Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/25

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Prints v. Scans, was Brassai
From: COLBYG@ULV.EDU
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 06:11:56 -0700 (PDT)

Eric Welch recently said...

> Some days I really miss the darkroom printing black and white prints for
> the paper on deadline. What fun! (And ulcer-producing pressure!) Photoshop
> and scanning just isn't quite the same.

	For almost twenty years we taught students the relationship between
their visualization and their craft by making them print on deadline for the
newspaper and cope with contrast and the 'chromes for the magazine. The labs
worked well to reinforce the need for sound technical comprehension, good
craftsmanship and soul. With the computer there's a strange distance between
students and their work. I don't know how to describe it; it's at arm's length.
Anyway, from my perspective the negatives don't look as good these days and
because of the regularly changing software/hardware the students seem later (if
ever) independent from lots of faculty/staff advice. 
	I can't cite specifics because I haven't thought about it much, but the
personality profile of the student news photographer has changed a little since
our computer lab became central to the experience. We get/retain students with
computer interests...they are different people somehow from the students with
whom we worked in the darkroom. Soon, we'll face the so-called "post literate"
generation.
	At our level the digital cameras are a ways off; the cost is too dear.
But when they arrive the advice "f/8 and be there" will have new meaning.

- -Gary Colby