Re: Dmax of VD prints

[Sandy King <sanking@clemson.edu>]

Darryl Baird wrote:


> Sandy,
>
> Let me toss my $.02 in here. Under almost all circumstances I find
> myself in agreement with your posts, it had to happen didn't it?
> Recently I printed a small body of work with the Argyrotype process. I
> used Arches Platine on the first set and loved the look. Then I tried a
> cheaper paper, Lanaquerelle (sp?), then and like it too, but both the
> color and contrast were different... using the same sensitizer and
> negatives. The other variables you mentioned were all within the same
> control as the first set -- I mixed fresh fixer regularly, washed the
> same, and no toning. Darkroom and workroom conditions (humidity) were
> the same. I even experimented with immediate versus delayed exposure
> after coating the sensitizer. Then I printed a selection of the same
> images on a variety of papers, each was different in contrast in most
> cases and a few changes in the color again. I found that printing on
> either side of the paper also introduced changes. I found, strangely for
> me, I preferred the look of the images on the backside of the paper
> (watermark reversed.)


Darryl,

In fact there is no disagreement here at all. The Argyrotype process is the *most* paper sensitive process I have worked with. I had a fair amount of success with it at first but then experienced wildly different results as I began to experiment with different papers. But I have not observed this kind of variability with VD, kallitype and salted paper, though mind you I am not saying that there are no differences between papers. 


Sandy King