Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/10/13

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Subject: [Leica] Black and White (longwinded)
From: mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)
Date: Thu Oct 13 14:00:48 2005

Seriously for a change these black and whites by Tina were knocked out
rather quickly and don't match up to the quality you normally see of all her
other work like in four different websites. (a nice thing)

I think one is better off doing such things, and this is often done, in
color.
Black and white though just like in the real darkroom is about 6 times more
difficult than color.
In color just about anything looks good.
In black and white just about anything looks bad.
Black and white needs to be tweaked big time as (is?) a contrast problem
mainly but also density and that's the only way the info comes across.
In color things easier separate just by the sheer fact that they are
different colors. The colors can be way off and we just don't care. It's all
good. (a slight exaggeration)

I think it's an unfair comparison.
Should Tina (sorry about talking about you in the second person) tweak
theses shots and make them Eugene-Smith-Like in pixels so they jump out at
you fully separated with a nice black the color would pale in comparison as
it normally usually does 99.9% of the time.
Become just a "tint" of themselves!
That's my personal opinion. Except that I'm right.

When I set up a portfolio book with the plastic pages or even a stack of
prints I put the color first became you don't want them following the black
and white. They then look like dumb snapshots blown up a bit. Show them at
first and they look just fine but then at the end you see the black and
white and gee it just gets better and better.
That's my strategy.
I read it in "The Art of War".
Few people know Sun Tzu  was a darkroom affectionado!

They'd set up a tent when they were in the field and .....



HBO Series character, Tony Soprano:
"Been reading that-- that book you told me about. You know, The Art of War
by Sun Tzu. I mean here's this guy, a Chinese general, wrote this thing 2400
years ago, and most of it still applies today! Balk the enemy's power. Force
him to reveal himself. You know most of the guys that I know, they read
Prince Machiavelli, and I had Carmela go and get the Cliff Notes once and --
he's okay. But this book is much better about strategy."

Mark Rabiner
Photography
Portland Oregon
http://rabinergroup.com/





Replies: Reply from ericm at pobox.com (Eric) ([Leica] Black and White (longwinded))
Reply from images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] Black and White (longwinded))
In reply to: Message from images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] Black and White (longwinded))