From: Jeffrey D. Mathias (jeffrey.d.mathias@worldnet.att.net)
Date: 03/10/01-10:12:40 AM Z
Pam Niedermayer wrote:
> You could just as easily say it hurts to use scales when formulating
> chemicals, since it hurts your ability to judge the proper proportions
> by sight, reaction, weight in hand.
Not really. For the Pt/Pd process (and perhaps others), it is important
to measure stock solutions used for the coating mixture very carefully,
and this must be done to assure constancy of expected results. For the
metal salts, if too little is measured, weaker prints will result, and
if too much is measured, expensive material is wasted.
Once one has the stock solutions correctly and accurately prepared, then
they may add a dash of this or a pinch of that to the mixture based on
their experience and feeling. This may be similar to a chef mixing a
concoction from ingredients he understands and has carefully selected.
Changing a basic ingredient may have a great influence and may even
prevent the possibility of a pleasant outcome. Consistent, quality
basic ingredients allows the chef flexibility to create a multitude of
successes.
A scale is an important and necessary tool with the Pt/Pd process. With
out it one will be without a consistent standard from which to apply
variations.
The applied use of a scale is totally different from that of a
densitometer. The densitometer use may be compared to performing a
chemical analysis of the concoction prepared by the chef. Such an
analysis provides information, but information not necessary for the
chef to create his special dish.
The important result of photography is the final print not some density
measurements.
Judy Seigel wrote:
> ... But as for human eye JUDGING density of a negative as good as or better
> than densitometer -- EXCUSE ME ! Not in my experience. Read Arnheim on
> subject of simultaneous contrast, for instance. Many a negative is
> EXTREMELY deceptive, because of its range or BF or whatever. ...
But I would answer, how is the density interpreted in the print? Is it
not adjacent to and influenced by other values? These influences do
exist and are an important part of making the final print. It really
makes no contribution what the densitometer indicates the density is in
the negative or even in the print because it can appear different
depending on surrounding values. And, the viewer is accumulating
information from a photograph with their eye(s).
So yes, the eye is beter.
-- Jeffrey D. Mathias http://home.att.net/~jeffrey.d.mathias/
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