digital file to negative for optical printing

[nolanr66]

Recently I read that Sasbastiao Salgado is using a DSLR and shooting b/w files and then making a negative for optical wet darkroom prints. I was wondering how do you make a negative or positive from a digital file? Is there an outfit that will do that for you? This is just for information as I have no plans on doing that. I just shoot film to start with but whatever Salgado does is worth learning about if for nothing else just to talk about it.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I suspect he's using a more high end method, like having a lab using a film recorder, but there are a number of approaches including inkjet negs, which many here are using for alt processes.

[nolanr66]

Canon and Salgado | BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY – BECKERMAN

Here is a link for a bit of info but apparently a lab takes his digital file and makes a 6x4.5 negative for him. Anyway just wondering.

[Davec]

Canon and Salgado | BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY – BECKERMAN

Here is a link for a bit of info but apparently a lab takes his digital file and makes a 6x4.5 negative for him. Anyway just wondering.

Sounds like a film recorder, I believe Kodak make them... or used too, we have a lab here that will produce negs upto 10x8 from a digital file which can then be printed via conventional darkroom methods.

[nolanr66]

I looked up film recorder on Wikipedia and that must be what they are doing. You can make negatives such as a 35mm or MF negative to use. Also used for transferring digital movies to film. Thanks for the input.

[bob carnie]

We have made enlarged negs up to 20 x30 inches for contact printing onto silver paper. We use a Durst Lambda 76 and Rollie Ortho 25 film in HC110.