Purple blacks in selenium beyond dmax?

Hi,

I just wanted to ask others if they know whether toning in selenium to the point where blacks turn purple in the solution is actually beyond dmax or not??

The purple effect seem to diffuse upon drying and I'm rather fond of the effect.

Thanks

Photographers like Thomas Joshua Cooper., Olivia Parker and Linda Connor use this split toning to great effect. The Dmax is actually lowered as the Selenium has largely replace the Silver in these areas.

Ian

Hey thanks Ian.

Sorry for being thick but do you mean that the density has increased or the opposite? I was under the impression that selenium was denser than silver (Anchell??)...

larfe said:

Hey thanks Ian.

Sorry for being thick but do you mean that the density has increased or the opposite? I was under the impression that selenium was denser than silver (Anchell??)...

Click to expand...

In the early stages of Selenium toning the DMax (density) appears to increase, but take it past a certain point then it reverses and the Selenium replaces Silver and the Dmax decreases.

Ian

larfe said:

Hi,

I just wanted to ask others if they know whether toning in selenium to the point where blacks turn purple in the solution is actually beyond dmax or not??

The purple effect seem to diffuse upon drying and I'm rather fond of the effect.

Thanks

Click to expand...

Max is the darkest black you can get;So,there is nothing beyond Dmax and the black after selenium toning may be your Dmax.

Dmax decreases at a certain point in selenium toner.

The exact hue, such as "purple" is largely dependent on the SPECIFIC paper and developer you used. Not all respond in the same manner.

^^

Indeed I know that too, papers such as ilford mgIV don't change much... agfa record rapid in my specific case.

What I really want to figure out is whether or not I've gone past the point of max density

larfe,

It's semantics that's your problem. You can't go "past the point of maximum density." You can increase Dmax, however. Selenium toning (on some papers) will increase Dmax in the early stages, but as soon as a marked shift toward red-brown happens, the Dmax is being decreased. Many of us use light toning in selenium for precisely the slight increase in density that it gives. Density in other areas of the prints will increase as well. I've ruined more than one print because the toning dampened luminous shadows more than I liked.

Best,

Doremus