The paper negative process consists of using a
negative printed on
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...
(either photographically or digitally) to create the final print of a
photograph, as opposed to using a modern negative on a
film base
A film base is a transparent substrate which acts as a support medium for the photosensitive emulsion that lies atop it. Despite the numerous layers and coatings associated with the emulsion layer, the base generally accounts for the vast majorit ...
of
cellulose acetate
In biochemistry, cellulose acetate refers to any acetate ester of cellulose, usually cellulose diacetate. It was first prepared in 1865. A bioplastic, cellulose acetate is used as a film base in photography, as a component in some coatings, and ...
. The plastic acetate negative (which is what modern films produce) enables the printing of a very sharp image intended to be as close a representation of the actual subject as is possible. By using a negative based on paper instead, there is the possibility of creating a more ethereal image, simply by using a type of paper with a very visible grain, or by drawing on the paper or distressing it in some way.
One of the original forms of
photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...
was based on the paper negative process. William Henry Fox Talbot's paper negative process, which was used to create his work "
The Pencil of Nature
''The Pencil of Nature'' is a book by William Henry Fox Talbot which was the first commercially published book to be illustrated with photographs. Published by Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans in six fascicles between 1844 and 1846, the book de ...
", used a negative created on paper treated with
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
salts, which was exposed in a
camera obscura
A camera obscura (; ) is a darkened room with a aperture, small hole or lens at one side through which an image is 3D projection, projected onto a wall or table opposite the hole.
''Camera obscura'' can also refer to analogous constructions su ...
to create the negative and then
contact printed on a similar paper to produce a
positive
Positive is a property of positivity and may refer to:
Mathematics and science
* Positive formula, a logical formula not containing negation
* Positive number, a number that is greater than 0
* Plus sign, the sign "+" used to indicate a posi ...
image.
When Talbot created this process it was intended to be a way to reproduce nature as accurately as possible (hence the name of his work, "The Pencil of Nature"). Through the years afterwards, however, better and more accurate ways of producing exact replicas of nature were developed, and these processes relegated the paper negative process to obsolescence.
The process of the paper negative is still relevant, though, in the realm of alternative-process photography. Photographers employing alternative processes reject the idea of the exact replica of nature and seek to use the inherent inexactness of antiquated processes to create a more personal and emotional image. The paper negative is an extremely versatile process that allows all manner of reworking and retouching of an image, and is the perfect medium to bridge the gap between
camera operator
A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task.
In filmmaking ...
and
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...
.
See also
*
Contact printing
A contact print is a photographic image produced from film; sometimes from a film negative, and sometimes from a film positive or paper negative. In a darkroom an exposed and developed piece of film or photographic paper is placed emulsion si ...
*
Calotype
Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. Paper texture effects in calotype photography limit the ability of this early process to record low co ...
*
Paper texture effects in calotype photography Paper texture effects in calotype photography limit the ability of this early process to record low contrast details and textures. A calotype is a photographic negative produced on uncoated paper. (See Paper negative.) An important feature is tha ...
References
*
Enfield, Jill. ''Photo-Imaging: A Complete Guide to Alternative Processes (Photography for All Levels: Advanced)''
*James, Christopher. ''The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes''
*Webb, Randall and Martin Reed. ''Alternative Photographic Processes: A Working Guide for Image Makers''
External links
*
hadows and Light: The Paper NegativeA Short Essay on the Paper Negative and Early Examples
Photographic processes dating from the 19th century
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