FotoDave@aol.com
Thu, 28 Jan 1999 15:19:23 -0500 (EST)
In a message dated 1/28/99 6:07:07 AM Pacific Standard Time, cjweese@wtco.net
writes:
> It's familiar that
> extremely dilute versions of standard developers like D76 will, with
> enough time, deliver hightened edge-adjacency effects.
This is the point that I have been saying (or should I say asking). I have
been misinterpreted as against pyro, which I am not. I simply have an interest
and question about whether the edge-adjacency effects in pyro is due to it
special tanning and/or staining properly or simply because of local exhaustion
of diluted developer.
Recently there were some posts about the special look of pyro developed
negatives. No offense intended here, but I don't really understand what the
point is. We ***do know*** that pyro gives different look (adjacency effect
and maybe a slightly different curve; also the staining which might be useful
more for silver printing than alt. process).
I have never thought that experienced photographers like Carl, Sandy,
Hutching, and hundreds or thousands of pyro users (there is a pyro maniac
group!) have problematic vision that they see things that don't exist at all.
My question last year (or 2 years ago) was not whether pyro gives different
result but whether this result can be achieved only by pyro or can be achieved
in a "normal" but diluted, compensating developer. Even if it can be achieved
with some ordinary MQ developer, I still won't go against pyro. Why would I?
But that was last year, and that was before I ran my own tests on lith film.
Now I am very sure that the edge adjacency effect CAN be achieved with
ordinary developers. In fact, it can be achieved TOO EASILY with diluted
Dektol. The effect is too much to be really useful. Trying to reduce its
effect in Dektol gives the familiar contradicting requirements: we need less
dilution to decrease the excessive edge effect, but we need more dilution to
decrease the excessive contrast. (but I happen to have a gum print with that
effect from Dektol which is not too excessive. The print is lovely. The petals
of the flower looks like it is jumping out of the paper!)
With all the curves already done (with D76, LC-1 as published in the journal
and many other curves not published in that article), I can easily come up
with a dilution / time that gives that adjacency effect. If there is some
interest, please let me know, and I will put it as a test to be run. I can
either publish the result on my web page in on the journal if Judy is also
interested.
Dave S
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