![]() Color photography was considered a commercial medium, not suited to serious artistic expression. Until the 1970s, art photographers used this process almost exclusively to create high-quality black and white prints. Properly exposed gelatin silver prints are quite stable if exhibited under controlled light conditions. A negative image is transferred to light-sensitive paper that has four layers: a paper base, a white opaque coating of gelatin and barium sulfate that creates a smooth surface, the gelatin layer that holds the silver grains of the photographic image, and a protective gelatin overcoat. Gift from the Christian Keesee Collection, 2016.041.īefore the advent of digital technology at the end of the twentieth century, the gelatin silver process had been the most commonly used method of making black and white prints since the 1890s. What makes these color prints unique, or stand apart from more contemporary pigment prints, is that they are made from an exposure that requires light – photography’s key ingredient.Brett Weston (1911-1993), Mountains and Clouds, New Mexico, c. ![]() C – prints remained as the most common color printing method until the recent shift to archival pigment prints.Ĭhromogenic prints often speak to photographers and collectors with a more traditional or purist approach to the medium. This process was developed in the 1930s and became quite popular upon Kodak’s introduction of Kodacolor film produced from 1942 to 1963. The silver salts are bleached out and only the color dyes remain. During processing, chemicals are added that form dyes of the appropriate color in the emulsion layers. Each layer is sensitized to a different primary color - red, blue or green. A color photograph in which the paper has three emulsion layers of light sensitive silver salts. Red Curtain, 2016, Chromogenic Print, 14x14" Image, Edition of 10, $2500 – © Cig HarveyĬhromogenic Prints, or C-Prints, are made from a color negative, slide, or digital image (known as a digital C – print). ![]() Select Artists Making Archival Pigment Prints: We love materials at photo-eye and how they can affect the interpretation and feeling of an image.įar from push-button, mastering Pigment Printing means possessing an intense understanding of your materials, including paper, ink choice, and the profiles used to transform a digital file into a physical object. These papers have been especially freeing for color photographers who were previously limited to plastic based resin coated papers. In the past ten years, we've also seen a renaissance in paper choice for Archival Pigment Printers, including thick matte cotton rag and the introduction of a clay base just like Silver-Gelatin Prints. Ok, what does that mean? Essentially Archival Pigment Prints offer exquisite rich tone, black-and white or color, and can last for hundreds of years – far longer than the traditional chemical color C-Print. Originating as a digital file, either from a camera or scanner, Archival Pigment Prints are created on professional inkjet printers utilizing refined particles of tonal pigment resilient to degrading environmental elements. This post is a guide to four of the most common types of photographic prints, how they are made, and why they may be a good fit for your collection.Ĭloud caster, 2013, Archival Pigment Print,8x8” Image, Edition of 15, $1500– © Maggie TaylorĪrchival Pigment Prints are nearly ubiquitous these days as many photographers continue to move their work out of the darkroom and onto the computer. Occasionally, gallery visitors get caught up between the type of print and the process of creating the photographic image, and typically the two are related, although they don't need to be. The range of what is considered 'photographic' has and is expanding. New technologies have created unforeseen printing possibilities but have also caused a resurgence in classic processes - resulting in a slew of possibilities and a longer glossary of terms. NOW is a very exciting time for photography. Today we are going to bring our focus back to the basics by defining four common types of photographic prints, their strengths, and why to collect them. This summer we kicked off the series with a piece highlighting 5 basic tips to start your collection and then moved into some of our staff’s favorite images. For some time I've been ruminating on a series about collecting photography to help demystify the process.
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