Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/08/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]on 8/14/01 3:30 PM, Mark Rabiner at mark@rabiner.cncoffice.com wrote: > polylux@gmx.co.uk wrote: >> >> Making printing an art is masturbation. >> >> It is there on the contact sheet or not. >> If you have something to say, say it straight. > Dear Mr. polylux@gmx Sir! > It's very much not in the contact sheet > it's in the negative. correct! I am often amazed at the way a straight print of something that rocks on the neg lies there flat and dead but manipulation (in my case in Photoshop) brings it not only back to life but gets it sitting up and singing show tunes. In these cases the contact sheet can be extremely misleading. When I went digital I dispensed with contact sheets and took to selecting images from the neg. As a result I judge images very differently from how I used to. I am far more aware of sharpness and shadow density and overall compositional balance, and much less likely to be misled by the 'one interesting thing in the frame' phenomenon where your pride at having taken an almost-good photograph leads you to attempt a fine print of something that in all honesty belongs in the circular file. The neg is like a musical score! The only thing *more* misleading than a contact print is a flat scan - -- John Brownlow http://www.pinkheadedbug.com ICQ: 109343205