We’ve all done it, haven’t we? We’ve heard so many things about someone that before we’ve even had the chance of experience, our thoughts and actions are already clouded by the opinions of others.
The same goes in photography, well in this case, paper.
It was a year ago when I first heard about Tecco paper. I did a quick google and found nothing impressive. Fast forward a few more months, I was formally introduced to Tecco, a paper that is available locally they say. I was going to have a print workshop and I needed a variety of papers for the students to see. I was quite reluctant but I kept an open mind and tested the paper anyway.
Initial test – not good. But I knew, I can tweak it more. You see, I used the canned profile from the site and sometimes, they’re crap. The paper texture and the feel looks good but it was not hitting my Black and White. So we’ve made a custom gray profile for the paper and my printer.
After a few days of testing, there you have it! I am perfectly happy with the results. I now have another paper on my arsenal 🙂
I was given more paper to test but well, you know, I tend to focus more on what initially caught my fancy. I was using Tecco PFR 295 on an Epson 3880. It has a paper texture more subtle than an Epson Velvet and can be compared to a Hahnemule Photo Rag. The paper base is warmer but not as warm as Ilford Gold Fibre Silk.
So that’s that. Test and see for yourself. Do not just blindly follow what everyone else is saying. Of course, feedback is important but remember that paper choice is by preference; and that the opinion of others are tainted by what they only know – and sometimes just heard. Own your first impression. Make your first impressions YOUR first impressions.
It would also be wise to take the same approach towards a person.