some reason, and don't know how long I have had it, I have a PDF of it from the web, so at one point it was free. In any case, I want to give credit to her for her research and did buy the book (I can't stand reading PDFs).

It seems between Reilly, James' chapter on salt in his book, and Young's book there isn't too much other current literature on the process, unless it is just lumped under albumen which is quite popular. OH and Ed Buffaloe's article on unblinkingeye.com which BTW includes a CASEIN sizing for the salt print I am dying to experiment with, because it would be matte like casein is, and like Reilly talks about in his book with matte albumen. And alternativephotography.com here: http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/saltprints/a-dash-of-salt

Happy fall to everyone!

Chris

Christina Z. Anderson
christinaZanderson.com