Recognition

[DanK]

I just got word that the image below was selected to be included in the "Art of the Hills" exhibit at the Berkshire Museum starting in June. I'll be printing it on either Canson Baryta or Breathing Color River Stone Satin Rag, roughly 17 x 22.

[rpcrowe]

Absolutely lovely!

[Manfred M]

Congratulations Dan! Well done.

I can't comment on the Breathing Color papers as I have never used any, but it looks like an image that would print up well on the Canson Baryta paper.

[Round Tuit]

Congratulation Dan. Beautiful picture!

[xpatUSA]

Good job ... I think I recall that scene from the past here.

[Rita]

Nice image and congrats.

[mugge]

Stunning image and congratulation.
Cheers Ole

[DanK]

Thanks, everyone. Ted, yes, I posted an earlier edit of this here some time ago. Manfred, River Stone is somewhat similar to the original Canson Baryta, but a bit more textured and a little warmer (because it's OBA-free). I've printed an 8 x 10 of this on Riverstone. I don't have any more of the original Canson except in large sizes that I don't want to cut, but I'll print it on Baryta II, which straight on is quite similar, before I decide how to print the large one.

I still mourn the end of the original Canson Baryta. It would be my go-to paper if it were still available.

[Manfred M]

I still mourn the end of the original Canson Baryta. It would be my go-to paper if it were still available.

Agree 100%, but at the show I was back in February, I looked at 4 or 5 different papers (via test prints) and to my great surprise, the Canson Baryta II gave the strongest results, so I went with it.

[DanK]

Agree 100%, but at the show I was back in February, I looked at 4 or 5 different papers (via test prints) and to my great surprise, the Canson Baryta II gave the strongest results, so I went with it.

Manfred,

You've got me dithering about this again. I took out some old test prints, and I'm going to print this particular photo on Baryta II, since I already have a River Stone print to compare. I prefer the Baryta II in some respects; it handles better, and I think the colors are a tad more vibrant. However, I really dislike the surface, which looks like a scratched flat surface rather than a textured surface as one gets with a satin or luster paper. Because of that surface, it also suffers more from reflections at an angle than the River Stone does. However, I don't know how much those disadvantages matter once the print is behind glass.

I still have some original Canson Baryta in 17 x 22, so I will probably use that for the exhibit. I've exhausted my supplies in smaller sizes.

Dan

PS: One complication in all of this is that as Marc Siegel's reviews show, some papers can show a substantial difference when using a custom profile rather than the manufacturer's profile. So if one uses manufacturers' profiles, as I almost always do, it's impossible to completely separate the effects of papers from the effects of profiles in comparing test prints.

[Round Tuit]

Manfred,

... However, I don't know how much those disadvantages matter once the print is behind glass.

Dan,
Have you considered ditching the glass altogether. I have because I find that both clear glass and "glare free" glass interfere too much with the texture of the paper. Mind you, all my prints are in my house. I don't know what galleries require.

[DanK]

Dan,
Have you considered ditching the glass altogether. I have because I find that both clear glass and "glare free" glass interfere too much with the texture of the paper. Mind you, all my prints are in my house. I don't know what galleries require.

Andre,

I have been thinking about this, and there is an active discussion of this on Photopxl.com. I think this makes a lot of sense for photos printed on matte papers, particularly matte papers with texture, as glass interferes with that. I think it's less of an issue with coated papers, but I may experiment with those as well.

The gallery where I used to show some of my prints has prints from a photographer who prints only on matte papers and who displays her prints tacked to the wall with no framing whatever.

Going without glass would unfortunately highlight the one disadvantage of Canson Baryta II, which is the surface texture. Still, I may end up using it for some photos.

The original Canson Baryta was a wonderful paper--nearly identical to the new one except with what I thought was a superior surface. I liked it so much that almost all of my coated-paper printing was on one of two papers: that one when I wanted top quality, and another cheaper one I used for prints that didn't matter so much.

[Manfred M]

Dan - print makers like you and me get wrapped up in what some people will view as the "trivia" of paper surface. The two pieces I had on display with the Canson Baryta Photographique II were not displayed behind glass and the only comments I got dealt with how sharp the images were (the prints were 44" x 33"). No one commented on the paper I used.

The reason I went glassless was weight. The framed prints were quite heavy to begin with and adding glass would have made them even more challenging to hang (and transport). That being said, at the 17" x 22" you are considering, that is not an issue.

[DanK]

Manfred,

Glass won't be a problem for this print, given its size.

I mentioned that I had an 8 x 10 of this image already printed on River Stone. I looked this morning, and I was wrong: I'd actually run through my one box of 8.5 x 11 Baryta II but had sheets of the original in that size. So, I reprinted it on the original Baryta. As I expected, the Canson was cooler. What I didn't anticipate is that the Canson print appeared slightly crisper. That's a variable I hadn't really examined in doing many test prints with many papers; I focused primarily on dynamic range, color fidelity, and subjective "pop". I would expect the Baryta II to be similar in this respect.

I don't have to resolve the Baryta II question for this print, as my stock of 17 x 22 coated papers is entirely River Stone and the last of my original Baryta. I'll use the latter for this.

Dan