Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Thu, 27 July 2000, Jim Brick wrote: > > Erwin, > > I agree with you completely. My daughter and I will be standing with you, > with our film cameras, high above Hong Kong (or anywhere else) while the > world has forgotten the craft of photography. > > The "craft" of photography cannot be practiced or duplicated with a > scanner, Photoshop, and an inkjet. > > Period! > Jim, In case you haven't figured it out, and for the sake of those who don't know me, I wholeheartedly agree with your posts 99% of the time. This is the other 1%. What you have described is the quintessence of tripod-based medium-format or large-format photography, not Leica photography. I would never question the superior image quality produced using the zone system as you have described vs. the generic approach exemplified by Jillian's "control" photos from the normal-development back, but for me the Leica is a hand-held camera for active subjects. As for the sweeping statement that digital printing is (I'm paraphrasing here) for those who are better off with a point-and-shoot and for whom printing is an automated process, hmmm... I spend FAR more time setting up a file for a LightJet print than I ever could have in a darkroom. I'll spend hours cleaning up dust and scratches, then even more time over a period of days or even weeks adjusting tonal range, color balance, saturation, checking and re-checking the blackest blacks, the whitiest whites, the calibration of the system and a number of other parameters. This is not a point-and-sh*t process. I don't have the darkroom skills you and Jillian have learned. I'm using other skills. This does not mean I'm sloppy and/or clueless. While learning to print via the LightJet I've learned to fix and cover up problems in the original slide, and at the same time the importance of quality work in the original slides has never been more obvious. I'd much rather work with a carefully composed and exposed Leica chrome than with a comparable N**** chrome, and gimme a good quality N**** chrome over a sloppy Leica one any day! Careful craftmanship is important no matter what tools are used. Doug Herr Sacramento http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/telyt ___________________________________________________ The ALL NEW CS2000 from CompuServe Better! Faster! More Powerful! 250 FREE hours! Sign-on Now! http://www.compuserve.com/trycsrv/cs2000/webmail/