Digital BW, The Print

Hi Jerry,

> You don't argue the numbers?  (Expression of shocked disbelief) :-0!

Nope, if my experiences don't correlate with the numbers, you wouldn't see
me throwing them out...

> Even Pete Turner just went Digital. Michael Funk did so a few years ago,
> and Jerry Uelsmann has
> been using photoshop for some time now. There are real reasons why a
> photographer
> would do that, Austin.

Absolutely!  I have NEVER questioned that digital (both imaging and
printing) has advantages, and is advantageous for some people.  It's the
reality of what it is capable of that we seem to "argue" about.  You believe
it'll make coffee for you, and make your bed, and I'm telling you it won't
even brush your teeth.

> One of the most enticing things about it is that
> you can do SO
> much more creatively with digital than you can with straight darkroom
> printing.

And if I scan my film, I get the EXACT same ability.  NEWS FLASH: EVERYONE
ON THIS LIST PRINTS DIGITALLY...THIS IS A "DIGITAL B&W" MAILING LIST.  If
you could get over the darkroom printing and completely leave that out of
the discussion, we could converse about this.  As I've said countless times,
I am not in any disagreement with you about darkroom printing, and have
never been, it even isn't up for discussion.  But, you won't, for what ever
reason, see that scanning film IS the exact same digital process, except for
the origin of the digital data, and has all the same advantages of digital
manipulation that you speak about.  The discussion SHOULD be about the
origin of the data, and stop there...without bringing the downstream process
into it, at least as far as this discussion goes.

> A long time ago,
> I was like you in one area. The only thing that mattered to me was how
> sharp a lens was. I had
> an obsession with it. Thank God I got over it!

Hum.  Over the lense sharpness, perhaps, but you ARE obsessed with print
sharpness, much to the detriment, I believe, of other aspects of the image.
Having not seen your prints, that is something I can only speak from MY
experience with.

> I don't care a whit about
> "numbers" anymore. I'm
> only interested in the final prints.

I am only interested in the final prints as well, but there are many aspects
of prints/images whose importance is higher for some people than it is for
others.

Regards,

Austin