P.S. Am I Crazy For Building a Darkroom In the Spectre of Digital Mania?

Just wondering. My main reason is that I'm a control freak and at some point
think there will be an affordable direct to paper enlarger. Currently I'm
scanning with a Epson 3200 and FTP'ing my files to a local photo store. The
results are "ok" but...I still haven't been able to get them to produce a
color profile I can live with. Also, I'm just wondering what makes people in
darkrooms still tick. I'm probably one of the rare people going from digital
back into the wet world. I think there's room for both still.

"SofaKing" wrote in message news:qyYWb.483472$X%5.446304@pd7tw2no...
Just wondering. My main reason is that I'm a control freak and at some point
think there will be an affordable direct to paper enlarger. Currently I'm
scanning with a Epson 3200 and FTP'ing my files to a local photo store. The
results are "ok" but...I still haven't been able to get them to produce a
color profile I can live with. Also, I'm just wondering what makes people in
darkrooms still tick. I'm probably one of the rare people going from digital
back into the wet world. I think there's room for both still.


IMO for the non-commercial end it, the answer is tactility. Hands on
crafting of something, then as far as you want to go with alternative
practices. I think of Sally Mann's work with 8x10 glass plates. Or
any number of other artist that go the extra mile for a tactile and
expressive print. I'm still doing silver myself, as I like a certain
type of plain unassuming documentary style with no distractions,
but I go to considerable length to arrive at the just right feel in
the final print, because it's crucial for "getting" the reason the picture
was taken. In this world of everything done for us, out of our hands
"convenience", I feel whatever slight individuality I can imbue into
my images, is its measure of satisfaction. That said, I have no quaims
against digital in the slightest. It's just another medium. I am now
into making paper negs from 8x10, then scanning them for the best possible
sharpness, as contacts don't work as well. Setting up rival camps is
truely an idle folly. Commercially, I wouldn't hesitate to use anything
digital, unless I was doing portraits for keepsake ala Llyod Erlick.

Ken Smith

Sofaking - we meet again. In my case, I realized that I wanted the keep the
darkroom - yet needed some digital capability. This decision was made because
of the quality of the prints and I like 11x14 and 16x20 prints. Therefore, I
bought an Epson Perfection 3170 Photo scanner which allows me to scan 35mm and
2 1/4 sq negatives as well as prints. This lets me scan a print or negative
and ship that print to my granddaughter in Iraq.

One thing that amazed me was the digital resolution of the scanner. Today's
digital cameras are providing 3, 4, 5 or 6 megapixels - for the entire image.
The Epson 3170 scanner provides 3200 x 6400 or 20.5 megapixels per square
inch!!! That is a BIG difference. Scans of negatives are unreal.

Now, I haven't mastered the capabilities of PhotoShop and haven't played around
with the color profile. I can see where those capabilities will take some
time. ---- Jerry/Idaho

"SofaKing" wrote in
news:qyYWb.483472$X%5.446304@pd7tw2no:

Just wondering. My main reason is that I'm a control freak and at some
point think there will be an affordable direct to paper enlarger.
Currently I'm scanning with a Epson 3200 and FTP'ing my files to a
local photo store. The results are "ok" but...I still haven't been
able to get them to produce a color profile I can live with. Also, I'm
just wondering what makes people in darkrooms still tick. I'm probably
one of the rare people going from digital back into the wet world. I
think there's room for both still.




About a year ago I did some soul searching, trying to decide if I should
build a chemical darkroom, or a digital one.

I ended up with a sort of hybrid plan. I picked up a Nikon Coolpix 5000
on closeout for $450. After a day with it, I realized that I would never
shoot color film again, because the results are just so good and so easy.
Some day I will probably have a DSLR, but not until the prices fall a
good bit.

I'm going to build a B&W darkroom. We're adding on to our house, and I
get to have 1/2 of the old kitchen (an 8 foot cube) for my darkroom.
Plumbing, electric, and ventilation are already in place. It will
probably be a year before the kitchen actually moves, even though the
addition will probalby be finished within the month.

Anyway, the reason behind my darkroom is to make large prints from 4x5
negatives. The few 4x5 prints I've made are more than enough to
demonstrate that it will be quite a while before digital goes there. At
least with equipment most of us can afford. That, and I work with
comptuers all day, every day, at work, and I do a lot of image
manipulation there. I want to do something different for my hobby than I
do for my job.

Bob

(Jtown2354) wrote in
:

[...]
Now, I haven't mastered the capabilities of PhotoShop and haven't
played around with the color profile. I can see where those
capabilities will take some time. ---- Jerry/Idaho



I understand the need for color profiles in the commercial world, but for
my home use, I just sent a print to Wal-mart, and then adjusted my monitor
(with the front panel buttons) to match what I got back. Now when I do
things in Photoshop, the results are very predictable. The color balance
and luminosity are really good matches, and the only thing I need to
remember is that colors will oversaturate a hair sooner on my monitor.

Works for me.

Bob

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 04:39:50 GMT, "SofaKing"
wrote:

Also, I'm just wondering what makes people in
darkrooms still tick. I'm probably one of the rare people going from digital
back into the wet world. I think there's room for both still.


What makes me tick in my wet darkroom? The magic. There's sonething
about watching a black & white print image appear in the developer.
Or, turning on the room lights & seeing a great color print in the
wash tray. Plus, I get what I want in a print, not what a lab thinks
I want. If I don't like a print, I make another one. I don't have to
go back to the lab & try to describe what I want.

I've scanned prints & played with them in Photoshop, but it's just not
the same. Digital is ok if you like it, but it's just not for me.


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Professional Shop Rat: 14,267 days in a GM plant.
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SofaKing wrote:
Just wondering. My main reason is that I'm a control freak and at some point
think there will be an affordable direct to paper enlarger. Currently I'm
scanning with a Epson 3200 and FTP'ing my files to a local photo store. The
results are "ok" but...I still haven't been able to get them to produce a
color profile I can live with. Also, I'm just wondering what makes people in
darkrooms still tick. I'm probably one of the rare people going from digital
back into the wet world. I think there's room for both still.

Maybe this is a nice opportunity for this lurker to make his presence
known. I'm a beginner in photography. I got my first SLR a year ago,
something I yearned for for years. After a friend dusted of his old
darkroom to show me about printing, I got hooked. I bought a cheap
second hand enlarger, which came with some basic darkroom material. I
set up a small, very basic darkroom and I'm ghaving the time of my life
with it. It's far from ideal, and it's far from perfect, but I still
have so much basic stuff to learn that I don't mind too much.

I have a nice scanner too, and I scan negatives to email pictures to
friends, play around with PS a bit and mainly to try out things that I
want to try in my darkroom and use the scans as an alternative to
contact sheets. But the ultimate thing to me is making a nice print. Or
trying to, anyway. My pictures are still bad (but improving), my prints
are really not that good (but I'm slowly getting the hang of some of the
basics) but the bottom line to me is that I'm having a lot more fun in
my darkroom then I have behind a computer screen.

Not really comparable to the OP and I certainly don't produce better
prints then a quality lab, but that's what makes me tick.

Best regards,

David

(Ken Smith) wrote

I am now into making paper negs from 8x10, then scanning them for
the best possible sharpness, as contacts don't work as well.

You are making paper 8x10 negs? and from 8x10 what?

IIRC you work with 120. Just what is it that you do with one frame
of that 120 that brings you to a paper negative; a paper negative which
will not make a sharp positive print?

You mentioned paper negatives a few days ago. I mentioned the direct
negative method and an article by Liam Lawless at unblinkingeye. Have
you checked that out?

I think you are just tinkering, experimenting. Dan

Thanks for the words. I'm in the same frame of mind as you. Except the fun
won't start for another month when I've finally moved my gear in. I too
picked up a used enlarger (Besseler 45MX), and the rest of a retiring pro's
darkroom for that matter.


I have a nice scanner too, and I scan negatives to email pictures to
friends, play around with PS a bit and mainly to try out things that I
want to try in my darkroom and use the scans as an alternative to
contact sheets. But the ultimate thing to me is making a nice print. Or
trying to, anyway. My pictures are still bad (but improving), my prints
are really not that good (but I'm slowly getting the hang of some of the
basics) but the bottom line to me is that I'm having a lot more fun in
my darkroom then I have behind a computer screen.

Not really comparable to the OP and I certainly don't produce better
prints then a quality lab, but that's what makes me tick.

Best regards,

David

That's interesting. I have a friend who works in radio. Mostly these days
all radio is pre-recorded to some extent but there's a move afoot to adopt
more and more 'live' programming. The reason given by the powers that be was
"something magic" happens in live radio.


What makes me tick in my wet darkroom? The magic. There's sonething
about watching a black & white print image appear in the developer.
Or, turning on the room lights & seeing a great color print in the
wash tray. Plus, I get what I want in a print, not what a lab thinks
I want. If I don't like a print, I make another one. I don't have to
go back to the lab & try to describe what I want.

I've scanned prints & played with them in Photoshop, but it's just not
the same. Digital is ok if you like it, but it's just not for me.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Professional Shop Rat: 14,267 days in a GM plant.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -