Hello everyone ! I am trying to print portraits on FB paper that have a "silver look". I wonder if this is done via the paper & developer combination ? or toning process ? Many thanks for your input !! Stavros.

-- Stavros V. (stavros@athensintercon.gr), December 11, 2000

Answers

Ask the moderator Ed Buffaloe about "solarisation". He has a web-site (I don't have the address) where he describes it. It's done at the printing stage and includes flashing the print after it has been put into the developer.

Also, ordinary developing with very hard paper, and hard, direct light during the photo-session, will give a silvery look.

I don't know about any toner that gives a silvery look, but then I don't know that much about toning (I only use selenium toning).

-- Peter Olsson (peter.olsson@lulebo.se), December 11, 2000.

Tetenal make a silver/bronze toner which is available from Silverprint (www.silverprint.co.uk) at £22.27/litre. I've seen results from this toner can be quite mirror like, quite a graphic effect. However this may be OTT for portraits. Regards,

-- Trevor Crone (tcrone@gm.dreamcast.com), December 11, 2000.

There is also a product called Halochrome which is supposed to produce a silver or chrome effect, although I have never tried it. I suspect it is available from major New York photo dealers (e.g., B&H, Adorama) if you have any publications that carry their advertisements.

-- Larry Rudy (ljrgcr@cetlink.net), December 11, 2000.

B&H carries Cachet AG Silver Metallic RC enlarging paper. It is a paper that translates highlights into a silvery look. James

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), December 11, 2000.

Check out Prof William Jolly's article 'Silver Mirror and Other unusual B&W printing processes' (and a subsequent update) in Photo Techniques Magazine (US). This process provides incredible Daguerrotype-like mirror finish prints, but is involved and a touch tricky to get to work properly.

You can use Halochrome on FB paper but I suggest RC for 2 reasons - no silver mirror print is as archival as a regular silver/gelatine print (the silver is ~very~ vulnerable to aerial oxidation - take a look at any old Daguerrotype) furthermore the prints on RC paper are more 'mirror-y' because of the inherent reflectivity of the polyester base.

I have made portraits and done them both with Halochrome and Prof Jolly's silver mirror technique and they are stunning, but all look a bit similar after a while. For a really freaky 'brushed chrome look' print portraits on heavily textured watercolour paper coated with Luminos Silverprint liquid emulsion and then Halochrome them. ~Weird~.

Later,

Marty

-- Marty Deveney (freakscene@weirdness.com), December 12, 2000.