Choosing paper for a somewhat uniquely toned monochrome print

Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 gsm (HPR), smooth matte

Hahnemühle Museum Etching 350 gsm (HME), textured matte

Harman Glossy Fiber Based AL Bright White (FBAL) 320 gsm, glossy

Harman Glossy Fiber Based AL Bright White (FBAL) 320 gsm Warm Tone (FBAL WT), glossy warm tone

LexJet Metallic 255 gsm (PPM) A glossy RC paper with a silvery metallic finish

Punt

[gerafotografija]

 
This is my first serious effort at a gallery quality print from digital. Because the luminosity is a bit extreme, I am at a loss deciding whether I need super bright white and smooth glossy photo paper, or rich black pigments and textured matte fiber to add warmth.

At the very least I am hoping to narrow the range for a couple test prints.

Rob, in case you read this, I'll be back in soon to let you know the decision!

BTW, this was shot just as the setting sun shone through the gap between the wooden planks of the pier and an embankment on the shore of the marina behind the pier. The bird obliged me by staying put in the waveguide of reflecting water just long enough to get the exposure and the framing right. Post processing was mostly adjusting the brightness and a little playing with the levels to get a monochrome conversion as close to my vision of the scene as I could.

I'm going with "White and Black" as the title.

[gerafotografija]

Hi again, I don't know why, but there seems to be a lot of yellow blotchiness happening with the rendering engine when I zoom in the attached jpeg on LuLa. It seems better when I view at similar resolution/compression levels through RB or 500px. Here are the links.

http://ih0.redbubble.net/image.13518270.9966/flat,800x800,075,t.u3.jpg RedBubble link

http://500px.com/photo/26704011 500px link

[John Caldwell]

Not sure what matters most to you in this image: The high contrast between that darkest pier sections and the water reflections, 0 vs 255 in other words; or the range of drab greys in the bird's body that fall in the quarter tone range and which have very little contrast between them. If it's about the high contrast content then I'd choose one of your PK papers, but would not choose the Harman warm tone personally. In that selection I'd be at least tempted to process the bird in pure silhouette, just as a personal note. If it's more about the gradations of grey in the bird, on the other hand, then a MK paper - and Wm Turner is as good as any because it's surface texture will add interest to the near-white water areas - PR 308 less so.

While I use the metallics a lot, I avoid metallics when the print will contain large areas of unlinked (white) paper because I so dislike the naked media appearance.

John Caldwell

[Geraldo Garcia]

Congratulations on the beautiful image.

Although I love Harman Gloss Art Fibre Warmtone for B&W work, on this specific case I would go with the Photo Rag 308. This image is so graphic, almost like an indian ink painting... so I would go with a paper to enforce that aspect.

Best regards.