Dichromate/Palladium
Stephen R. Harrison (stephenr@silcom.com)
Sat, 12 Oct 1996 23:18:23 -0700
I was thinking after I sent my initial comments that perhaps I had not
expressed myself accurately. In doing portraits of people which I happen
to be doing a lot of work on lately, I have found that the facial
features print best if the transmission density measured on the negative on
the subjects face is in the range of 1.7 to 1.8 Facial neg densities
below that density are for me very difficult to print in Pt/Pd and often
seem flat and lifeless. The problem has arisen for me that other areas of
the negative.. meaning the shadows and the highlights when I am doing such
a portrait do not fall where I would like for them to be and I
personally have had to settle for less. Contrast control here has been a
gift and I am grateful for their existance. It is quite difficult to juggle
the three balls of shadow density, facial densiity and highlight density
so that the " Perfect" platinum negative is achieved. At least I do not
possess that sort of skill. Incidently I do not have this problem with
landscapes where the optimal neg seems much easier to attain. Even there
however with the optimal landscape negative, some minor contrast control
often adds a certain vitality and snap that the pure sensitizer without
contrast control lacks. Not always of course but sometimes. Granted, the
pure sensitizer is smoother but occasionally I have found the prints
lacking in what for better words I have described as vitality.
So in summary,I wonder if a series of well made platinum / pd.
prints were placed side by side , whether a skilled pt/pd printer who is
blind to the orgins of the sensitizer and the corresponding contrast
control agent used would be able to differentiate with his naked eye
which prints utilized contrast control agents and which did not. My guess
is that he would fail in many cases.
Stephen Harrison