Christina Z. Anderson - Salted Paper Printing: A Step-by-Step Manual Highlighting Contemporary Artists

Salted Paper Printing: A Step-by-Step Manual Highlighting Contemporary Artistsis a book about the first photography-on-paper process from the dawn of photographys history. In Salted Paper Printingthis 19 th century process is updated with 21 st century digital negative methods. With a few inexpensive ingredients such as ordinary table salt and silver nitrate, evocative hand-coated prints can be created from a camera as simple as a smartphone.

Salted Paper Printingis divided into two parts, richly illustrated with close to 400 photographs. Part One is a complete how-to on the salted paper process from simple to complex, with an extensive troubleshooting guide illustrated with 70 photographic examples. Part One includes creative ideas to push the boundaries of the salted paper print, such as handcoloring and printing salt in combination with gum bichromate. Part Two is devoted to contemporary salted paper artists who share their methods and secrets to creating their beautiful salted paper prints.

Topics that the book covers are:

A succinct bulleted timeline of key events in salted papers history

How to organize the salted paper dimroom

What the best chemistry supplies, equipment, and papers to use are

A step-by-step digital negative method

How to practice photogenic drawing, William Henry Fox Talbots original salted paper process

Simple and advanced methods of salted paper printing

How to salt, salt-size, and sensitize paper with traditional and animal-friendly methods

Using the sun or an ultraviolet light source to best expose your image

Step-by-step processing directions

Toning the salted paper print with gold, platinum, and other metals

Troubleshooting salted paper, including lots of photographs of common issues

Printing gum over salted paper to add gloss, tone, or full color to the salt print

Handcoloring salted paper, printing cyanotype and salt together, and other creative suggestions

Finishing, framing, and storing salt prints with examples of varnish, mat and frame choices

Contemporary artists advice, techniques, and works in 2-, 4-, or 6-page spreads

Salted Paper Printingprovides much for the beginning salt enthusiast as well as for the advanced practitioner. Backed with thorough research from 180 books, journals, and magazine articles from 1839 to the present day, there is enough information to provide inspiration and proof of salted papers originaland continuingplace in historic and contemporary photography.

Christina Z. Andersonswork has shown nationally and internationally in 100+ shows and 40+ publications. She is author of The Experimental Photography Workbook, Gum Printing and Other Amazing Contact Printing Processes, Gum Printing: A Step-by-Step Manual Highlighting Artists and Their Creative Practice, and co-author with Samuel Wang, S. Carl King, and Zhong Jianming of Handcrafted: The Art and Practice of the Handmade Print(Chinese). Anderson is Associate Professor of Photography at Montana State University, Bozeman. To see her work, visit christinaZanderson.com.

Contemporary Practices in Alternative Process Photography Series

Series Editor: Christina Z. Anderson

The Contemporary Practices in Alternative Process Photography series focuses the lens on a variety of alternative, historical processes from the mediums 180-year history. Each book outlines a step-by-step approach to a particular medium, and features contemporary artists who use that particular process regularly in their practice. The richly illustrated books in this series serve as guidebooks for those new to alternative processes, refresher courses for professionals already familiar with each medium, and a source of inspiration for all. Salted Paper Printingis the first in the series, an appropriate beginning because salted paper was shared with the world the very month of photographys birthJanuary 1839.