The gelatin silver printing process
The magic of film and the art of handmade prints
The creative process leading to the final prints is divided into eleven stages:
The Shot:
I use only vintage cameras to maintain the dynamics of shaping light as a physical and analogue phenomenon, the image is then impressed on the negative.
For this I mainly use three cameras: Two Leica M6 (35mm) and a Rolleiflex 2.8 F (6x6).
All the photographs in my projects were taken with these cameras.
I am emotionally attached to both, the quality of their lenses as well as every single detail that depicts them is part of the story behind each print.
The development of negatives
Each shot is aimed at making a print as a physical object. For this reason I process each negative manually.
Developing is the most delicate and important process of the entire photographic journey and requires the utmost care at every stage: the choice of the right chemical and water, the relevant developing temperatures, the drying steps and the archiving process.
Contact print
Since the 1940s, contact print have been a photographer's faithful ally. The purpose of contact print is to identify the best shots and to have a preparatory preview for print processing.
Making proofs of each roll of film is one of the essential steps before printing, as it serves both as a visual storage medium for the entire negative and as a tool for immediate analysis.
The Print
The great photographer and printer Ansel Adams used to say that a photographic negative is the score, the print is its performance.
The creation of a gelatin silver print in the darkroom is a creative process that is carried out manually by shaping the light beam from the negative to the printing paper and continues with immersions, at different times and in different ways, in the developing, stopping, fixing and washing phases.
Toning
This step adds aesthetic and conservation qualities to the print.
It is performed as a specific process to increase, for example, tonal separation, three-dimensionality, or a specific gradation.
The toning process is also used to increase the protection of prints from potentially damaging agents, allowing them to be preserved for over 150 years.
Washing
Every print needs to be washed long and carefully to remove the chemicals used in processing and toning.
The fine art washing of a silver salt print is a rigorous process that requires specific workmanship.
Drying
The prints are dried in 24 hours, in the air and without any mechanical intervention. When drying is complete, you will notice a natural curvature on the pure pulp prints.
Pressing
The print will be pressed (flattened) for over 48 to 96 hours to remove the natural curvature of the paper and make it permanently flat.
The Final Check
At this stage, a quality check is carried out for each print.
The aim is to identify any tiny imperfections such as dust grains which, if present on the negative, impress the sheet with small light specks.
When necessary, it is then “spotting”, which is a special retouching technique in which tiny dots of special ink are added, again manually.
Final customizazion
Each print is available with different types of Passepartouts.
At this final stage of processing, the print will be matched with its passepartout at the time of purchase.