Technology
A few years ago I discovered the art of lith printing – an alternative and painstaking darkroom printing method involving a mixture of highly diluted standard chemicals and lithographic chemicals. The result gives a more live and graphic texture to the image and it can be adjusted by choosing different lith chemistry and different papers. Most often really old papers works the best. It’s very hard, if at all possible, to produce two identical images from this process.
Lith print, sepia toned.
I tend to use a lot of various equipment, when it comes to camera types, lenses and film. Really old film, expired since decades, thrills me the most. The oldest film I’ve used, so far, was from the 1920’s. You can never be certain to get images from film that old but most often the result is quite intriguing, with spots and patterns from deteriorating emulsion. Once in awhile I stumble upon old film that’s been kept well (cold and dark) through the decades and it will, by using correct exposure and developing, produce perfect negatives that can be used for printing without any problem.
13×18 Kodak glass plate expired in the 70’s, exposed using camera (L.G. Kleffel & Sohn) and lens manufactured around 1895, which is the camera you see as a header on this page.
Likewise I’m very fascinated in old camera equipment, everything from 60 years old budget cameras with all their mechanical and optical imperfections to +120 years old wooden cameras with hand finished optics that render the photographed scene incredibly well! As shown above.