Selenium toning

[Fred Braakman]

I took a workshop with Bruce Barnbaum this summer, and he showed his prints during the workshop. They were stunning too say the least. His books do not do them justice. What I paricularly liked about them was the blue grey tone he was able to achieve, after toning them with selenium. I use the paper he uses, (Forte PolygradeV, FB, neutral tone), and dilute my selenium toning solution to the same concentration he does. I really like the paper, but I have been unable to duplicate the blue-grey tone that Bruce produced in his prints. Mostly my prints are near black. Does anyone know how to achieve that color?

Thanks.

Fred

[Brian K]

Developers can affect paper tone, ask him what developer he uses. Also make certain that you are using the same selenium dilution for the same amount of time.