Lith Lith
No I'm not being redundant.
I ended up making a lith print on lith film. The tons are wonderful and I have always liked the way a transparency lies on a sheet of white paper and looks somehow very different than a print. I am not it will translate well online but here it is. I have tried to match the exposure and color from the original.
I went for a extra stop of exposure and got this. This has lower contrast and greener color to it.
Here they are all photographed together (daylight light source) along with a version developed on the lith film with Moersch Eco4812 conventional print developer on the left.
I think they look really fantastic with a metal foil backing. Plain kitchen aluminium foil that’s has no pattern works well. I prefer the ‘matte’ side over the shiny side. It reflects more light than paper but you are unlikely to see yourself through the transparency (perhaps a feature?).
I framed the more orange version and used the foil backing as well. It is difficult to convey the look in a photo but here it is. I also made a short (shaky) video in hopes it coveys the sense of the image glowing better.
I set up my enlarger by raising it to it highest height, setting the aperture to f22, and putting in 2 ND filters as I am using a 150watt bulb. I then run a conventional set of test strips until I see an exposure I like. Again these should be judged on a white card if the plan is to display it this way otherwise the exposure will be too dark. Once the exposure is determined then the final print is made.
I developed these examples in Lith developer (LD20 from Fotospeed). I mixed the A and B portions at 15ml to 485ml water each. I then decanted 100 ml of each into a separate bottle as my working solution. I use a small tray about 5x6 inches which keeps the chemistry down to a reasonable amount. Lith developer oxidizes rapidly so a new day will likely demand a new batch.
With normal lith printing the flexibility (or frustration) comes from the variability of the process. Typically the emulsion is over-exposed by several stops then developed by inspection. (This is why only orthographic film can be used in this example as it behaves like photo paper under a safelight.) The print is judged and ‘snatched’ at what is judged to be the right moment. Time does not really figure into it because as the developer ages its characteristics change. Also lith developer can be very slow, up to tens of minutes.
As I develop the film I need to take into account the red safelight is dim and so something that looks good under the safelight may turn out quite light. Also this lith film has a milky looking emulsion than turns clear when fixed so the contrast appears poor during development but resolves in the fix. Also this film has a reddish anti-halation layer that dissolves in the developer. As you process more film the developer becomes darker and darker under the safelight. You will need to pull the film out to judge it properly as a result.
While judging the exposure one has to be careful because once an image begins to appear development can proceed rapidly. I pull it frequently from the developer at this stage. When it gets really close rather than panic I put it in a water stop bath so I can take my time and judge the stage of the development. I can then resume development if needed. Finally when I think I am happy I place it in acid stop (optional as water stop works fine) and I look one last time before committing to the fix. I could redevelop at this point but I need to make sure I wash the stop stop off the image in clean water first. Otherwise the developer will be ruined.
I find the fix is very fast (I use rapid fix at 1+4) on the order of a minute or less. Then wash and dry.
Introduction
I was experimenting with making contact prints for some masking I want to try. Along the way I wandered into using lith film and then got led to Lith paper developer as I tried to achieve more contrast. This gave me some interesting results in their own artist way.I ended up making a lith print on lith film. The tons are wonderful and I have always liked the way a transparency lies on a sheet of white paper and looks somehow very different than a print. I am not it will translate well online but here it is. I have tried to match the exposure and color from the original.
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| f8 45 sec exposure |
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| f5.6 45 sec exposure |
Displaying Transparencies
When displaying these transparencies with passive light sources I have found you need a relatively light exposure for it to be displayed effectively. If you look at it at arms length against a white wall for instance you will misjudge the exposure when it is mounted against white card. This is because the distant wall gets light directly from the light source before it travels through the transparency to your eye. When place directly on white card the light travels through the transparency, reflects off the card and travels again through the transparency. So half the light reaches your eye.I think they look really fantastic with a metal foil backing. Plain kitchen aluminium foil that’s has no pattern works well. I prefer the ‘matte’ side over the shiny side. It reflects more light than paper but you are unlikely to see yourself through the transparency (perhaps a feature?).
I framed the more orange version and used the foil backing as well. It is difficult to convey the look in a photo but here it is. I also made a short (shaky) video in hopes it coveys the sense of the image glowing better.
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| Framed and Mounted Transparency |
How the Transparencies are Made
Now the boring technical details. These are contact prints where I sandwich the original negative (4x5 in this case) on top of the film I am printing to. This is exactly the same as making a conventional print except you use film instead of paper. I place a sheet of glass over it before making the exposure.I set up my enlarger by raising it to it highest height, setting the aperture to f22, and putting in 2 ND filters as I am using a 150watt bulb. I then run a conventional set of test strips until I see an exposure I like. Again these should be judged on a white card if the plan is to display it this way otherwise the exposure will be too dark. Once the exposure is determined then the final print is made.
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| Example Test Strip |
With normal lith printing the flexibility (or frustration) comes from the variability of the process. Typically the emulsion is over-exposed by several stops then developed by inspection. (This is why only orthographic film can be used in this example as it behaves like photo paper under a safelight.) The print is judged and ‘snatched’ at what is judged to be the right moment. Time does not really figure into it because as the developer ages its characteristics change. Also lith developer can be very slow, up to tens of minutes.
The Film
For this effort I used some UltraFine brand Ortho Lith film from Photowarehouse in the USA. I cut it down from 8x10 sheets under a safelight. It is very cheap compared to conventional black and white film.Exposure and Processing
I exposed it at 3 and 4 stops greater than normal film (f5.6 and f8 vs f22). Strictly speaking though a test strip done at f22 turned out fine it just took longer to develop (almost 20 minutes). The color changes depending on the degree of over exposure. Light exposure give peach/orange/pink and more exposure tends towards greener shadows. These are all useful variables to try.As I develop the film I need to take into account the red safelight is dim and so something that looks good under the safelight may turn out quite light. Also this lith film has a milky looking emulsion than turns clear when fixed so the contrast appears poor during development but resolves in the fix. Also this film has a reddish anti-halation layer that dissolves in the developer. As you process more film the developer becomes darker and darker under the safelight. You will need to pull the film out to judge it properly as a result.
While judging the exposure one has to be careful because once an image begins to appear development can proceed rapidly. I pull it frequently from the developer at this stage. When it gets really close rather than panic I put it in a water stop bath so I can take my time and judge the stage of the development. I can then resume development if needed. Finally when I think I am happy I place it in acid stop (optional as water stop works fine) and I look one last time before committing to the fix. I could redevelop at this point but I need to make sure I wash the stop stop off the image in clean water first. Otherwise the developer will be ruined.
I find the fix is very fast (I use rapid fix at 1+4) on the order of a minute or less. Then wash and dry.
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