This seascape was photograph in lovely Lubec, Maine. Which is right up near the Canadian border. This is a beautiful location and I hope to head back there in the Spring.
West Quoddy Head Lighthouse
This past week I have been printing on some of the sample photographic papers I received and trying to figure out which one(s) I wanted to use for my textured photos. The papers I chose to sample were Red River Paper (Aurora Art White & Aurora Natural), Moab (Entrada Rag Natural, Entrada Rag Bright, Somerset Museum), Hahnemuhle (Photo Rag, Photo Rag Bright White, Photo Rag Ultra Smooth, Bamboo) and Museo (Portfolio Rag & Max Velina). First let me start off my saying that this is my opinion and my opinion only. I'm not an expert in photographic papers and I don't claim to be. This is my observation and it is what I like for my photography. With that said let's get down to it. The first thing I noticed is how the papers appeared to look similar, so I really had to step back and analyze each paper and what it did for the photos I had chosen. As I had mentioned in last Monday's post that I was looking for a paper that wasn't too warm for my textured photos, and boy I was in for a big surprise!
Well let's just get to the point. All the papers are wonderful, but the bright white were too bright and some of the natural or bamboo were too warm. The textures were all great and the paper thickness were good too, but I have it down to 2 papers....what I had used previously the Museo Portfolio Rag Extra Smooth Fine Art paper and the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. The Hahnemuhle Photo Rag is a wee bit brighter where the Museo Portfolio Rag was a wee bit warmer. Both would work great with my photography. I'm having a hard time deciding between the two papers. For now I just might use both of them, using the Museo for those photos that are warm in tone and the Hahnemuhle for those that are cool in tone. Even though there is a slight difference between them, to me it makes all the difference.
The bottom line is a matter of preference. Is it warm tone papers versus cool tone papers or which brand do you like, cost of the different papers (based on 8.5x11 paper size through B&H photo) which ranges from Hahnemuhle Photo Rag at about $39.31, Moab and Museo at $33.95 which varies depending on the paper type and Red River Paper about $28.15 again varies on paper type. Honestly I have to say the best way to find a photographic paper you like is to do as I did. Get the samples and try them out for yourself. The samples are well worth the money and I highly recommend them.
One thing I would like to say is that for my traditional work, my landscapes might be switched to either the Museo or Hahnemuhle and I will also continue using my old favorite the Canon Photo Paper Plus semi-gloss.
Watch for tomorrow's post "Tuesday Treasury"
and for
Friday's post "Flower Power Friday" featuring the Sea Holly
