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Photo Book Reviews

Photo-Imaging: A Complete Guide to Alternative Processes (Amphoto Books) by Jill Enfield Reviewed by Tina Maas Article rating: 5.92

Finally Jill Enfield´s acclaimed and highly sophisticated book “Photo-Imaging: A Complete Guide to Alternative Processes” is on the market. It is a step-by-step guide explaining 14 different techniques, which include various methods ranging from the use of infrared film, ink jet transfers and cyanotypes to Tintypes, Kallitypes and Polaroid transfers. Beautiful examples of her work guide you throughout the book serving as inspiration and impressive testimony to her research and experimentation efforts.

Jill Enfield started her career by hand colouring infrared prints of architectural spaces and landscapes and quickly became famous for her unique style. It is wonderful to see her expand into new territory and to see her mastering these certainly challenging old masters processes with equal sophistication. Jill Enfield has been published in numerous magazines including Nikon World, Life Magazine, American Heritage, Popular Photography, Camera & Darkroom Techniques, Forum Magazine, Camera Arts, Shutterbug and ZOOM and her work is featured in famous international collections such as those of RJ Reynolds Co., Southeast Banking Corp., Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellin in Colombia and the Boca Raton Museum of Art.

Jill is drawing her expert advice from her many years of teaching alternative processes at many prestigious photographic institutions including Parsons School of Design, LIU and ICP in New York, as well as world renowned photographic workshops throughout the US and Europe.

Each chapter in her book is clearly structured into an opening section with a historical background to the specific process under discussion followed by detailed directives alongside instructive photographs and closing with new suggestions as to how to integrate this old technique further into modern photography.

Her advice and tips are based on her own observations and very practical, well organized and truthful. The book could be seen like a modern day journey through the ancient beginnings of photography where it was all about chemistry and the delicate balance between pitfalls and triumphs over the medium. Jill hides nothing from her journey leaving us to learn from her mistakes but also to become more appreciative of our own imperfections by pointing out initial mistakes as very unique special effects that you might come to appreciate more than the perfect technical result.

As a creative artist Jill Enfield has explored the limitations and benefits of all kinds of different support media like tiles, mirrors and metal. The book covers detailed guidance on critical topics such as preparing your support surfaces, different coating methods for emulsions and money saving mixing recipes for chemicals.

From Van Dyke browns to computer printed fast transfers the book has something to offer for everyone. Particularly remarkable are her experimentations on the Tintype process with a pinhole camera and her skills at combining different processes together like the cyanotype and the Van Dyke brown, which results in a print that has kept the dark blue in the shadow areas but adapted some beautiful soft browns throughout the highlights.

-Tina Maas

For more info on how you can get your hands on a copy of 'Photo-Imaging: A Complete Guide to Alternative Processes' check out Jill's Website.

Oh, and just in case you missed it, take a look at the 'Alternative Process Photography' article we posted in September of this year. 

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