What papers did Ansels Adams use?

Hello friends

I was reading "The Negative" by Ansel Adams (I have read it several

times trying to get more and more information from it), and studying

the film densitometer curves at the end of the book, I realize that

Ansel´s Zone IX target is around 1.50 over base&fog (Ansel supposes

that zone IX is the first shade of gray different from white on the

paper). At home, with my Durst M601 color head enlarger(which is

suposed to be a difussion enlarger), and Ilford Ilfospeed Grade2

paper in Agfa Neutol developer at 1:15, any density over 1.15

produces full white in the paper (using of course the minimum time

for maximum black in the enlarger).

Had that old grade 2 papers a longer exposure density range than

modern papers? Have you got any data about the papers Ansel used at

that time?. (I do not have "The Copy" and I do not know if he tells

that in that volume). Indeed, Ansel says in the book: "manufacturers

are reducing gradually the exposure range of modern papers, so the

density values target should be revised" (this is a bad free

translation as my book is written in Spanish)

That will confirm that everybody should test for his own density

numbers, and that trying to use Adams numbers, which is done by many

people who tryes Zone System the first time, is a nosense.(As I did)

Thank you.

Ramiro. (crazy-testing-man)

I wouldn't be too surprised if Ilfospeed responded that way. He did like Oriental, but new Oriental (which I like) is different from old Oriental (which I also liked), many have said.

He generally targeted Zone VIII density around 1.2, if I remember correctly, but I think you are right to go by what works best with the paper you are using, and I think Ansel would agree.

For contact printing on Azo, I try to put Zone VIII around 1.5, and some people put it even higher for Platinum/Palladium. For an RC paper, it probably should be a little lower than 1.2, because the base is often very bright.

If you want to try a paper that holds highlight detail really well, try Maco (Cachet in U.S.) Expo G. This is my favorite paper of the moment.

Ramiro, The paper that I remember him using was Seagull, that was a different paper from what is produced today.

I understand that you are printing using the "maximum black" as your primary printing parameter. There is another method that I was instructed in and use today. That is to make my first exposure test strip to give my highlight tonalities the exposure that I want. I then use the contrast of the paper to render the black in the print. In the case of VC papers, one would then increase or decrease the filtration. Or in the case of graded papers, one would move to a higher or lower contrast grade of paper and incorporate split developing techniques such as the combination of Dektol and Selectol Soft.

I have found that in my testing that Adams' recommended Zone VIII placement is accurate with todays paper emulsions and printing to a grade two paper with a diffuse light source using the printing method that I have described above.

If you were to try as many types of grade 2 paper as you could locate, no two of them would have the exact same contrast range. A manufacturer makes 4 or 5 paper grades from flat to contrasty, tries to space them as to degree of contrast, and assigns numbers to them.

Seems to me that the real lesson Ansel was trying to teach is that each of us has discover what works for us, with our cameras, our lenses, our enlargers and our choice of film, paper, and chemicals. He simply wrote guide books explaining how he did it. Today we use computer designed multi-coated lenses. Ansel started his career with uncoated lenses. Everything changes.

Adams had a very long photographic career and used many papers throughout that time. In later years, he liked Ilford Galerie and Oriental Seagull, both fixed grade papers. The Seagull paper has about 1/2 grade more contrast for a given grade number, so his choice of paper might depend on what contrast he needed. Also, Seagull has a slightly colder tone than Galerie, although after toning both papers are about the same.

Unlike what some have said, I think that Oriental Seagull fixed grade paper is substantially the same as when Adams used it late in his career.