Silver Gelatin (1 Viewer)

[Anthony]

Re: picture a week (idea)

answer me this photographers.
a Silver Gelatin (spelling?) Print. Y'know, what you see on signs beside photos in galleries. What is that? some fancy print method or just a fancy name for a photographic print?

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[ICUH8N]

Re: picture a week (idea)

Silver Gelatin is a classic black and white printing process that's been around since the 19th century - there's other processes (cyanotype, palladium, albumen) that will also give great results, but some are more sensitive to light (they fade/degrade) and they're mostly a pain in the ass to work with, whereas silver gelatin is relatively straightforward for an experienced printer.
You get rich, smooth, subtle grey tones, deep blacks and bright whites. The prints themselves are also archival, which means that they'll last a long time (100+ years or more) in the right conditions and on good paper.
Practically every B&W print you see on a gallery wall will be a silver gelatin print.

 

[ICUH8N]

Re: picture a week (idea)

Just think...we'll all be long dead, and there might still be pictures of c0De_n1NjA screaming at the camera up on people's walls.

*is suddenly depressed

 

[Anthony]

Re: picture a week (idea)

Silver Gelatin is a classic black and white printing process that's been around since the 19th century ....
Practically every B&W print you see on a gallery wall will be a silver gelatin print.

Thanks, that sort of answers my question. But what makes it Silver Gelatin? Is it the paper, the process, the chemicals? You buy a box of paper, put it under an enlarger, print your photo (I have actually done this). Is that a Silver Gelatin print?

 

[ICUH8N]

Re: picture a week (idea)

Thanks, that sort of answers my question. But what makes it Silver Gelatin? Is it the paper, the process, the chemicals? You buy a box of paper, put it under an enlarger, print your photo (I have actually done this). Is that a Silver Gelatin print?

The silver gelatin refers specifically the paper, which is coated with a thin layer of gelatin in which silver halide particles are suspended. These particles are light-sensitive, and produce varying shades of grey (all the way from white to black, in a way) when exposed to the developer solution.

 

[Anthony]

Re: picture a week (idea)

The silver gelatin refers specifically the paper, which is coated with a thin layer of gelatin in which silver halide particles are suspended. These particles are light-sensitive, and produce varying shades of grey (all the way from white to black, in a way) when exposed to the developer solution.

ah, so it's a type of paper. thanks