Nevertheless, if you like photography you should definitely try it out ... the results can be wonderful and it is at least original!

Happy reading!

Salt Printing tutorial part I

I promised earlier to write a short tutorial on salt printing and as I always keep my word (at least I try 😉) let’s start by answering the question “What is Salt Printing”

Salt Printing was invented by the English scientist and inventor Henry Fox Talbot and was the first type of paper print used in photography in the mid-1830s. It became rapidly the dominant paper-based contact-printing process until 1860.

The base of the technique is to apply a solution of silver-nitrate on a paper that has been coated with a salt solution. The chemical reaction you then get produce silver chloride and that, dear ladies and gentlemen, is highly sensitive to light… Once exposed to UV (sunlight to keep things natural 😊), non-covered parts of your paper will turn into a dark warm brown with a red tint… But the final color depends on a lot of things : paper type used, concentration of the silver solution, amount and type of salt used,… and timing, timing, timing…

If you search for salt printing in Google, you will find a lot of tutorials and formula’s… and I tried a lot of them 😊
So, I don’t tell you that this tutorial is the only and best one… there are far more experienced people that get better results… but it’s a fun technique to experiment with and I can only share what I did to get satisfying results. The rest is up to you cause… it is a technique that you can only master by EXPERIMENTING a lot! I did… and this is the result of my first experiments…

I’m going to cut this tutorial in 2 parts cause, before starting experimenting, you will need a couple of things that you usually don’t have in your house. So I start with a short overview of the things needed and will post the next part of this tutorial somewhere next week. That way you have the time to get the stuff, and I have the time to write the second part 😊

For the digital part…

• A computer (if you’re reading this I suppose it will not be a problem)
• Photo editing software (I use GIMP, freeware)
• A photo printer. The printer is needed to create a negative and we will print on transparency film… I usually use the APLI film (https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cn/APLI-1502am-1061-Box-100-Transparent-Film-Inkjet-Printers/B007PDI9QW), but I suppose every quality brand will do. Just make sure they are made to be used in inkjetprinters.

Chemicals

• distilled water
• table salt (I use this one https://www.amazon.com/La-Baleine-Sea-Salt-Fine/dp/B0086XRC2M/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1501922166&sr=1-7&keywords=la+baleine+sea+salt) but any good quality sea-salt will do
• Silver Nitrate to make your paper light-sensitive
• Sodium thiosulfate for fixing the image after the exposure

Paper
In the whole salt printing process I experienced that the quality of the paper may be the most important factor. Don’t try to go cheap… it will not work.
What you need it heavy weight (300gr or more) 100% cotton rag, no alkaline reserve, acid-free, no optical brightening agents added paper.
And now you ask… but what is the best to start with? Well I have had good results with at least 2 types of paper : Hahnemühle Britannia satin 300gr (cheapest) and Arches Platine (a bit more expensive and has to be cut yourself as it comes in large sheets). My favorite is the Arches, a great and more luxury paper that is great to work with.
I do plan to do some tests with another paper, the BERGGER COT 320, as it appears to be the best for photographic work… but it’s a bit expensive 😊
Here some links with more info on those papers :

Hahnemühle
Aches
Berger

Other hardware…

• 2 brushes from which at least 1 non-metallic (for the salting and the coating)
• gloves… you don’t really need these if you like beautiful silver-nitrate tattoos on your fingers
• 2 or 3 trays for the processing of your photo’s (dimension depends on the size of the paper)
• a contact-printing frame

I can hear you… what is a contact-printing frame?
Salt printing is a contact-printing process. This means that your negative (the printed film) is in contact with the sensitized paper while exposing to the sun (or a UV source). So the frame makes sure that there is a maximum contact between the 2, preventing any movement (otherwise you will get some “ghost pictures”, maybe nice, but out of scope here 😊)
If you search in google you will find some great and very professional contact-printing frames… fantastic if you plan to make thousands of salt prints…
But if you’re like me, and you only print once in a while, it’s a bit too expensive. The alternative is to make one yourself like I did…

Nice isn’t it? All you need is a firm backing board, a transparent layer (I started with the glass I found in an old photo frame and later bought a 7mm thick glass plate) and some spring clamps. Works like a charm 😊 Oh, and I drawed a scale on the backing board… it just helps me position the paper quickly…
So, I think I gave enough homework for now… I hope you found it interesting enough so far and will try this process out. Stay tuned for the next part where we will actually made a salt print 😊
Feel free to ask if you have any questions… I’ll answer them as far as my knowledge permits 😉

Curious to see my work?

Happy to hear that 😉
The best thing you can do is checking out my profile here on steemit ( @pixelfan ) and follow me. I’m always happy to connect with other photographers! (And of course I’m always very happy with a little upvote… although a large one is allowed too 😊)
But of course you can find me on other social media too... just check out:

• 500px - pixelfanfoto
• ello - bisje
• facebook - pixelfanfoto
• google+ - Eric Verbiest
• instagram - pixelfanfoto