[Leica] Re:silver prints

[feli at creocollective.com (Feli di Giorgio)]

Thanks Dan, I understand all of that. I've had a darkroom for several
years and much prefer the look of a fiber print over an inkjet. 

But there is something different about the paper that was used back
then. I use AGFA classic FB. It's very good and has a high silver
content, but still. It doesn't look like what I see in the old prints.

Feli


> Silver based print is silver based print just like "there is nothing like 
> glass" or "nothing like leather."
> I believe that both the paper and the embedded silver halide work hand in 
> hand produce those fine prints with the tonality and depth of blackness 
> (or 
> greyness) that we admire so much. Digitally generated images jet spray 
> dyes 
> on paper and is basically surface job. I send my .jpg images to my 
> photofinisher who prints them on colour photopaper. This is better than 
> the 
> spray jobs done at home but still lack the 3-D effect and look that I 
> easily achieve from film based images.  Tweaking images with 
> photoshop  consumes time. I believe that some people are already addicted 
> to digital manipulation.
> 
> What you are seeing are hand crafted photos painstakingly made piece by 
> piece. No two are exactly the same although the same batch done the same 
> way may be very close. Current mindset is one of immediacy and efficiency 
> and digital imaging delivers the goods in quick time. Efficiency and 
> expediency does not always translate to quality.
> 
> Dan K