hi I have been pulling and pushing the film while shooting and making the relevant changes in processing times.

I just wonder if some kinda pulling or pushing can happen at the level of printing?

has anyone done this kinda thing? how does is affects the print ?

I hane also heard of split processing for papers in developers of different concentrations, anybody has details ?

Thanks middle

-- middle (middlegray@hotmail.com), March 17, 2001

Answers

Response to puling the paper, possible?

Papers are high contrast emulsions (compared to film) that are really meant to be developed to completion. If you develop for marginally longer, you may find some minor increases in densities, but eventually, you'll start developing fogging and the whole characteristic curve will start shifting to the left with increases in fog levels. Developing for shorter times is somewhat unworkable also. You risk mottling the print i.e., uneven developing. Developing to completion means your blacks will hit max and sort of slow down/stop and wait for the lower values to hit their values. If you dilute the developer excessively to try and control even development (by having the print sitting in the dev longer), you might find your Dmax getting degraded.

The above is obviously a bit of a generalization. A lot of course depends upon paper and your processing technique. The usual rule of overexpose and underdevelop or underexpose and overdevelop have been talked about and used in printing. But it depends upon whether there is any flexibility built into the paper. Most manufacturers seem to design papers to be developed to completion i.e., provide consistency even with somewhat slapdash processing but with reduced flexibility. In other words, cooking these papers will just push image tones up the curve and onto the shoulder. Papers that have some flexibility would thus appear preferable but I would suggest that consistency is going to be hard to achieve, unless your technique is scrupulously repeatable and that is damned hard. Exposure and development variations are even less appealing these days when variable contrast papers provide infinite adjustment between grades.

Split processing utilizes two developers. The classic is the De Beers formula. Solution contains 8gms of metol, 23 gms of sulphite, 20 gms of pottasium carbonate and 1.1 gm of pottasium bromide to a litre of water and is soft working i.e., a low contrast developer. Solution 2 is a high contrast developer containing 8gms of hydroquinone, 23 gms of sulphite, 27 gms of the carbonate and 2.2 gms of the bromide to a litre of water. The two solutions can be mixed in various ratios to provide a single bath of the required contrast properties. Alternatively, you can vary time in each solution etc. The basic idea is to vary the rate of development. Thus it takes shorter/longer for the blacks to hit Dmax and allows the lighter tones some flexibility to gain or not gain some density. Again, differences may be less marked with some of today's papers. Typically, slow fibre based papers respond best to such manipulations.

Good luck. DJ.

-- N Dhananjay (ndhanu@umich.edu), March 17, 2001.

Response to puling the paper, possible?

It is feasible to use two trays of developer, one of low contrast and one of high (such as Selectol Soft and Dektol) to control contrast and gradation of prints. Certain developers (such as Ansco 130) allow extended development without fogging. As stated above, the De Beers formula provides excellent contrast control. The greatest flexibility is probably to be found with warm-tone chloride emulsions such as Portriga Rapid or Bergger Prestige, both of which have a high silver content. I have written an article entitled "Tips on Printing" you might find useful:

http:/ /unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Printing/printing.html

-- Ed Buffaloe (edb@unblinkingeye.com), March 17, 2001.

check out "ansel adams- the print" for detailed info

-- mark lindsey (lindseygraves@msn.com), March 17, 2001.