Split grade printing question

[Drew Wiley]

Doremus, VC papers differ somewhat from one another, and more than two emulsions are often involved. The exact image tone as well as behavior of toners can in fact differ somewhat depending on the specific light source or mix thereof. It takes awhile to learn the personality of any given paper. I think you're oversimplifying it somewhat. I don't intend to even begin giving a technical answer. Too many variables. It's a thousand times easier to just do it. And NO, Joe, there isn't any problem with my technique, and certainly not with my equipment. I might be one of the few or perhaps only person on this forum who seriously has ALL of the above options. But I like to skate the ice rink of visual nuances, not formulaic generalities. Quantification will only get you so far. Even the moon landing and return would have been impossible if human eyesight were not involved.

[Ben Calwell]

[QUOTE=FWIW, there are a whole lot of prints that don't need any fancy split printing...

Best,

Doremus[/QUOTE]

Doremus,
I had the same thought and am glad you feel the same.
Ben

[Drew Wiley]

There's nothing fancy about it. Just another tool, but a relevant one. Speaking analogously, an old-fashioned number 2 or 3 nailset might work 80% of the time, but then you've got little finish nails too that warrant a no. 1 in your tool box as well, and at the other end, 60 penny spikes that need something especially big. Depends what you are making.

[cowanw]

Photography was born into an age of both Spiritualism and Empiricism. The power of light, photography, illusion, truth, nature, technology and science were reflective of the cultural changes the nineteenth century experienced.
Peter Henry Emerson espoused the belief that photography was an art and not a mechanical reproduction but the development of sensitometry caused him to recant and restate that photography was a form of mechanical reproduction.
Here we continue the struggle between whether photography obeys the laws of physics and sensitometry in it's response to the wavelengths of light or whether it can be influenced by some magic of alchemy of manipulation.
As far as I know Bob Carnie was the first to report observations of a client of his that there were fundamental differences between the application of Grade Zero green light and Grade 5 blue light compared to a mixture of light at Grade 1 or 1 1/2 and Grade 5 to certain emulsions.
I have too much respect for Bob to ignore his observations of differences depending on the mixture of application of light to certain emulsions. On the other hand I cannot ignore my belief in science, that should prescribe consistency of effects between certain wavelengths of light and certain Silver Halides.
Art versus craft; magic versus science; soft versus sharp; professional versus amateur, there is something for everybody in photography!

[Drew Wiley]

Well, I had three years of organic chemistry, of which 99.9 % has been efficiently forgotten. So that places me squarely back in the realm of alchemy, right where I like it, except with just enough real science retention to know to wear nitrile gloves and use a fume hood! If I can't figure out something intuitively in the darkroom, then I resort to hard research. If I did that all the time, I'd be a geek rather than a printmaker. As far as Bob's observation goes, I've been exploiting certain VC paper idiosyncrasies right along, including the specific one under discussion. I'll let someone else try to explain it chemically. I just wave around some owl entrails at the start of the session, examine the flight patterns of bats and pelicans, then go into the darkroom, and it works! A few test strips tell me the whole story. But one does have to pay their dues and spend some quality time with every specific paper and development and toner combination. Nuance is the name of the game for me.

[Mark Sampson]

Thank God photographic practice cannot be reduced to mere procedure!
If you're careful with your craft, and sensible with your approach, and most of all keep your eyes open, *then* the magic can happen.

[Ben Calwell]

Can’t wait to apply my usual half-assed approach to darkroom science to delve into these mysteries of blue, green, yellow and magenta! I just wish my ancient D2 had a clarity slider adjustment.

[John Layton]

While I do agree that light is light, and color is color...I also feel that the means which I (choose to) use to control these variables indeed affects both how I see and interpret that which I photograph, process, and print.

[Ben Calwell]

While I do agree that light is light, and color is color...I also feel that the means which I (choose to) use to control these variables indeed affects both how I see and interpret that which I photograph, process, and print.

Well said.

[Thom Bennett]

I do a full image test print with the green exposure going across the paper from bottom to top (say 3/6/9/12/15 seconds) and then with the blue exposure from left to right (3/6/9/12/15 seconds). Once the print is processed and fixed I take a look at the squares created and determine which one has the contrast I am looking for and then expose a sheet with that mixture of green and blue (say, 6 seconds of green and 9 of blue). Take a look at that print and then start tweaking. Maybe shave off a certain percentage of green and add a certain percentage of blue. Usually gets me close to the final print fairly quickly. Most dodging will be during the blue exposure and most burning in will be during the green exposure. ymmv.