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Which Board? => Main Forum => : hookstrapped February 10, 2015, 07:48:32 PM

: Autochromes
: hookstrapped February 10, 2015, 07:48:32 PM
Probably discussed in the past, maybe in regard to WWI color photos...

Interesting process
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autochrome_Lumi%C3%A8re (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autochrome_Lumi%C3%A8re)

Love the look (photos by Albert Kahn)
http://tinyurl.com/ktflbmw (http://tinyurl.com/ktflbmw)

Current efforts at revival
http://www.autochromes.fr/english/last.html (http://www.autochromes.fr/english/last.html)
: Re: Autochromes
: jharr February 10, 2015, 09:01:25 PM
I love the look of autochromes. It is amazing that is has proven so difficult to replicate the process. There was a piece of heavy equipment involved in pressing the starch crystals on the glass. I think that is the part that is keeping this out of the hands of the masses. Very cool photos though.
: Re: Autochromes
: Photo_Utopia February 11, 2015, 10:04:10 AM
I have a few in my collection including this pre first war one.

(http://www.pbase.com/mark_antony/image/131966912.jpg)

I have some info on my blog...

http://photo-utopia.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/early-colour-processes-autochrome.html (http://photo-utopia.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/early-colour-processes-autochrome.html)

And some first war pictures here:

http://photo-utopia.blogspot.co.uk/2008/11/great-war-in-colour.html (http://photo-utopia.blogspot.co.uk/2008/11/great-war-in-colour.html)
: Re: Autochromes
: LT February 11, 2015, 01:25:38 PM
I love them. They bring normality and remove nostalgia from old photographs.

here are some from the nat geo archives.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/pictures/150131-pictures-autochrome-color-photography-history-people-culture/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20150201news-autochrome&utm_campaign=Content&sf7217410=1 (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/pictures/150131-pictures-autochrome-color-photography-history-people-culture/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20150201news-autochrome&utm_campaign=Content&sf7217410=1)

: Re: Autochromes
: Francois February 11, 2015, 01:51:45 PM
I've never seen one in real life...
: Re: Autochromes
: Bryan February 11, 2015, 04:01:29 PM
I wonder how they hold the color over time?  Better or worse than Kodachrome?
: Re: Autochromes
: jharr February 11, 2015, 05:37:17 PM
I wonder how they hold the color over time?  Better or worse than Kodachrome?
I think they used aniline dyes for the color, so they probably fade if left out in the light. I think these were generally stored in the dark and "taken out" for viewing since they needed to be back lit.
: Re: Autochromes
: zapsnaps February 12, 2015, 08:34:20 AM
I love these and would recommend the Albert Kahn museum the next time anyone is in Paris. It's in a wonderful garden setting - so take a camera - and the museum constantly revolves its archive. It's relatively unknown, but get there at opening time and you have it to yourself and can stand in front of the original autochromes in quiet contemplation.
: Re: Autochromes
: mcduff February 13, 2015, 02:29:15 AM
I have also never seen one. I knew they existed, knew they used a different colour model that we now commonly use but that is all I knew. I did not know that coloured, potato starch granules were used in photography for example!! I will add seeing one of these in real life to the bucket list.
: Re: Autochromes
: Indofunk February 13, 2015, 05:12:31 AM
These are beautiful! I would love to see one in real life! And I was just in Paris last year, why didn't I know about this? :(
: Re: Autochromes
: Verian February 13, 2015, 11:39:24 AM
These are beautiful! I would love to see one in real life! And I was just in Paris last year, why didn't I know about this? :(

I was there as well, I also didn't know about these. They are lovely.
: Re: Autochromes
: Francois February 13, 2015, 03:01:08 PM
I  did not know that coloured, potato starch granules were used in photography for example!!
I guess powdered potatoes and food coloring can go a long way ;)
: Re: Autochromes
: Photo_Utopia February 13, 2015, 03:17:57 PM
Next time I go to Tesco I'll buy some Smash™ some red, green and blue food colouring –where would we get lampblack from? and a one ton press?
 ;D
: Re: Autochromes
: jharr February 13, 2015, 03:21:17 PM
Put the glass plate between two steel plates and park your car on it for a few days. You will also need to start lighting your house with whale oil lamps and collect the lampblack from the glass of the lamps. Can't wait to see your results!  :P
: Re: Autochromes
: Indofunk February 13, 2015, 03:43:37 PM
Always James with the apropos solutions.
: Re: Autochromes
: 6cmsquare February 25, 2015, 05:18:15 AM
I wonder if it would be possible to get an autochrome array of micro-dots printed on a piece of class and use it as a lens filter? 
or if it would even work?
: Re: Autochromes
: Francois February 25, 2015, 02:18:23 PM
I'm thinking it would be easier to get a laser printed transparency or better yet a stochastic pattern sent to a film printer and sandwich that with regular film...
: Re: Autochromes
: Photo_Utopia February 25, 2015, 05:58:49 PM
There was a process (Dufay I think) that used printed lines of dye RGB on a screen I think about 500 to an inch. You could print them with an inkjet on transparency and then coat them with a silver emulsion-should work.
: Re: Autochromes
: Francois February 25, 2015, 08:42:43 PM
Yes, there was also this one... but it didn't look quite as good as the autochromes.
: Re: Autochromes
: Photo_Utopia February 25, 2015, 08:58:18 PM
I had a few old Dufay colours from the 1920-30 found in an old girlfriend's family collection (she retained them when we parted) and I think they're nicer than Autochromes certainly brighter; the Autochromes are quite dense and must have taken a lot of light to expose and view.
Found this on the interweb....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4036/4373272894_b8b7710b45.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/photohistorytimeline/4373272894/)
Ostend, Belgium, 1936 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/photohistorytimeline/4373272894/) by The Patrick Montgomery Collection (https://www.flickr.com/people/photohistorytimeline/), on Flickr
: Re: Autochromes
: Francois February 25, 2015, 10:41:32 PM
What always amazes me is the number of processes that were invented and that have essentially vanished with time...
: Re: Autochromes
: Sid Dongre February 26, 2015, 07:25:05 AM
What always amazes me is the number of processes that were invented and that have essentially vanished with time...
History favours the winners, so they say.
: Re: Autochromes
: original_ann February 26, 2015, 01:21:16 PM
They make me feel like I'm getting to peer through the window of a time machine and really, really 'see'!  And is it just me:  though perhaps dressed from another time, I imagine people in autochromes to make facial expressions, speak with an affect, or gesticulate in a manner that would sound and feel no different than 'today'. 
: Re: Autochromes
: Francois February 26, 2015, 03:07:17 PM
I must admit that they bring a level or realism that is pretty incredible. I don't know if it's just me but I often have the feeling that those old images are more realistic in a way than what we see now in photography.