Commercial photographic printing papers, although still available in quite a variety of types and finishes, impose several limitations. The paper type is pre-ordained by the manufacturer and must be a highly machined product that will pass through the elaborate manufacturing process. Probably the greatest constraint is that the printer is limited to working upon a two dimensional plane.
Self-coated emulsion offers the simplest way to unshackle oneself from the manufacturer, as an image can be placed on a wide variety of surfaces, many unusable with other alternative photographic processes.
Now that high quality emulsions have become available in a packaged form, serious experimentation is taking place for what appears to be the first time in the historyof the medium. Shape, dimension, surface quality and type of base material are all much more in the hands of the print-maker.
Yet though a great range of innovative possibilities have opened up, at the same time emulsion can be used as a fine printing tool, enabling individually crafted photographic papers to be produced - which are otherwise unavailable from any manufacturer.
However, simply mimicking manufactured materials need not be the goal - one could use them in the first place. Furthermore the most successful works with emulsion are often technically imperfect. A certain expressive spontaneity and randomness is one of the reasons for working with the medium. This involves stepping away from the machine consistency - and hence somewhat clinical character - of regular photographic products.
A few practical points
Storage
Emulsions do not keep well when stored at relatively high temperatures, and should always be cold stored (down to 4° C. preferably) prior to use. Don’t worry about this if you are going to use it in a day or two, but for any length of time, return it to the fridge. Especially, do not buy emulsion from any outlet that is obviously not cold storing it. Ours is always fresh, and is cold stored from manufacture (in the UK) until it goes over the counter. Any emulsion that has been left un-fridged for say, a year probably is not worth bothering with. Do not waste your time, get some fresh product.
Expectations
It is possible to get a ‘result’ with emulsion quite easily, to get consistency and smooth coating very much more difficult - even photographic coating companies can have technical difficulties, even failures of whole batches, and they are in the manufacturing business! Regard it as another craft process, requiring the development of experience and techniques to be able to work
confidently with it.
Fog This is the constant enemy, fogging will build up by exposure to safelights during coating, drying, and after exposure during development. This is a main reason for always using fresh emulsion, it gives a head start in minimising the fog level.
Surface
Surfaces
with some degree of roughness, that the emulsion can 'key' onto are likely to be the most successful.
Lack of sufficient drying is the most common cause of problems. Ideally allow the emulsion to dry overnight in a warm atmosphere.
Emulsions are considerably affected by the chemical makeup of the surface they are coated onto; different papers will produce different speeds, and the sizing on some will fog the emulsion completely. Do rigorous tests before the main coating, and always test using the same base material as will be used for the final exposure.
Download Emulsion Instruction Leaflet
Download Emulsion COSHH data sheet
'Silver Gelatin' a working manual for emulsion
The great range of artistic possibilities and variety of techniques offered by liquid emulsion is explored further in 'Silver Gelatin: A User's Guide to Liquid Photographic Emulsion', researched and written here and available directly from us.
Silver Gelatin is split into two clearly defined sections: the first section features the work of photographers and artists including David Scheinmann, Chris Nash, Lana Wong, Melanie Manchot, Jennifer Bates, Gary Kirkham and Jane Quinn, including many colour illustrations and several interviews.
The second section is a clear and concise technical guide, taking the reader comprehensively through all the necessary information needed to produce exciting images on hand-made paper, plaster, fabric, glass, glazed ceramics, rubber, slate, metal, painted surfaces, wood, plastics, stone, and canvas.
Technical sub-sections detail, step-by-step, the ins and outs of Base Selection; Emulsion Coating; Printing and Processing; Finishing and Storage; Troubleshooting; Camera Plates; and application of further techniques including toning. Formularies of print developers, stopbaths, bleaches, toners and the emulsions themselves complete this exhaustive publication. Accompanying the text are many full-colour examples.