# Liquid Light



## itakepictures (Dec 7, 2007)

Hi my name is Adam I am in my third year as a photo major at school.  I may have bit off a little more then I could chew with my final photo project.  I have recently started playing with liquid light and thought it would be a fun project to do for a final is to put images of skateboarders on broken skateboards.  The first one came out fine nice over all tonality of the print.  How ever I ran into a bit of a problem.  Some of my negatives lack contrast which is making the image very gray and flat.  I have no blacks or whites.  I tried scanning the negatives adding contrast in photoshop and contact printing them.  I also tried making a negative to enlarge in photoshop the only problem is the ink-jet transparencies have these little bumps I suppose to grab the ink and it is causing dark dots on my prints almost like it is pixelated.

My question is how can I make the liquid light more contrasty?  My teacher suggested developing in straight dektol.  Another teacher said that may not work.

A little background these are skateboards broken in half.  Coated with some white matte spray paint and a coat of clear polyurethane on top.

Any help would be great my crit is TUESDAY!

Thanks,
Adam


----------



## Alpha (Dec 7, 2007)

You could:

a) Lith print the boards, or b) Make a high contrast negative from the original, then print that.


----------



## itakepictures (Dec 7, 2007)

MaxBloom said:


> You could:
> 
> a) Lith print the boards, or b) Make a high contrast negative from the original, then print that.



I tried making my own high contrast negative and it doesn't work because of the grain on the transparencies for the ink-jet printer.


----------



## Alpha (Dec 8, 2007)

I mean make a real high-contrast negative. Make normal print of the shot (if the negs are soft, perhaps a grade 3), then contact print that onto LF film. An orthochromatic copy film would be good for this, as they tend to be slow and you can work with it under safelight. I'd recommend something like the Arista APHS half-tone. You could also try Adox/Efke ORT25/PL25. They're all available from Freestyle Photographic, and aren't very expensive. 25 sheets of the 8x10 APHS will only set you back $18.

Edit: I should add, in case you didn't know, that it has to be a red safelight. An amber one will fog the film.


----------



## KMac (Dec 10, 2007)

Go here http://www.alternativephotography.com/process_liquidlight.html and check out point number 2. I have never tried liquid light but the description looks like it would be helpful.

Good luck,
Kevin


----------



## Sw1tchFX (Dec 10, 2007)

you're working with negatives, which I would guess you've been using enlargers and making real B&W prints. 

Why don't you use contrast filters?


----------



## Alpha (Dec 10, 2007)

A grade 5 perhaps, if available.


----------



## itakepictures (Dec 11, 2007)

KMac said:


> Go here http://www.alternativephotography.com/process_liquidlight.html and check out point number 2. I have never tried liquid light but the description looks like it would be helpful.
> 
> Good luck,
> Kevin



thanks I tried it and it just beaded off the skateboards.  You can't use the contrast filters with liquid light.


----------



## Alpha (Dec 11, 2007)

Lith print it.


----------

