Warm vs Cool Toned Paper.
Posted 18/01/2014 - 14:12
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Hundreds of examples, but you need to try this for yourself. Black and white papers are bromide papers, whereas warm toned ones are chlorobromide. The difference is in the warmth of the image and my general preference was always for warm tones. The classic paper was Kodak Bromesko White Fine Lustre, but that is long gone.
I moved on to Agfa papers, which were also beautiful, but today I guess that the choice is becoming more limited.
There's also a place for standard black and white of course, it depends very much on the image. It's part of the creative choices you have available to you and you no doubt need both. Exploring the nuances of black and white darkroom working could take you a lifetime.
I was quite a good printer. My friend Len worked commercially and he was an excellent printer, based on making 300 prints a day, every day for over 20 years. But I've even seen better than Len, so there's no ceiling in what you could aim for.
A good black and white print, warm toned or not, should "sing" from the paper. It should stop you in your tracks with its pure beauty. Not every print will achieve this!
I moved on to Agfa papers, which were also beautiful, but today I guess that the choice is becoming more limited.
There's also a place for standard black and white of course, it depends very much on the image. It's part of the creative choices you have available to you and you no doubt need both. Exploring the nuances of black and white darkroom working could take you a lifetime.
I was quite a good printer. My friend Len worked commercially and he was an excellent printer, based on making 300 prints a day, every day for over 20 years. But I've even seen better than Len, so there's no ceiling in what you could aim for.
A good black and white print, warm toned or not, should "sing" from the paper. It should stop you in your tracks with its pure beauty. Not every print will achieve this!
Best regards, John
Posted 18/01/2014 - 14:16
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PS I should mention the competition judge that had Len outraged and the whole club very amused.
The Judge peered myopically at Len's darkroom print and declared, "It's a bit pixelated...."
The Judge peered myopically at Len's darkroom print and declared, "It's a bit pixelated...."
Best regards, John
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30 posts
12 years
Correction* I use multi contrast paper, not cool toned.