Re: "alternative"

Albert Strauss (a.strauss@worldnet.att.net)
Wed, 18 Sep 1996 23:23:24 +0000

At 03:45 PM 9/18/96 +0000, you wrote:
>Judy,
>
> I have done a lot of thinking about what is "alternative." Its hard
>to come up with a good definition. To say non-silver won't work because
>kallitype uses silver as do some other , more obscure alternative
>processes. Anyway, anyone making Daguerreotypes today (and there are
>quite a few folks doing that) would consider that processes non-silver
>(sorry, I meant to type "that process alternative") as would the
>ambrotypists (sp?). One is tempted to say "prints which are not made with
>commercially made printing paper" but what if I used a really old, toner
>that you have to mix yourself (like a uranium or vanadium toner) on a
>silver print made on commercial paper. Does that qualify? Then there are
>digital images. Under the first definition, they would qualify, but
>so much of it is being done today for advertising, etc. one could hardly
>call it alternative.
> I believe that any process we use which is not the normal process
>used in making a photograph should be called an alternative process.
>Therefore, what we do is not only the real thing but it is also
>abnormal. Thus we are abnormal photographers.;-) (or artists if you
>prefer) In defense of that statement, just ask yourself- would I
>really be doing this if I were normal? Who wants to be normal anyway?
>Doesn't "normal" imply mediocre, average, common. Are we then the
>children of Lake Wobegone where all the men are good looking, all the
>women are strong and all the children above average? But I digress.
> I know this is not the Photo Art list, but I really would like to
>hear from folks who are doing alternate process what they think these
>processes are since this is a question which arises frequently around
>here.
>
>Bob Schramm

Why not a simple definition such as any photo reproduction technique using
a process other then that sold today by Kodak (also Agfa, Ilford etc). This
would include such things as dye transfer, which was eliminated from their
product line. Sometime in the future, when digital cameras replace silver
film, then silver/gelatin would fall into the alternative processes category.

Can you think of any process generally referred to as alt-process that does
not meet the above criteria?

Peace

Al