Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/11/17

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Weston show
From: Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 12:27:44 -0800

"Mueller, Rob" wrote:
> 
> If you think the print is dark, you should see the negative. I was at Cole
> Westons (he who prints all the Weston prints. [actually he told us he was
> stopping the printing of said same]) and he showed me the negative up close
> an personal. Weston did one thing, and that was overdevelop. everything is
> bullet proof. Densitometrically speaking, >3.  The light bulb he used (and
> Cole continues to use) for the contact prints was hardly seen through the
> negative. One thing Weston wasn't... a zone photographer. (not that there is
> anything wrong with that!)
> 
> Rob Mueller
> Studies in Black and White
> www.studiesinblackandwhite.com
> rob@studiesinblackandwhite.com
> 
An tremendous perspective Rob! but a few thoughts:
1. Not overdeveloped for his and typical materials of the time. Lots of plates
around then and the density range on those would be even much higher.
2. That must be some long-life light bulb!
I kinda sounds like you are saying Weston didn't have control over his
densities. Are you saying that? I think he very much did.
Mark Rabiner