AboutMark Gluckman Expertise I can answer questions about all social photography (wedding, corporate, b`nai mitzvah). All general questions about digital photography and, of course, film.
Photojournalistic and travel photo questions can also be asked as that is another specialty of mine.
Experience
Past/Present clients McDonald's, Sprint, GE, Ford, NBC, IBM, Princess Cruises, NCL and I work the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon every year.
I have worked for The New York Times, USA Today, AP and dozens of other international and national publications.
I have shot hundreds of weddings, b'nai mitzvah and corporate social events.
Expert: Mark Gluckman Date: 3/12/2005 Subject: enlargment paper
Question Will Kodak polycontrast rc 4 enlargement paper (glossy) produce the same results as a 2 or 3 when developed with the same chemicals made for a 2 or 3 ( I mean are certain chemicals designed for only 2 and 3 and won't develop a 4?)
Also how will the contrast on a 4 differ from 2 or 3? I hope that makes sense. For a class, I was told to get 2 and possibly 3 but I accidentaly picked up 4, I need to know if that paper will work and if not how different will it be from 2 and 3s. This is for black and white photos.
Answer Stephen,
First, you just contradicted yourself. Polycontrast paper means that with filters, the paper ranges from 1 - 4 in contrast hence the name, polycontrast. The lowest contrast is one / highest four. If you use the polycontrast without a filter it will be in the 2-3 range. All papers work the same with all chemicals. The only difference you may notice is the time to process the print, stopping and fixing will be the same. Similar to film, same chemicals for Kodak film, Fuji or Ilford film, only the developing times change.
This paper should suffice without any problem. The reason to use different contrast papers depends on the contrast of the negative or the results you desire. A soft negative may need a little punch (whiter whites, blacker blacks), so you use a higher contrast. Conversely, if you have too much contrast as in a beach scene, you may want to tone down the contrast by using a 2 paper.
Hope this helps, go to the library, there are some great books on darkroom work.
