What’s your favorite alternative process?

[Jesse]

What’s your favorite alternative photographic process? There are so many options. Wonderful sources of chemistry, and a ton of ideas out there.  What do you like to play with, and which sites do you find the most useful?

I’m a big fan of:

www.photoformulary.com
www.bostick-sullivan.com
www.alternativephotography.com
www.freestylephoto.biz

I started off having a lot of dark room fun doing multiple exposures directly on photographic paper.  Many negatives, one sheet of paper.  Then I graduated college, found myself packed in a studio with woodworkers. Dust was my enemy! It was everywhere screwing up my prints! Some how I got it in my brain that contact prints would work better so I stumbled through a number of techniques. Still had problems with dust, but some how it looked better on a gum print.  Using a cobbled together darkroom, with out the proper equipment, I found that cyanotype and ziatype are my favorites along with not so alternative silver based black and white paper as a contact print. 

For those not familiar with ziatype:
http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/articles/ziatype.html

[Perstef]

If you haven't seen this book, I'd check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Image-Transfer-Workshop-Mixed-Media-Techniques/dp/1600611605

There are a ton of digital transfer techniques, perfect for someone who doesn't have darkroom access and most of them are non-toxic and safe to do in the home. Inkjet transfers are a personal favorite as well as pronto plates (not in this book, but are a form of digital lithography).

[Jesse]

Fun, I have yet to try an inkjet transfer, but I’ll have to do that. I was just missing the old days of polaroid transfer. Have you tried with the Fuji instant film that’s available out there? Someone was telling me it was a bit more difficult.

[Perstef]

Inkjets are super easy and non-toxic. You can do them on so many types of materials too. My students had a lot of success with wood actually.

It is harder. You need to turn the lights off and use higher quality paper and I STILL don't think you get as good of a range in the cyans and the magentas. On the plus side, emulsion lifts are a lot easier. It just comes right off in hot water. 

[Jesse]

Very cool. Out of curiosity, are you using a dye or pigment based inkjet?

[Perstef]

Dye-based. I've actually never tried it with a pigment base. Since they dry so much faster you'd probably just have to increase your water usage to get a good lift.

[Jesse]

That works for me, I have a Dye based printer.

[Perstef]

We use an ancient HP desk-jet at the community college (like with one cartridge for CMYK) and you can still get some amazing work out of it. That's why I love teaching them, it a processes anyone can do at home.

[Jesse]

That sounds wonderful. It’s one of the reasons that I like some of the printing out processes that are available like Zia type. I don’t have to make sure my room is light tight. Just use a dim bulb and get to work!

[jamescampbell]

Fun, I have yet to try an inkjet transfer, but I’ll have to do that. I was just missing the old days of polaroid transfer. Have you tried with the Fuji instant film that’s available out there? Someone was telling me it was a bit more difficult.

Jesse I've done the Fuji FP100C instant film transfers. Works great, use hot but not boiling water and the film layer becomes tactile and you can slide it right off to any surface. I used primed 5x7 matboard that were on sale at Michaels. The end result was very cool once it dried. I think I applied a little modpodge to the result to spread it out correctly on the surface and ensure proper drying.

[Jesse]

James, that’s great to hear, I’ve missed the old polaroid days with my 4x5. I like the thought of using mat board instead of paper. I’ll keep that in mind for the next experiment.