130 and Bergger VCCB seems like a good choice for you based on the print you show and "warm radiance and peace pervading the whole thing". I love this combination. You can get 130 in kits from Photographer's Formulary.
130 and Bergger VCCB seems like a good choice for you based on the print you show and "warm radiance and peace pervading the whole thing". I love this combination. You can get 130 in kits from Photographer's Formulary.
Some papers respond much more to changes in development than others. If your paper is responsive, then I second the recommendations for ansco 130, and also suggest you try ansco 120 as a low contrast alternative. On fortezo, which responded like crazy to developers, i did two-tray development, with 120 first and 130 second. The range of contrasts available by varying the time in each was so great that i never used anything but grade 3 over the course of seven or eight years.
Mark suggested agfa 120 ... this is the exact same formula as ansco 120.
Which reminds me ... before taking the time to experiment with any developer, find out the formula, if it's published (or even just suspected). there's a good chance it's identical to something you've already tried. most of the developers people are using are just renamed versions of the same five or six basic formulas.
That's good to know about the 120 and 130 2-bath, I'm going to try that. Thanks Paul.
oh, yeah, it's a classic working method. i think ansco used to recommend it with this exact pair. it was probably a pretty common approach before v.c. papers took over.
i used the graded paper instead of the v.c. version because i had trouble getting the v.c. to tone the way i like.
An important thing to consider is your paper-developer combination. It's been mentioned above, but I thought I'd give it a little more emphisis. If you're moving away from Dektol, consider experimenting with your paper chioce as well.
This is a very exciting time for traditional photography. The Internet has brought us a much wider array of choices while the same digital technology seeks to take it away through a shrinking market. I, for one, don't want to end up with one or two surviving papers and films in a few years. With this in mind, I have begun a move away from reliance on Kodak and Ilford. Foma, Forte, JandC, Efke, ADOX, Bregger, Oriental, Maco, plus a dozen, or so, others are wonderful alternatives, and each has its own look. If you are daring, try Fomatone FB and Amidol developer. Just make sure the ventilation is working in your darkroom. If you're not so daring, Ilford MG and Ansco 130 will do just fine. Whatever you try, start with small paper, say 5X7, first to see if you like it. Spread the waelth around. Support as many wonderful companies are you can. Check out JandC, Freestyle, DigitalTruth, Photographers' Formulary, Retro Photo, and check out what they say about different papers and developers. And, most importantly, have fun doing it.
A specific suggestion: Clayton CP Powder Developer and ADOX Classic Paper from JandC. Your local water district will thank you.
--Gary
"The Internet has brought us a much wider array of choices while the same digital technology seeks to take it away through a shrinking market. "
Nicely put.
Say, wasn't there some kind of paper/developer "shoot-out" in recent years ? Were the results published somewhere ? What were the criteria ?
The Paper Shootout was published in View Camera. The author's (Bruce Barlow) favorite combo was Forte Polygrade V (Elegance) in Fine Art VersaPrint. From what I can tell VersaPrint is almost identical to ansco 130. I agree that this is a great combo, but it is not the warm tone you are looking for. I would say the closest I have seen to your web image is Ilford Warmtone in dilute LPD or ansco 130.
I really like 55-D. It's a nice warm dev.
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