If you've attended a lot of gallery shows lately, you may have seen some digital BW and not realized it. Then again, maybe not. A fair comparison of digital and silver print BW is difficult to achieve, because a good darkroom print maker may not be a good digital print maker. Only time and the weight of evidence will eventually decide this issue.
Nevertheless, I look forward to printing your files. Hope to receive some soon. > Paul, that's all well and good, but my point is quite simply this: I have > not yet SEEN a digi-photoshop-inkjet print that equals or betters a high > quality (exhibition quality, if you'd like) B&W print made on fiber based > silver paper. People keep telling me about them, but I've not yet seen > one. I've been to shows and exhibitions here, have seen numerous prints > made by many photographers, but have yet to see an actual print that > compares with or betters a high quality silver fiber-based B&W print. > > When someone like Godfrey says he's doing his best work ever, all I can do > is shrug since there's no point of comparison. It means not a whit to me > that he's been involved in photography for forty years. For all I know his > work could be crap and the people judging it couldn't tell quality from > trash. > > You're telling us what Tim Damon said - show me a print. You're telling us > what you saw. Show me a print. Look, I have great respect for you as a > photographer, but only through what I've seen on the web. Your idea of > quality and mine may be miles apart, or not. I am skeptical. > > All this does not mean I've not seen some very fine B&W digital work. I > have. But none has come up to the quality I'd like to see. > > True, you will be making some prints and sending them my way (as soon as I > get the files off to you), and that may help to determine how close our > concepts of quality are, so it will be a start. Meanwhile, the challenge > goes out to everyone on the list: show me a print that equals or betters a > quality silver, fiber-based B&W print made in a wet darkroom. When I see > one I'll shut up. > > Shel > > > > [Original Message] > > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Tim Damon is a California based pro, who shoots a lot of cars and various > > other things for both editorial and advertising. His day rate is in the > neighborhood > > of 10K, so he's an "A" shooter. I saw his portfolio Thursday. It included > several > > dozen beautiful BW prints on Epson Radiant Watercolor Paper. I asked > about > > the equipment. He said they were all shot with the Canon 1DS and > converted in > > PhotoShop. They were printed on an Epson 2200. I don't know if it was > with > > custom inks or not. Should have asked, but it slipped my mind. > > > > Most of the pros I've spoken to are shooting digital for both BW and > color. > > Most feel their digital prints are better than the silver prints they > produced in years > > past. In any case, it's obviously the wave of the future for all but > hobbyists and > > some fine art photographers. > >
