Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Austin Franklin" 
<darkroom@i...> wrote:
> 
> In the scanner application, I only do setpoints and adjust the 
tonal curve
> (typically via brightness and contrast, and if necessary with the 
tonal
> curve tool, which is similar to the one in PS), which is part and 
parcel of
> any film scanning process.
> 
> > Sorry, but I just can't believe that you can get the control over 
the
> > image you need to produce the best photos (in a digital workflow)
> > unless you're doing some work in Photoshop.
> 
> Was there something "wrong" with my images?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Austin

Austin -- Haven't seen the images.  I'm sure they're great.  It just 
seems like you make it a point of honor to avoid Photoshop 
maniuplations, and take great pride in the fact that you can take 
pics with perfect exposure, focus, lighting, etc. 

I'm sure you're very skilled at taking photos.  But when even the 
masters spend time manipulating darkroom images in ways that are 
analogous to those you have available to you in Photoshop, it seems 
like misplaced pride to eschew the use of the methods.  It's 
certainly fine if that's what makes you happy, though.

But I do think any suggestion that properly taken pictures don't need 
Photoshop manipulation is just a bunch of bunk.  Great darkroom 
photographers of the past manipulated their photos in many of the 
same ways it's done now in Photoshop.  Would you have had the hubris 
to have told Ansel Adams that if he'd taken a better negative he 
wouldn't have had to do all that dodging and burning?  (Hmm, I'm 
guessing maybe you would have!) -- Herb