Ted Nichols – Solarized Duotones

Copyright 2016 Ted Nichols

Ted Nichols has been bringing to the PhotoExcahange meetings the past couple of years experimental solarized duotone photographic prints from his wet darkroom. On some occasions he has scanned the prints and made some further adjustments in Photoshop. He had learned this unique photographic process from Edmund Teske during one of Teske’s many Los Angeles workshops, which were held until Teske passed away in 1996. Essentially a wet darkroom process using black and white (B&W) paper in conjunction with light flashing and processing chemicals that creates unique colors on B&W printing paper.

Nichols will readily admit that each print is unique because he has really tried to duplicate a print, but due to the total randomness of the Teske solarized duotone process, each B&W solarized duotone print is almost guaranteed to be one of a kind. And it usually takes him four or five attempts to get a print that looks acceptable enough.

Nichols also laments that the current B&W printing papers do not have enough silver content and it is getting harder and harder to achieve the effects he wants.As a result, he has learned to work fast in the darkroom, because with the current B&W papers, the visual effect is fleeting and you need to move the print quickly to the next tray to stop and hold the effect. So he is constantly on the look out for expired old B&W printing papers.

Editors note: Freestyle, located in L.A., has information on a Chromoskedasic Sabatier wet darkroom chemical for a process that can achieve somewhat similar effects.

Cheers