Australian Photography
(December 1985) 
In the
Classic Tradition

In the oldest methods of developing prints are a great art form, according to American expert Al De Vito. Now he's telling Australians how to go back in time to further their own creativity.

In an age where electronic gadgetry is the dominating approach to fine photography, it is gratifying to see one buff, Al De Vito, reject the new approach and return to his past.

De Vito has gone back in time, emulating the classic tradition of photographers Edward Western, Clarence Whit and Paul Strand, using non-silver methods dating to the 1850s. An American lecturer in communications at the Capricornia Institute of Advanced Education, Rockhampton, Queensland, De Vito is currently on a one-year exchange lectureship from Fullerton College, California, USA.

The non-silver process he uses involves the use of a 1910 cherrywood Kodak Century camera, which takes 8 x 10 film and two minutes for exposure. The negatives are then contact printed on special paper which has been painted with hand mixed emulsions.

De Vito says he does not use automatic cameras or computerised development equipment: " Cameras today have lost the simplicity of adjusting the F stop and shutter speeds, depriving students of the experience of photography as a fine art. The computerised equipment becomes a crutch for the beginning student who does not fully understand all the intrinsic processes of photography."

On the other hand, De Vito says, a great many photographers become adept at technical manipulations without understanding the more esoteric aspects of the medium. "A lot of photographers now are what I call 'engineers'. They are technically perfect and artistically blind. Everyone is a photographer, but not everyone is an artist. I am an artist and I approach photography as a fine art."

The technique involves painting special emulsions - gum bichromate, platinum , cyanotype, Van Dyke - on archival paper and then exposing the negative on the emulsion in bright sunlight.

Through the years of experimenting, the American lecturer has determined which non-silver processes are compatible with each other. By combining two - or even three - of the emulsions in a single print, special and unusual effects are possible, effects which cannot be attained through a single process. Some prints can have up to eight coatings of emulsions and take up to one year to process.

Not only are emulsions selected to evoke a particular mood from a scene, but also different papers. De Vito has trialed oatmeal and rice paper with good effect, but admits the work is very delicate. "Rice paper has a tendency to fall apart when washing it. So it must be sandwiched with a fine gauze and washed with a water spray," he says.

The images De Vito creates are of portraits, landscapes and abstract impressions of isolated sections of buildings, human bodies and machinery. Pointing towards a print of an isolated section of a building, De Vito said: "I look at this as interesting shapes, interesting textures and interesting values which radiate warmth. People can relate to them without feeling the coldness silver evinces. Pictures become real rather than documents - they have more depth."

De Vito feels the results of the classic processes are well worth their difficulties. Each process affords the photographer a choice of subtlety and originality which results in a unique print. Each prints has an identity of its own at a time when other photographers are content to mass produce identical images.

De Vito's work has been exhibited and permanently displayed in many galleries and museums, including the Norton Simon Library and the Muckenthaler Cultural Centre, Fullerton, the CameraVision Gallery in Los Angeles and the Galeria de Arts in Ensenada, Baja California.

De Vito is presently gathering a portfolio of prints on Australian subjects, which he will display at the Susan Spiritus Gallery, Newport Beach, on his return to America. An exhibition of his prints was held at the CIAE library, Rockhampton, from September 2 - 30.

Gum Bichromate
The gum bichromate process differs from other photographic printing processes in that its image is not developed, but hardened and fused to paper.

Specially chosen pigments are blended with gum arabic and then coated to a think, pure rag paper. This emulsion is hardened when exposed to ultraviolet light.

The negative masks areas of the emulsion from exposure to the ultraviolet light and prevents those areas from hardening. A warm water bath then allows the unhardened areas of the emulsion to be washed away, which produces the final picture.
Platinum
The platinum print is the most exsquisite of all photographic prints. The permanence of platinum is unmatched among photographic materials, and when married to a pure rag paper, the prints attain the ultimate in archival stability.

The other outstanding quality of the platinum is its ability to display detail throughout its long range of tones. This unique quality results from an unusual self-masking property inherent in the platinum process.

Beyond these attractions, the platinum process also provides a special tactile quality to its prints. The platinum emulsion does not merely coat the paper (as other emulsions do), but it migrates into the very fibres of the paper and holds the texture of the paper itself.
Cyanotype
Anyone familiar with the blueprint used by engineers and architects is conversant with the commercial form of the cyanotype. Its ease of handling and ability to retain fine detail make it a favourite with both scientists and photographers. In the hands of the photographer, however, the cyanotype produces a full range of blue tones, imparting a cool and restrained feeling to the picture.
Van Dyke
The Van Dyke print is notable for the richness and warmth of its colours. Also known as the "Kallitype" print, the Van Dyke employs chemistry similar to that of the platinum print.

However, there are two very substantial differences between the Van Dyke and the platinum print. The first is the coloration of the prints; the Van Dyke print is rendered in rich tones of brown, which are doncsiderably warmer than the platinum's black tones.

In addition, while platinum is the base for the image in the print by that name, the Van Dyke derives its brown tones from iron compounds.

 

Australian Photography, December 1985