I was reading an article in the current issue of VC, an interview with an architectural photographer I believe, where he mentioned that todays print papers are anemic with respect to silver content.
If this is the case, are there any papers out there today which have the silver content of paper from twenty years ago ?
The author wrote that this silver anemia makes today's prints 'flat' and doesn't allow the 'punch' of a good negative and good printer to come through.
Try here:
http://jandcphotography.com/Photopapers.htm
Oh Lord....Dr Henry in his book Controls in B&W debunked this theory many years ago. He measured the silver content of many papers against the Dmax of each paper and found out that silver content has nothing to do with "best" blacks.
Every so often the supposedly "journal" of photography prints this myth when they interview some old timer. Most likely the guy go stuck with a paper he liked and got discontinued and he never moved on and tested for other papers which could give just as good or better prints.
Azo, which can give very rich prints with a "feeling" of depth does not have the most silver content, but the silver chloride grains are much smaller which is theorized give better "coverage" thus producing better blacks. So, if anything it seems the silver grain size is more important for better blacks than the amount of silver.
Furthermore, pt/pd prints typically have very low Dmax values (in the range of 1.3 to 1.5) yet if used properly it can give the "feeling" of very deep rich blacks, is all a matter of learning how to control the process, be that silver or an alt process.
Dont worry about obtaining papers with greater silver content, it is a photography "urban legend"...:-)
Thanks for the responses guys.
Jorge, I know that Azo is the cat's ass for contact printing, but (dare I reveal my ignorance) is it an effective paper for enlarger/magnified printing ?
Thanks again ...
Azo is a very slow paper for enlargement, but Durst has a very bright Azo head, and I believe there is another in the works.
My favorite enlarging paper lately has been Cachet (Maco) Expo RF, which produces rich blacks, good shadow detail and holds delicate highlights well.
I made contact prints of a negative last week on Bergger Prestige VCNB using a Saunders enlarger as a light source. I developed them in Dektol. I have yet to achieve the quality of the Bergger print on Azo developed in amidol with this same negative. So, I agree with Jorge. Different strokes for different folks. Find a process and paper you like and learn how to use it. Personally I think the Bergger is the best of the enlarging papers made today.
Azo is not viable for enlargement. The Durst head requires something like 5 kilowatts of power and generates incredible heat. It's also very expensive. Michael Smith has been working with an inventor who estimates that he will have a reasonably priced enlarger bulb which can be used to enlarge onto Azo by the end of this year.
Ron, I dont use azo myself. I was merely using it as an example of particle size rather than silver content. As Jim said azo is not suitable for enlargement but there are some other fine papers that should do well with enlargement. I like graded Oriental Seagull, IMO you should pick a paper you like and stick with it until you get to know it well and can produce the kind of prints you like. As far as I am concerned there are no anemic papers...only printers..:-)
Isn't it interesting how often this comes up. Yet going to the galleries and shows where there are hundreds and thousands of prints to see, there is no paucity of gorgeous full tonal range luscious rich prints when that is the effect the artist wanted for that image? I see thousands of prints both modern and vintage turn of the century that are indistinguishable for one another. All you have to do is open your eyes and look. Then you will see the truth and quit believing everything you are told.
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