Re: VanDyke Brown

Don & Judy:

Thanks for the input! Believe it or not, the representation did help me
understand a bit better. I can't imagine how amazing a VDB must look in
person, I can't wait to make one! Believe me, I know all too well the web's
inability to communicate the effectiveness of the printed image. Do you
have any idea how hard it is to show someone on the web what a Daguerreotype
looks like?!? Chris Lovenguth has done the best job yet (IMO) by posting a
video of him fiddling with one as it moves from positive to negative in his
hand. You don't pick up on the near-holography of the thing but damn is it
cool!

I think that based on the examples that I've seen that the VDB print has a
definite edge on my WT+Se mix. The highlights seem to really pop out in the
examples from Unblinking Eye versus the WT+Se where the highlights tend to
shift towards ivory.

-Jon

----- Original Message -----
From: "Judy Seigel" <jseigel@panix.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca>
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 10:09 PM
Subject: RE: VanDyke Brown

>
>
> On Tue, 11 May 2004, Don Bryant wrote:
> > I've used Ilford WT MG IV fiber toned in selenium and I don't think the
look
> > of a VDB is quite comparable.
> >
> > For a comparison look at this photo printed on Ilford WTMGIV toned in
> > selenium:
> >
> > http://www.apgphoto.org/about/portfolio2001/bryant.shtml
> >
> > and compare it to these VDBs printed by Wynn White:
> >
> > http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Vandyke/vandyke.html
> >
> > IMO, the highlights in Ilford paper tend to show the effects of the
toner
> > where as the VDB highlights tend to show the color of the paper base. Of
> > course the warm tones are a different color also.
>
>
> It seems to me that the difference between a VDB on an artists' paper and
> a photograph on silver gelatin (factory) paper, however it's been exposed,
> developed, or toned, is going to be more than can be seen on a monitor.
> The *paramount* difference is the surface, the texture, the tactile effect
> of an emulsion in paper, or ON paper-- right out in the air, mother naked,
> NOT buried in gelatin. It's quite possible to prefer the silver-gelatin
> version, I'm sure some people do, but you can't judge from the monitor
> which only shows phosphor behind glass.
>
> Judy
Received on Tue May 11 21:43:54 2004