Digital BW, The Print

I like to evaluate each possibly-final rendition in *multiple* light
conditions. My work lighting is common "daylight" helical lamps from
the hardware store. Using them as illumination when doing casual
photocopy tests I find them relatively well balanced, very close
overall to "daylight" the way film renders daylight, but with a
chopped spectrum. 

Slide films consider daylight to be 5200K, NOT 6500 or 6000K, my
strobes put out about 5200K therefore I like to routinely approximate
that for baseline evaluation. My lightbox uses Macbeth daylight tubes
which are exquisitely close to what I understand to be daylight, it's
perfect when used in slide duplication, and it nicely matches the
hardware store helicals for practical purposes (but the spectrum isn't
nearly as chopped photographically).

I also view each print under quartz light (household track light)
which is around 2800K (warmer than photographic tungsten lighting,
which is 3200K). My favorite and most critical evaluation lights are
open shade daylight (also about 5200K) along with sharp morning or
evening light, which are warmer.

I think it's odd to standardize on 6000 or 6500 (unless you're a
lithographer) since there are literally no situations in normal life
that are lit that cold, most especially not galleries.   



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "michael3442"
<michael3442@...> wrote:
>
> I'm plugging away at learning BO printing with my 2200 w. Eboni and am 
> experimenting with different papers to set the underlying 
> warmth/coolness of the prints. One thing I've noticed is how 
> dramatically the color of the paper appears to change with different 
> light sources (color temperatures).