AzoType Photographic Prints
My Azotypes are crafted using a hand-built 8x16" view camera made by Richard Phillips, one of the last master camera builders. The ultra-large format camera uses 8x16" sheets of film which results in a huge negative with great detail. I don't crop or manipulate the image; it is made 'as is' in the camera itself.
The entire printing process is done by hand, one sheet at a time. Using my wet darkroom and traditional techniques I first develop each sheet of film and then make a contact print. That’s where the process differs. Most film photographs are made by enlarging the small film image which gives a big print but an inevitable loss of some detail. A contact print is made by meticulously placing the film directly against the paper which gives instead a pure representation of all the tone, sharpness and depth that was captured in the camera.
Fine-art photographers have long valued contact prints because this method reveals the otherwise hidden range of grays and shadow gradation with all the texture and dimension intact. To further take advantage of this I print using a rare silver chloride paper which is made specifically for contact printing.
Edward Weston and other classic landscape photographers used this same type of paper for their contact prints. The paper was created originally over a hundred years ago and was made by Kodak under the name Azo until it was discontinued a few years ago. At that point a tiny artisanal company called Lodima took up the cause and revived the paper formula to meet the needs of those photographers still making fine art contact prints.
This paper is a labor of love both for Lodima and for the photographers. The paper is finicky to make and is done only in small batches so availability is never guaranteed. It’s also very expensive. Why bother? Well, the results are worth it: the paper brings out every subtle tone and detail allowed by the ultra-large format film and the contact print.
I’m using Nurre Caxton’s EcoCare Blackwood frames for the Azotypes. These use wood harvested from carefully managed sustainable forests and for every tree used another is planted. The frames are finished using organic, water-based stains which have minimal environmental impact.
My Azotypes are crafted using a hand-built 8x16" view camera made by Richard Phillips, one of the last master camera builders. The ultra-large format camera uses 8x16" sheets of film which results in a huge negative with great detail. I don't crop or manipulate the image; it is made 'as is' in the camera itself.
The entire printing process is done by hand, one sheet at a time. Using my wet darkroom and traditional techniques I first develop each sheet of film and then make a contact print. That’s where the process differs. Most film photographs are made by enlarging the small film image which gives a big print but an inevitable loss of some detail. A contact print is made by meticulously placing the film directly against the paper which gives instead a pure representation of all the tone, sharpness and depth that was captured in the camera.
Fine-art photographers have long valued contact prints because this method reveals the otherwise hidden range of grays and shadow gradation with all the texture and dimension intact. To further take advantage of this I print using a rare silver chloride paper which is made specifically for contact printing.
Edward Weston and other classic landscape photographers used this same type of paper for their contact prints. The paper was created originally over a hundred years ago and was made by Kodak under the name Azo until it was discontinued a few years ago. At that point a tiny artisanal company called Lodima took up the cause and revived the paper formula to meet the needs of those photographers still making fine art contact prints.
This paper is a labor of love both for Lodima and for the photographers. The paper is finicky to make and is done only in small batches so availability is never guaranteed. It’s also very expensive. Why bother? Well, the results are worth it: the paper brings out every subtle tone and detail allowed by the ultra-large format film and the contact print.
I’m using Nurre Caxton’s EcoCare Blackwood frames for the Azotypes. These use wood harvested from carefully managed sustainable forests and for every tree used another is planted. The frames are finished using organic, water-based stains which have minimal environmental impact.
