How to make salt prints – the video

Lesson 38 of Photography 101 by Scott Wittenburg. Scott Wittenburgs podcast on how to make salt prints. 11 minutes long.

 
 
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7 thoughts on “How to make salt prints – the video”

  1. This is a really fine, understandable, and accessible instruction on salt printing. I am a novice trying to learn photography vis-a-vis alternative photo processes to go along with my pinhole obsession. As I seek to discover and create, I find too often that photographers get a little knowledge and graduate from novice to know-it-all snob. Too bad for me. There are a number of things I can learn from them, and they from me.

    This video does the heavy lifting. I followed this vid step-by-step and produced a few fine, fine salt prints, regardless of information or inaccuraccies the video may contain–how would I know anyway? I think to get started satisfying the creative impulse leads to refined methods, further learning, and, ultimately, something that I really like…and then, perhaps something that others can judge by their standards.

    Thanks a million for this. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate clear, illustrative instruction, especially in a world where people can get really fussy and acane to the exclusion of those who really want to participate.

  2. Great introductory video, but please, in future make the intro shorter (photography 101 w music). I am in a location where loading speeds can be excruciatingly slow!

  3. Hello, and thanks for the great video. Instead of buying a kit, I am trying the method on this website where you mix your own:
    https://www.alternativephotography.com/a-dash-of-salt/
    When trying to purchase the silver nitrate, there are many options based on the concentration of the chemical. Do you perhaps have any idea what the magic number is when buying the silver nitrate separately?
    Thank you!

  4. enjoyed your informative video on salt prints

    i want to congratulate you on including at least two important pieces of information in the process that was not mentioned in the salt print kit

    1) warm the gelatin/salt solution back to its liquid state before applying it to the print paper – kit instructions make no mention of this so i proceeded to dump the jello-type solution into a tray and brush it onto the paper

    2) place the emulsion side of the negative against the paper – thanks for pointing this out

    3) low uv light mentioned by you is low-wattage tungsten – other sites mention 7-watt red or yellow bulbs – any more information on a safe light to use when applying the silver nitrate?

    once i get the “low uv light” issue resolved, i will proceed with my first exposure – looking forward to the process and the product – thanks for your help

    william

  5. My intent while producing this video was to simply introduce this process to viewers and to hopefully inspire them to give it a try. It was not intended to be a tutorial in Photoshop by any means. As with most of the how-to procedures on this website and elsewhere, the intent was to present a framework by which a particular process may be carried out and not to waste time or space dealing with issues that need to be experimented with by the viewer. I feel that being able to actually see the steps in action via a video is a plus for that matter. As for any inaccuracies I may have presented, I would love to know what they are so that I can address them here.

  6. This video on salt printing has too little information (including some inaccurate info) to successfully execute the process. The procedure on making a digital negative is too superficial to provide any real guidance to make a negative that will have the printing characteristics required to make a salt print with a full range of tones or anything close to a full range of tones.

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