Re: lith film

[pasha <supreme.pasha@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Guy Glorieux wrote:

Pasha,

 

Your experiences with lith film sound great!

 

What size is your film?  I've built a 20x24" pinhole camera that I use to create large paper negatives.  The negative stands as the one and only final image.  While I will occasionally try to contact print one into a positive, I generally much prefer the negative.

i find that i often prefer negatives as well. sometimes they are just prettier, more attractive, more interesting, whatever than the positive. another element that i'm realizing comes into play for me is that of the potential that the neg contains/implies/suggests/offers. that potential engages me in a way that i find very pleasant. have had the experience of printing beautiful negs and being disapponted with the results (not in technical terms, though that happens, but in some other terms.)

  <>I've used lith film with a lens camera and got very nice results when processed in dektol.  There is appearance of a large spectrum of greys but, in effect, the film remains in the extremes of blacks and whites when scrutinized under a high magnification lens.  It did provide prints with a stange beauty, somewhat in the direction of etchings.

cool! i have regular (negative) film as well and am looking forward to trying that. i intend to try developing some in pyro (on hand) and trying POTA as well (have the chemicals) and maybe some others. when you say in the direction of etchings i think of tech pan and have always liked the effect of shooting that at 200 and developing it in dektol. will have to try that with the lith film.

  <>I'm puzzled by your results that the image turned positive under standard development procedures with dektol.  Did you not go through the process of bleaching, re-exposure and re-development normally required for positive film?

yah, me too! i developed the exposed film in dektol, citric acid stop bath, straight hypo and wash. the film is very sensitive to overdeveloping as it turns out. at least i think it is. (i keep having to remind myself that the pieces of film that are completely black are NOT overexposed/overdeveloped. it's a weird transition to make!)

i'll be going through the process as the semester develops (i'm assistant teaching photography at the local community college) and i make time to get into darkroom there. it's much easier than doing it at home. i'll write with more, where they're interesting, results.

thanks for writing back.

pasha

 

Regards,

 

Guy Glorieux