Re: shadow density in zone III

On Friday, Sep 30, 2005, at 06:46 US/Pacific, Sandy King wrote:

>
> Eric's comment that one must "take into consideration the totality of
> options that we are going to deal with in making the print" is very
> much to the point. For example, both Eric and Etienne appear to be
> developing their negatives to density ranges from 2.25 to 2.65 (Eric)
> and 2.8-3.0 (Etienne), much greater than many would consider normal.
> In my own work the typical density range of negatives that works for
> me is in the 1.4 - 1.9. Yet Eric and Etienne obviously know how to
> print so there must be something they do that requires such hard
> negatives. I assume the difference is in their choice of metal salts
> since no other factor in my own range of options can cause the need
> for such hard negatives.
>
> Sandy

I think the point is that commercial silver gel paper, especially in
the last 20 years, is so inflexible in aesthetically appealing ways
that you can create a precise science of what pretty much everybody has
to do to maximize it. Whereas Pt/Pd and others are so flexible that
one can go into a printing session with a completely open mind and find
that a negative prints amazingly beautifully in a range of tones you
hadn't pre considered. The ability to print down till there is no
white in sight and get a stunning print that has an intense feeling of
light sometimes makes me think I should specialize in working with very
thin negs. Yet the beauty of the intense black on stark white paper
with a long gradation of greys somewhere in the print makes me think I
should be certain to have enough density and contrast to fully print a
paper without much restrainer and retain some near blank white. In
truth I think I personally am better off always working with a sense of
technical experiment and taking some of my own control out. And then
there is the fact that I forever have my bellows racked out and my
exposures in the minutes and reciprocity calling in sick for the day
and it all becomes a exercise in intuition.

Dennis
Received on Fri Sep 30 10:50:54 2005