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| Photo: S. Banos |
One of my personal goals this year was to finally make a decent scan good enough to have a lab make a large, (and hopefully) quality B&W inkjet print- which would be my first ever. This week I finally made good on that resolution with a 2007 photo taken on my first (and only) cross country. Of course, not only did I just happen to pick a negative that ran the gamut of tonal extremes, but as an extra kick, the entire foreground and main subject (where it counted most) just happened to be the same exact value (ie- cement grey). This meant I would not only be testing current inkjet technology, I would also be running my meager Photoshop (Elements 9) skills to their very limit (on my cheap, uncalibrated monitor), as I desperately tried to achieve some measure of agreeable tonal separation. And almost give up I did...
Finally, I got to a place where I was relatively pleased, and knew could not better. All that awaited was the disaster of how it would translate to print... too dark, too light, too contrasty, too muddy, too... At least I could say, I tried.
Dropped by the local lab Photoworks in San Francisco, picked out the paper that most mimicked darkroom glossy, asked for a full frame 20in print and vowed not to be disappointed at the result a week later- though that much was pretty much guaranteed. At $45, at least I couldn't bitch about how much I paid.
The week goes by, I untape the two cardboard sleeves- and there before me was one perfectly printed B&W photograph! Perfect contrast, resolution- tonal values that actually rival and compete with silver gelatin... I'm talking the works! It was beautiful!
For $100 in a custom lab back in the (analog) day, I would have gotten a work print with minimum dodging and printing- wouldn't have looked nearly as good as my online low res jpegs. Fact is, I could have paid $250 and not have gotten as good a print. And I sure don't wanna think about, let alone mention how much time, effort, money and materials I would have spent and wasted before I would have come up with an equal result.
I haven't made an exhibition quality print in ten years, haven't had the space (or the money). Five years ago I rented a darkroom to make myself a 16x20, I made two test prints- and stopped. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, literally. I no longer even had the patience to nail the basic exposure down, forget the near infinite burns and dodges (or the localized bleaching).
They say you learn patience as you get older. Bullshit. Your only chance at patience is when you're young, dumb and clueless. Ask your local recruiter.
Long story short- things don't usually work out like this in my life (ie- the way they're supposed to). Thank you, PHOTOWORKS- I'll be back. There's a group show coming up, think I'll enter a couple of new prints...
(photo taken a block or two from the world famous Corn Palace).Dropped by the local lab Photoworks in San Francisco, picked out the paper that most mimicked darkroom glossy, asked for a full frame 20in print and vowed not to be disappointed at the result a week later- though that much was pretty much guaranteed. At $45, at least I couldn't bitch about how much I paid.
The week goes by, I untape the two cardboard sleeves- and there before me was one perfectly printed B&W photograph! Perfect contrast, resolution- tonal values that actually rival and compete with silver gelatin... I'm talking the works! It was beautiful!
For $100 in a custom lab back in the (analog) day, I would have gotten a work print with minimum dodging and printing- wouldn't have looked nearly as good as my online low res jpegs. Fact is, I could have paid $250 and not have gotten as good a print. And I sure don't wanna think about, let alone mention how much time, effort, money and materials I would have spent and wasted before I would have come up with an equal result.
I haven't made an exhibition quality print in ten years, haven't had the space (or the money). Five years ago I rented a darkroom to make myself a 16x20, I made two test prints- and stopped. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, literally. I no longer even had the patience to nail the basic exposure down, forget the near infinite burns and dodges (or the localized bleaching).
They say you learn patience as you get older. Bullshit. Your only chance at patience is when you're young, dumb and clueless. Ask your local recruiter.
Long story short- things don't usually work out like this in my life (ie- the way they're supposed to). Thank you, PHOTOWORKS- I'll be back. There's a group show coming up, think I'll enter a couple of new prints...
6 comments:
Stan, I'm happy to hear about your printing success. I look forward to seeing your photos in that show!
Thanks, Noah. As has been noted here:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/12/get-it-done-while-you-can.html
if I had the $, I'd be downloading my entire "inventory" ASAP- and that still wouldn't be anytime soon considering all the time I'd still need to edit print worthy scans via Photoshop.
But the important thing I take away from this, is that there is, in fact, a viable alternative to the darkroom, and that inkjet technology can (when properly applied) rival analog. To finally experience that first hand is quite revelatory (and quite a relief)- knowing that a hybrid approach (even w/35mm B&W film) can very much yield quality results!
As for the show- yeah, I look forward to it too... just as soon as: a) I enter, B) --get accepted, and c) have the prints made up!
Glad you've fallen for inkjet. Like you say when it's done right. Having said that I've recently seen a Peter Fraser colour inkjet from 2010 which was bloody awful. save yer pennies up and get an epson R2880 good for b/w. Hope you are keeping well mate.
Had I the money to readily waste and the patience to endure learning and perfecting that particular learning curve (while cursing endlessly into the darkness), would have gotten one a while back.
Like I said, just knowing it can be done (preferably by someone other than myself- at least for now) makes me that much happier...
Photography is such a funny medium!e
Yeah, like the old joke- funny, ha-ha... or funny, sick?
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