We present time and space resolved spectroscopic observations of a laser produced carbon plasma, in an argon background. An Nd:YAG laser pulse, 370 mJ, 3.5 ns, at 1.06 mu m, with a fluence of 6.8 J/cm(2), is used to produce a plasma from a solid graphite target, at a base pressure of 0.5 mTorr, and with 80 mTorr Argon background. The spectral emission in the visible is recorded with 15 ns time resolution. 20 ns time resolution plasma imagining, filtered at characteristic carbon species emission wavelengths, is used to study the dynamics of the expanding plasma. Two different fronts with ionic or molecular compositions are seen to detach from de laser target plasma.