The Handmade Silver Gelatin Emulsion Print

The Handmade Silver Gelatin Emulsion Print is a cookbook of simple, basic recipes for making black and white printing paper and paper negatives, along with creative options for printing, toning, and colouring. Author Denise Ross draws from photographic literature from the last 135 years, adapting old recipes to fit modern tools, materials, and workspaces. Modern twists have been applied to traditional techniques.

The book is divided into three sections: Section One lays the groundwork for this unique alternative process; Section Two provides the recipes; Section Three highlights contemporary silver gelatin artists.

The book features over 200 full-colour images and covers key topics including:

Vocabulary: A list of terms used by traditional photographers and emulsion makers.

• Creating workspaces with the right tools and materials
• Basic emulsion chemistry and paper coating techniques
• Working with various negative options, analogue and digital
• Gaslight chloride contact printing paper
• Kodabromide-type chlorobromide all-purpose paper
• Bromide enlarging paper
• Warm tone paper and developers
• Making and toning your own printing-out paper (POP)
• Matte surface and baryta coating surface paper
• Paper negatives and making hand-drawn and digital masks
• Toning handmade paper
• Gum printing over handmade paper
• Troubleshooting handmade paper
• Artists working with handmade paper

The Handmade Silver Gelatin Emulsion Print is for photographers who love the look and creative potential of black and white traditional photography but who want more control over the process and the end product. It is written for both beginners and experienced photographers, with processes initially explained in such a way that anyone will feel comfortable getting started. There is also information in increasing levels of complexity so that experienced photographers who enjoy a challenge will also find one.