Re: [Leica] B&W and color

["John McLeod" <johnmcleod@worldnet.att.net>]

LUGgers,

I have enjoyed this discussion of b&w/color because, while I much prefer b&w
for most applications, I shoot mostly slides due to the ease and instant
gratification.  B&w represents a lot of work for me since, like many of you,
I develop the film and make the prints myself.  If I want a Cibachrome, on
the other hand, I have someone do it for me.

So I'm interested in Steve's comments (below) regarding the relative ease of
using Photoshop for b&w.   Please forgive my ignorance, but I have no idea
what the cuKrrent potential is for digitally produced b&w prints.  I have
always assumed that there is NOTHING like a silver b&w print and that great
b&w digital is years off.  Am I wrong here?  Given a reasonable computer,
scanner, and printer investment (don't ask me what's "reasonable"!), does
digital b&w quality compare well with silver prints?  If so, maybe I need to
give it a try.  Thanks.

John McLeod

- ------------
>From: "Stephen Kobrin" <kobrins@wharton.upenn.edu>
>To: "Leica-Users (E-mail)" <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
>Subject: [Leica] B&W and color
>Date: Wed, Oct 21, 1998, 2:49 PM
>

>There is often an assumption on the LUG that there is a right and wrong or
>better and worse choice for the topic at hand.  Rangefinders vs. SLRs, Leica
>vs. anything else, and B&W vs. color are examples.  I suspect that much of
>the time it comes down to what one likes or does not like, especially for
>those of us who do photography as a hobby.  Thus, while there are obviously
>"objective" differences between B&W and color, I wonder if for most of us,
>most of the time, it is really a matter of personal perference.
>
>I like B&W.  While I shoot a lot of color, I find that the prints that
>really mean something to me, as opposed to creatively recording a scene,
>tend to be B&W rather than color.  I find it much easier to visualize the
>end result if it is B&W and much, much easier to "print" via Photoshop. That
>is not to say it is easier, just that I find it easier.  For example, I
>typically print using tritones and can usually play with curves and colors
>and make ordered choices in terms of my preferences.  When I try to color
>correct a print I just have no idea what is going on.
>
>I find that B&W tends to abstract a bit from reality and let me express what
>I feel or what I see in my mind's-eye much more easily than color.  I also
>find that I am really "turned on" by a nice tonal range in a B&W print.  I
>find colors,even when they are nicely saturated and balanced, a more
>superficial visual experience.
>
>Again, this is all subjective.  But that is the great thing about
>photography as a hobby.  I am an academic and have lots of people tell me
>what is wrong with what I write in great detail. If I like a print, that is
>all that matters.
>
>Steve
>
>
>