Re: Great Enl. Negs - Better

Herold Faulkner (faulkner@redshift.com)
Mon, 02 Feb 1998 10:25:46 -0800

I agree with John about the concept of "better". What it seems to me is
that we have a situation analagous to what exists in the Hi-Fi world: some
claim one piece of equipment is better than another on the basis of
objective measurements of distortion, dynamic range, etc. These people are
refered to as "meter readers" (somewhat derisively) by the so-called "golden
ears" who claim to hear differences that there is no objective measurement
for. When they're not calling each other names both sides of the issue have
contributed to the improvement of the sound of stereo gear. Sometimes,
though by no means always, objective measurements have been developed which
correlate to subjective differences heard by the aforementioned G.E's.

Art is not about absolutes and measurements, it is about emotion, beauty,
and communication. To the extent that measurements make our lives easier we
should embrace them. The shape of an H&D curve can tell us a lot about what
a film is capable of doing, but only a great deal of experience can tell us
what the photographic possibiilities of a situation are and how to achieve
them. Only a great deal of personal growth and soul searching will tell us
how we want to render a scene in order to express what we feel about it. In
light of the subjective nature of Art I propose that we agree to drop
"better," "can't", and "won't work" from our lexicon and say instead, "this
is what works for me." For every film/developer/processor that someone on
this forum has said won't work someone else has come forward to say, "I get
good results with that.." (except maybe for Delta 400, but then I suspect
someone will help me by reporting favorable results with it... c'mon folks!)
If something doesn't work for you then don't waste your time telling us.
Use that time to take more photographs.
-----Original Message-----
From: John Rudiak <wizard@laplaza.org>
To: TERRY KING <KINGNAPOLEONPHOTO@compuserve.com>
Cc: Carl Weese <cjweese@wtco.net>; Richard Sullivan
<richsul@roadrunner.com>; alt-photo-list
<ALT-PHOTO-PROCESS-L@skyway.usask.ca>; Michael Taylor
<Michael.Photography@btinternet.com>
Date: Monday, February 02, 1998 8:32 AM
Subject: Re: Great Enl. Negs - Better

>On Fri, 30 Jan 1998, TERRY KING wrote:
>
>>
>> I was over simpifying to make the point, but it remains that if the
gunge
>> were not there one would get better results with Pt/Pd printing. So why
>> bother with pyro for a pupose for which it is not suited when there are
>> superior alternatives ?
>
>It seems very clear from the comments of many workers on this list, and
>from my own personal experience, that a negative developed in a Pyro
>based developer produces a print that has unique visual qualities,
>whether it is printed in antique or contemporary processes. This fact
>alone makes it valuable. The discussion of curves and staining is an
>attempt to quantify the unique visual qualities of Pyro, not to validate
>it. Have you ever worked with this developer?
>You seem to have a very stubborn insistence for the amidol/FP4 combo,
>claiming it is superior to all other combos. I would wager that you could
>not duplicate the look of a platinum print made from a pyro negative with
>one from Amidol/FP4. You can decide which you like better, but that is
>not the issue here.
>
>John>
>