Butch N. Talorete asked
>snip....but I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the longevity of
black and white >prints from colored negatives. Do they last as long as
black and white prints from >BW negatives when displayed over long periods
of time?
>I am aware that colored prints fade easily because the dyes become
oxidized in the >presence of light, so I was wondering if BW prints from
colored negs suffer the >same fate. Any insight on this would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks.
Butch
I apologize to the Digest members, as this really isn't Nikon related other
than I use all of my Nikon gear to take the photos.
I don't profess to be an expert, but I've done my own B&W printing for
close to 15 years now. I don't really think that it's going to be any
different whether you are going to make B&W prints from coloured negs or
B&W negs. You are printing to B&W paper and developing in B&W chemicals.
Other than the fact that the contrast might be reduced when using coloured
negs, the paper "doesn't know " what type of film the negs are.
The photographs should last for many years, if printed properly, and what I
mean by that is this. Developed for the recommended time, properly fixed
and washed. Don't forget the last part, washing is a very important stage
in the printing process. I work with fiber based paper about 90% of the
time so I wash my prints for 30 minutes. RC papers only need to be washed
for about 5 minutes.
Another way of preserving B&W prints is to selenium tone them for permance.
This slows the aging process immensely. All of the B&W art prints that I
have either sold or have won contests with have been selenium toned for
permanence.
You should try to keep the prints out of direct sunlight and use UV glass
on them.
If you have any questions, email me.
Terry
________________________________
Terry J. Graham - Freelance Photographer & Windsurfer
Graham Fine Art Photography
mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
