[Leica] Re: Positive vs. Negative

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

There have been advances in negative color film that allow it to exhibit
very fine grain properties for enlargement. The problem is several fold.
The main one is that with chrome film, your original looks like what you
photographed. You don't have to guess at the color balance. It is right
there in front of you.

When I have a lab make a 11x14 first Ciba print from a transparency, I ask
for a match to the original. No mask, no color balance change, nothing.
This gives me the information that I need to continue (or stop) working
with the transparency. The original print will tell me if I need a contrast
mask and if I need to shift the color one way or another. It also tells me
how far I can enlarge it as the sharpness is observable in a 11x14.

At this point, I decide how large I'm going to print and via what method.
If the photograph is worthy of prints larger than 30x40, I'll have an
archive drum scan done (300MB for 6x6 & 4x5 transparencies,) ICC profiled,
and a 11x14 LightJet proof made. The archive scan gives me an hour of
onsite Photoshop time to adjust the image. But so far, I've never used it.
As I've said previously, I print the same transparency as Cibachromes and
LightJets. People like different looks. I have one photograph that defies
printing via scan and LightJet. It is because of a mask phenomenon only
producible via optical enlarger.

Transparencies have a color punch, color contrast, color brilliance, that
color negatives cannot duplicate. For me, the latitude gets in the way. In
looking through my Ciba prints, I have only masked about 10% and I use
Velvia exclusively.

Jim


At 07:28 PM 6/12/00 -0700, Joe Codispoti wrote:
>Sorry all, this has nothing to do with personalities.
>
>I have been wondering lately why some photographers, Jim included, expose
>chromes instead of negative film when (publishing aside) the final result is
>a print.
>
>In 35mm, one has to decide whether to make internegs from slides or other
>processes in order to make prints, or make slides from negatives in order to
>project them.
>
>In medium, and especially in large format, projection is not the norm.
>Therefore, what is the advantage of using chromes and resorting to
>internegs, Ciba, or digital negatives to make prints when starting with a
>negative seems more logical including the latitude that if offers?
>
>Thanks,
>Joe
>