Fine Art Prints
Working on some new prints for an old friend. Lots more prints available in my online shop, and of course, discount codes when you support my work on Patreon.com/jszymanski
Exclusive content, behind the scenes, process notes and discount codes on patreon.com/jszymanski
Lots going on these days, I've posted quite a few wider takes / series over at patreon.com/jszymanski... as well as behind the scenes images, process notes, and discount codes for the print shop. If you're interested in supporting the work that I do follow the link and consider making a pledge... http://patreon.com/jszymanski
In honor of Black Friday (gag) and with a nod to the gods of capitalism (sigh) this is a public service announcement to remind everyone to support the arts this holiday (buying) season. Pop on over to my online shop for all your (re)gifting needs!
I'm no salesman, which is the understatement of the century for those who know me. I'm often reminded while trying to promote my work of the comedian Kyle Kinane and his pondering of the futility in his attempt to sell cake decorations by phone...
"If you ever want to feel like a toothless cog in the machine of humanity, try selling gourmet cake decorations over the phone... Hello, would like to buy any cake decorations today? No? I completely understand... "
I've always had a difficult time treating my work as a commodity. However I am in the business of creating a very real, three dimensional product, such as it is, that is becoming somewhat of a rare commodity these days. In an effort to print more of my own work, while subsidizing the process to the extent that I can, and at the same time sharing more of what I do with the world, I've started an experiment of sorts on a new(ish) site called Patreon.
So how does this work? Simple, you sign up to pledge x amount of dollars each month and in return you get stuff from me, such as...
- Access to all exclusive content I post on Patreon, including wider takes of many series, behind the scenes, process notes, etc. I'll normally be posting twice a week, both new and archived material.
- Random perks in the mail from time to time, such as postcards, short run proof prints, things of that sort. I totally dig the mail and really love sending people stuff...
- Discount codes for books, silver gelatin prints and polaroids in my online shop. Always adding news things to the shop, I'll be posting discount codes for patrons on new work as I add it.
- A 5x7 inch proof print of your choice. One final perk, just for singing up and becoming a patron, I'll send you a 5x7 proof print of your choice.
I'm starting out simple and small with one level of support. Eventually I'll be releasing prints on a monthly basis in varying sizes with increasing levels of support... I've just begun adding content, but expect to be posting more material regularly from here on out...
If you're interested, please check out my page. http://patreon.com/jszymanski
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
I've recently started tinkering around with a page on Patreon, which is a site for creative folks to basically crowd source funding on a monthly or per project basis. An interesting idea to say the least, so in an effort to subsidize some of my own work I'm going to be releasing prints and some exclusive content there in the coming months. So in the interest of transparency I thought it would be useful to lay out my print process, such as it is...
Cameras, Film and Processing
Some years ago I started shooting Leica rangefinders. I’m not a Leica freak, I don’t collect cameras. I am notoriously hard on my gear, and I shoot Leicas because, quite frankly, Germans make really good cameras. The glass is razor sharp and the bodies last forever. All the equipment I own is twice as old as I am. For a larger rant on this please see Notes on gear, film, process and the like…
I shoot predominantly with Ilford HP-5 Plus rated at ISO 320 to give the negs a little more punch. It has great detail even when printing 20 x 24 inches and larger, as well as a great deal of exposure latitude, which is good since I’m lazy with the light meter and tend to guess. I normally develop with Rodinal, which cranks up the grain but leaves the negs pretty sharp.
Again, see this post for more on the this...
Enlarger / The Beast
I’m currently using an old Omega D2 variable condenser enlarger with a Rodenstock 50mm lens, and this thing is built like a tank... I've removed the glass condensers and hot lamp in the head and replaced them with an Aristo Cold Light head that sits directly above the negative stage. The cold light head produces a very sharp, high contrast print with little or no filtration, and without the condensers, dust on the negative is less likely to print. Cold heads use a fluorescent tube in a grid pattern, giving perfectly even illumination across the film, eliminating soft corners that often occur with condensers. The light is much more intense than a hot bulb, exposure time is cut nearly in half. I’ve also filed out all my negative carriers to print full frame.
Paper and Development
My paper of choice is Oriental-Seagull variable contrast fiber base. Oriental is a high contrast, cold tone paper, with rich blacks and a clean white base. It filters well with the cold head and is pretty similar to the Seagull G paper that Ansel Adams used. It's a really lovely paper and makes an amazingly rich print, especially when toned.
My typical recipe for developer these days is Legacy Pro B&W Powder, which is basically identical to Kodak Dektol (the greatest developer ever made) at half the price and with a longer shelf life. I add a couple milliliters of restrainer, which is a developer additive that cools the image tone down a bit more and cleans up the highlights.
From there the prints get a good wash before a second fixer bath, then are toned in Selenium toner to pump up the blacks. The selenium toner also improves longevity, making the shelf life of the print pretty close to the half life of uranium...
From there everything gets washed, flattened, spotted for dust, signed, dated, and sold for exceedingly large sums of money... or more likely, stuck in a box to appreciate in value until I'm dead.
Post & Jones Streets. San Francisco, California 2010. From the series "Photographs Of No Particular Significance." An original, 16x20 inch silver-gelatin print, matted and framed to 18x24 inches. Signed and captioned on the front of the print.
Get one here... http://szymanski.bigcartel.com/product/post-jones-street-san-francisco
Julie #2, San Francisco 2013. 11x14 Giclee Print from original 35mm negative. Signed & Dated. Printed on Canson Fibre Rag paper.
Grab one here... http://szymanski.bigcartel.com/product/julie-san-francisco-2013
Prostitutes on O’Farrell St., San Francisco, California 2010. An original, 16x20 inch silver-gelatin print, matted and framed to 18x24 inches. Signed and captioned on the front of the print.
Grab one in my shop... http://szymanski.bigcartel.com/product/0183_01