[Leica] City Lights for a kiss

[don.dory at gmail.com (Don Dory)]

Discussions like your comments regarding my comments are very helpful.  I
was aware of the extreme methods W. Eugene Smith utilized to create the
image he saw or imagined.  So for two reasons I extended my thoughts on
your image.  The first would be to explain how your image resonated
with another viewer: I saw it as a wonderful end to an evening of joy.  The
emphasis was on evening so the tones would probably be best somewhat
darker.  You as the creator have your own vision in mind and your own shade
palette that you envisioned.  Feedback lets you confirm or adjust your
vision so that viewers are seeing what you intend.

>From my years in wet printing I know very well how good a print looks as it
comes out of the wash then dries down to a less satisfactory look if you
like radiant blacks.  I have been able to calibrate my monitors so that
they accurately reflect the image as printed by Holland photo on their
large format printers.

As an aside, I seem to recall that some of his negatives were lost/damaged
and he had to resort to photographing an acceptable print and working from
that negative.  Still a master.

On Tue, Mar 26, 2024 at 4:30?PM Lluis Ripoll via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
wrote:

> Hi Don,
>
> Thank you very much for looking and your comments. I find very interesting
> your comment to start a good fiscussion (if I have the time :-). Every one
> of us we have our preferences, on my case I prefer the wode range of grey
> tones, however when it?s make a wet copy the tones are better represented
> than in a monitor, maybe I will burn a little bit the background area to
> enhance the couple, but in my opinion printing techniques will be not
> exactly as the dark tones that the Genious and Master Eugene Smith does, it
> depends more of the exposure and development than the printing techniques,
> if you want dark the tones using only printing techniques the highlights
> will probably look as grey tones instead a brilliant white. Smith had a
> very special technique, as you know normally the developersdilutions are
> 1:2 or 1:3, he did 2:1 !!!, he place the exposure one zone minus and
> develop for one zone more, for this reason his pictures show these rich
> dark tones and brilliant highlights, he say that he used usually the
> Farmers reductor to obtain better highlights, in the famous funeral photo
> he worked all the faces like this. His darkroom work was extraordinary, the
> Dr. Schweizer picture he took 5 days and 5 nights to do it, it had about
> 125 steps, finally he did a picture of the final print and he reduced the
> steps to 25 and he was very happy!
>
> All this and other techniques from Masters as Emmet Gowin I had the
> privilege to see his originals, are explained on te two book of the
> Editorial Lustrum, founded in 1973 by Ralph Gibson, these two books
> contents interviews with many Masters explaining their techniques, I really
> recommend them for the darkroom lovers.
>
> Cheers
> Lluis
>
>
> > El 26 mar? 2024, a les 13:55, Don Dory via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> 
> > va
> escriure:
> >
> > Great capture, I think that printed a little darker to influence the
> seeing
> > as evening culmination of a great date.  Just my initial thoughts of a
> > wonderful image.  Plus I've been examining the non dog images of Elliot
> > Erwitt which have been printed to the dark side.  That and the images of
> > Eugene Smith especially his loft project so my exposure has been to the
> > dark side of prints.
> >
> > On Tue, Mar 26, 2024 at 6:41?AM Lluis Ripoll via LUG <
> lug at leica-users.org>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Barcelona/2024F030330.jpg.html
> >
> >> Leica M6, Summilux 50 II, Tri-X 400, D-23 Stock
> >>
> >> Thanks for looking, your c&c are welcome
> >>
> >> Saludos cordiales
> >> Lluis
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Leica Users Group.
> >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Don
> > don.dory at gmail.com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
>
> _______________________________________________
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-- 
Don
don.dory at gmail.com