Pt/Pd Printing, B solution

Stephen R Harrison (SRH@StephenHarrison.com)
Sun, 02 Nov 1997 21:05:50 -0800

I must confess, I like the B solution on Bienfang 360 Marker paper
and Platinotype Paper!! The restrainer gives a snap especially to
portraiture and I prefer 9+3 combination ( and on occasion more) and anyone
would be hard pressed to detect its presence.
I don't know about anyone else, but under the broad variety of
difficult lighting conditions that I photograph , I am a long way from
producing consistently perfect negatives. The spontanenity and speed
required in photographing people for example with a large format camera
seems to prohibit such perfection. The use of restrainer allows me to make
satisfying images from less than perfect negatives.
Please note however , that even in the perfect negative, I find
it's use adds vitality. In portraits, this is especially evident in facial
tones . In landscapes, the skillful use of restrainer even in the most
perfect negative can make prints that are quite crisp, smooth and
handsome without evident grain.
Admittedly however, this is highly dependent on the paper but in
the above two papers, it works well and I recommend it to anyone.

Stephen Harrison