When I said pepsi challenge, I did not mean it quite so literally. I
was not proposing a taste test because you're right, it does come down
to personal taste. I was proposing that I try and match a handcoated
print in terms of contrast and color.
Perhaps part of the answer lies
> in the word "expert" I am by no means an expert hand coater. Why you ask?
> The process itself defies anyone bings an expert. With the Palladio Paper
> you are in a finite relm of working. You really have some very strick
> limits on color, paper surface, contrast, and everything elce.
This is a large exaggeration. The only main limitation of Palladio
paper is the, IMHO beautiful, paper base it is coated on. Aside from
that there are a great many things you can do in terms of color and
contrast control. In fact the contrast control obtainable with
Palladio is extremely precise and flexible. Many handcoaters find our
paper useful for printing negatives that are just too flat for pt/pd
or were not exposed with pt/pd in mind. We currently sell two
different developers(coldtone and standard) and one warmtone developer
additive. These developers can be mixed together in different
prportions to produce whatever intermediate or splittone the printer
may desire. The paper also responds to uranium and gold chloride
toning formulas to produce anything from a reddish to a purple-pink
lilac color. While it may be applicable to say that Palladio printing
is a "finite" realm, finite should not be taken to mean it has only a
few options available.
With hand
> coating there are no limits. You can make a pure black print, a pure brown
> print or anything in between. In the past few weeks I have seen Richard
> Sullivan produce prints of every possible color. It's so much more than just
> the hand coating. With the hand coating method the world is opened up to you
> and the only limitations are the ones you impose upon yourself. With store
> bought paper the limitations are imposed by the people who make the paper.
This is why we try to make Palladio paper as flexible as possible.
> This is not ment as a dish on Palladio, it has it's place but for people
> who are trully into Pt/Pl. hand coating offers so much more artistic control
> over the final image. If nothing elce just something as simple as paper
> surface.
> So if the Pepsi Challage is to be the only way I see it is for two people to
> take the
> exact same negitive and have the list set up the things they want done. IE:
> hard print, soft print, brown print, black print, purple highlights..rich
> black shadows, rough surface, smooth surface, need I go on?
I'm up for it if you are.
Or is a good
> print one where we read the values and plot the curve and make it "perfect"?
> I think not. Perhaps if the "perfect" print is defined by the curve
> Palladio would be equal but if we are defining the material by the artists
> control over the process handcoating would win hands down. Also with hand
> coating you have a much better base line. You know what your are working
> with, with manufactured paper you have no idea as to what's in it, be it for
> trade secret reasons or no, you still have no idea where you are starting
> from so much of your sucess is do to luck.
The reason for my original post on this subject was the comment
"Palladio users need not apply." I felt it was an unfair derogatory
comment made by a person who had never used Palladio paper and
certainly not explored its possibilities. I do not think that all the
handcoaters of the world should stop what they are doing and use only
our paper. If doing the handcoating brings you an undescribable joy
that the image by itself does not, then by all means continue. If you
are like me and just can't wait to see what that particular photograph
you just shot is going to look like on pt/pd , you may want to at
least look into Palladio. The only limitation you really have is the
paper base, aside from that you'll find your creative juices flowing
just fine. I feel that Palladio fills a valid and necessary niche for
beginners and experienced users alike.
Sal Mancini