Blog Note: See You in the New Year

The Ag+ Process blog will take a break this season until 2018.  See you then!

Polaroid: The Missing Manual

The Polaroid Originals magazine brings us an interview with the author of the Polaroid:  The Missing Manual.  Rhiannon Adam has extensive experience with creative Polaroid techniques, a large collection of books on the topic of Polaroids, a collection of Polaroid cameras and now a book on the topic that explores techniques with the iconic film.

The interview is interesting just to find out what can be done with a simple Polaroid.  From beginner to enthusiast, this book has something for everyone.

Video: Platinum Printing

Lomography has featured a video on the platinum printing process.  Specifically, the glycerin process for developing platinum prints.  There is nothing like seeing to learning.  While expensive and requiring a negative the size of the print, the look of a platinum print is unparalleled. The platinum prints out directly onto the surface of the paper, so the final print has the look of the paper, unlike a glossy silver gelatin print.

The Unblinking Eye offers a nice article on Pt printing. A less expensive alternative to the Pt print is the Kallitype, Freestyle offers a kit that uses this silver-based process that gives a similar look, though not as permanent. To make the Pt print more stable, often palladium is added, for the Pt/Pd print.

Last Minute Holiday Picks

Before this blog takes a break for the season, here are a few holiday picks from around the web.

Lomography is offering free express shipping on orders of €200/£200/$200 or more.  They also have a deal on 15% off film, use code FILM15.

Kodak has their wares on display, many film photographer goodies there.

Japan Camera Hunter has a few items on sale, including JCH 400 Street Pan.  Some cameras and lots of accessories here, pouches and boxes for holding film, an adapter for 35mm to 120 format, and of course Street Pan.

Polaroid Originals has cameras, film packs, and gift sets at special prices.  There are extras like a photographers bag, instant camera filters and more.

Business Cards on Film

Cinema Printing Company London Ltd is printing business cards of your own design on genuine Kodak movie print film.  Film Strip Creator will print from 4 to up to 12 frames of your design on a strip of 35mm film.  The design is up to you, but you may also add a soundtrack of George Eastman himself, founder of Eastman Kodak, pronouncing that “It’s a great satisfaction to be able to speak to you from the medium of this wonderful invention.”  The only known recording of his voice, made in 1930.  On film, of course.  Credit: George Eastman Museum.

Price, 100 strips from £20.00 ex. VAT.  Ships worldwide.

The Best 35mm Compact Camera

Welcome to December everyone.  Hamish Gill invited Roger Hicks to write about the Best Compact 35mm Camera.  Good luck with that!  The article plumbs the depths of history to find the best compact camera, but can he find one?  Read on to find out.

Polaroid Originals: The Magic of Polaroids

Polaroid Originals produces an online magazine which this month features a piece on the chemistry behind the Polaroid print.  A presentation recorded on SoundCloud features a 15 minute or so in-depth talk by Polaroid Originals Scientist and CTO: Stephen Herchen.  Stephen describes the make up of an integral Polaroid print, the chemistry behind the development process inside the print and the magic pod of chemistry at the bottom border of every Polaroid print.

An integral Polaroid print consists of 12 layers on the lower part of the print, an air gap between that and a transparent sheet of plastic at the top, which in turn has 4 layers coated on the inside of it.  Of the 12 layers, 3 are colour sensitized silver crystal layers, much like any colour film.  Below each silver halide layer are colour dyes.

These dyes use the subtractive colour model to produce the final colours in the print.  When a particular colour of light coming into the camera activates one of the colour sensitive silver crystals, that crystal pins down the dye that is below it.  e.g. If red light from a subject, such as an apple, strikes a red sensitive silver crystal, the cyan dye below is pinned by the development process.  The red light does not activate the green sensitive or blue sensitive silver layers.  So in development, the magenta and yellow dyes are then freed from below the green and blue sensitive layers.  The dyes then combine and diffuse to the top layer to make red in the final print.  (Combining yellow and magenta makes red.)

In fact, there are more than 50 chemical processes involved in the development of a Polaroid.  One of the most important components in the developer pod is an opaque dye that covers the sensitized silver layers as the print is ejected from the camera.  This protects the print from exposure to any further light while one of the most complex man-made chemical processes does it work.  One of the last steps of the carefully timed chemical reactions is to make that opaque layer transparent.  Then, voila, a developed print.