Paper negatives often surprise in the amount of detail and tone they are capable of reproducing. Of course, their inherent slowness also gives a beautifully extended exposure which allows one to not only render effects of movement and stillness but also to fully enjoy the moment of the creation of the photograph. Quite the opposite of the drive-by-shooting, hit-and-run type approach that the speed and ease of modern digital electronics can so easily engender. I had some concerns about the result I might get from this particular batch of paper which had been pre-flashed several months earlier and left unused. My normal, somewhat untechnical and fatalistic approach of experimentation and acceptance of total failure produced quite unexpectedly good tonal negatives! It has also answered a long-standing but untested doubt about how much paper can be pre-flashed in a preparation session. I feel happy now that making larger batches of negatives is viable.

Ilford Multigrade resin-coated satin paper preflashed.