William Robb wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Shel Belinkoff" > Subject: Re: Taking, Making, Creating Images > > > Well, maybe I should amend that statement. It is difficult in that you > > have to pay careful attention to details, such as times, temperature, > > agitation, enlarger setup, chemical strength, and a myriad of other > > things. > > But it is doable if you've got the temperament and the technique. > > > > Until you buy a new box of paper and find that it isn't the same as the last > one, even though it is marked the same, or your print lamp has changed > slightly in the last few weeks, or your filterpack isn't exactly the same as > it was last year, or the temperature of your darkroom, and hence the > activity of your developer isn't quite the same as it was, or the PH of your > tap water has altered slightly. > > Sadly, the world isn't quite as ideal as I would like it to be, and all of > these very minor and impossible to control things can have a marked effect > on the repeatability of a print. > > William Robb
The fact that you can't get those prints exactly "right" adds to the value of the individual prints sometimes, as well. :) I don't think I ever made an _exact_ duplicate - especially since, in addition to all the things Bill mentioned that vary, the light in my enlarger was affected by the upstairs neighbor turning certain appliances off or on in the middle of a timed exposure :( annsan - professional inconsistent
