Split-Grade Printing & Sooke Fine-Art Show
Today I gave a presentation on composition at the Sooke Fine-Art Show. People seemed to enjoy it and several came up afterward to chat.
Yesterday, I tried split-grade printing for the first time.
I had a photo of my wife sitting on a log just in front of the water at Chemanius, BC.
I wanted a gelatin-silver print that would keep the detail in her hair whilst also provide good overall exposure to the rest of the image.
With straight grade printing, I could have either or, but not both. So I decide to give split-grade printing a try and it worked.
This print was made as follows (now I know the detail does not show up well in this digital reproduction, but hopefully it will suffice).
Enlarger lens set to f/8
Grade 04 @ 14 seconds then
Grade 01 @ 14 seconds
The print you see here is the ILFORD MGIV RC 8x10 print.
It worked, then I moved up to llx14 fibre warm-tone paper. Here I had to work with trial-and-error, but finally got something workable: Grade 04 @ 45 seconds; Grade 01 @ 70 seconds and burn the top left an additional 20 seconds at grade 01. I even tried a sabattier process and this print I think is one of my favourites.
Yesterday, I tried split-grade printing for the first time.
I had a photo of my wife sitting on a log just in front of the water at Chemanius, BC.
I wanted a gelatin-silver print that would keep the detail in her hair whilst also provide good overall exposure to the rest of the image.
With straight grade printing, I could have either or, but not both. So I decide to give split-grade printing a try and it worked.
This print was made as follows (now I know the detail does not show up well in this digital reproduction, but hopefully it will suffice).
Enlarger lens set to f/8
Grade 04 @ 14 seconds then
Grade 01 @ 14 seconds
The print you see here is the ILFORD MGIV RC 8x10 print.
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