Ilford has just anounced a "cold tone" RC paper. I have been dutifully trying different paper/developer combinations for the past 6 months or so, but still have not stumbled upon a good combination. I think that the new paper will be part of my answer, but would like any suggestions as to traditional developers that are "kown" to produce this effect. I haven't gotten too exotic, but have tried several developers from the big three [Ilford, Agfa and Kodak] but never got close to what I would consider cold tone. I'm shooting for [sorry] the Helmut Newton look.

FWIW, I shoot fashion, with a dramatic lighting style, medium format on 400 speed film [typically TXP or Delta 400] and print with a condenser enlarger.

Thanks for your help!

-- JH (metro99@uswest.net), February 22, 2000

Answers

i like edwal ultra-black, though i'm not sure it'll give you exactly what you're looking for in a "cold" tone. EUB gives you *really* dense blacks. i tend to do a little sepia tonight to warm up the highlights.

brilliant bromide paper is supposed to be really cold, though it's not VC.

-- brad daly (bwdaly@hiwaay.net), February 22, 2000.

Brilliant VC has deep blacks, and you can selenium tone to pop the blacks, also with bromide papers you could use amidol developer to get the deep blacks. Pat

-- pat j. krentz (krentz@cci-29palms.com), February 22, 2000.

According to tests, Agfa Neutol Plus gives a cold tone. Definitely colder than other variants of Neutol. Even warmtone paper becomes cold with this developer. It's special in that way that it does not contain hydrokinon (spelling?) and is more health/environmentally friendly. Neither does it make the trays black as other developers do.

Personally I find that even Paterson Acuprint with Kodak Polymax fine art FB gives a cold, bluish tone. Not very cold, but still with a hint of blue.

-- Peter Olsson (peter.olsson@lulebo.se), February 23, 2000.

There is a very old Agfa 120 formula that uses hydroquinone only--it might suit your needs. (I can send you the formula if you are interested.) But the best developer I have found for cold tones is Fein's Amidol. The formula is on my site at Unblinkingeye.com.

-- (edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com), February 23, 2000.

Luminos makes a liquid-concentrate VC paper developer that has produced lots of beautiful results for me (also on Luminos paper, which is great stuff). It's not expensive, and is certainly worth trying (definitely also true of their paper!) There's a blurb about the VC developer on this page at the Luminos website:

http://www.luminos.com/newLuminos.htm

-- Michael Goldfarb (mgoldfar@mobius-inc.com), February 23, 2000.

Thanks! It looks like I have some work ahead of me. I never would have considered the majority of the products that you-all have suggested.

Time to get busy!

-- JH (metro99@uswest.net), February 24, 2000.

Let me suggest Zonal Pro Cold Tone developer mixed 1:5 and add a 10% solution of benzatriozal. 10 cc per liter of total solution.

-- mvjim (mvjim@interport.net), February 24, 2000.