Response to Mortensen and Gradation

To answer my own question, most of my experiences with N-minus development have been negative (if you will pardon the pun). However, I met a fellow, Butch Welch, at APIS (the Alternative Process International Symposium) who uses diluted T-Max RS to develop his long scale negatives and gets superb results. Butch says the film is part of the secret--you must have a film that retains it's straight- line and does not shoulder off when development is reduced. His choice is T-Max 400. He claims you can't do it effectively with any of the Ilford films. In any case, I asked him to write an article on his technique for publication on Unblinking Eye, and he is considering it. I would also point out that Bruce Barnbaum has been quite successful with N-minus processing--witness his cathedral photographs and some of his slot canyon shots. He uses diluted HC-110 and Tri-X. Of course, that still doesn't address the (possibly subjective) issue of whether N-Plus or N-Minus is more aesthetically pleasing...

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