[Leica] I can't print my petunias!!

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

> Mark, by soft proof, I mean looking at the monitor simulation of the print.
> That is the purpose of colour managed systems. So you
> can simulate what a hard copy will look like on various papers or under
> various lighting conditions, etc.
> Crane Museo Silver Rag in 13 x 19 costs about USD6.00 a sheet here, plus 
> some
> ink from the USD700 cartridge set!
> I absolutely agree that evaluating your prints is the definitive answer, 
> most
> especially for an important picture. The soft-proofing
> is to get you close and use less paper along the way. For this amateur it
> means one print, if I have carefully assessed my monitor
> image.
> Cheers
> Hoppy 
> 
>

Sounds to me the whole approach is what I was afraid I am hearing and what
I'm not liking.
Anyone whose had successful darkroom experience as I said knows how to craft
a print.
And might have trouble with the idea that instead of darkroom work they now
have a high tech copy machine to play with set to auto.
And that darkroom paper again can easily cost 6 bucks a sheet too I've
printed  30x40s which cost me 12 bucks a pop and believe me they were not
all keepers. The fact that the client is paying several hundred for each one
certainly paid for it though.

In darkroom days there was such a thing as video monitors. Some are probably
still alive emitting.
Come custom printers used them but most did not. People used them to print
weddings. Custom printers made test prints. Then made more test prints. They
went through a process.

This whole thing to me now with what's happening discourages evaluative
working.

Why should we evaluate? Its all calibrated isn't it?
On to the next image this ones out...
Its proably already coming out if we have a stack of cheap plastic paper in
there emulating the real darkroom look.

I'm hoping I never work like that.

My printing is not set to Photoshop but to printer.
So when I look at a print and its ok but maybe it need a bit more snap...
I got into the Epson printer dialogs and adjust jack up the contrast a notch
or so. Add some red. Then see what the next one looks like. Play around with
it try a few things. Make my decisions the next day as to which are keepers
if any.

I may shoot at P but I'm not going to print at P.
To me that would be the OPPOSITE of a fine print.



Mark William Rabiner
Harlem, NY

rabinergroup.com