Digital BW, The Print

>SNIP<:
Hi Steadman,

: Portrait photographs done by commercial portrait studios seem to fall into
a category all by themselves.

This is true, I'm trying to relate some things that might apply to both.

The standards and practices are vastly different from the bulk of
traditional B&W photographers or even the "Fine Art" photographers.

 Again I agree, their work is much more difficult than mine. I tried a
process some years back that used a slide projector, rear projector screen
and a sheet of special mottled plastic.  I took some slides that I had made
in Paris, projected it onto the rear screen and re-photographed it with a
Hasselblad through the plastic. What I was trying to achieve at the time was
an  impressionistic "Monet look". I used them for Christmas cards, thank you
notes, etc. I found one of the cards last week and scanned it on a Microtek
flatbed scanner. I then cleaned up some things that I didn't like with a Mac
G-4 using PS 6, added a black border and made a copy on Epson heavy weight
matt useing an Epson 1270.  I then tore the edges, filled in the white spots
from the tear with a black magic marker and float mounted it on a piece of
black mount board.  A lot of work, certainly a lot more than photographing
someone's child and then sending it off to a Pro lab to do all the grunt
work at my direction.


: Given your experience with "commercial" coating of large (I assume 16x20
or so) images done by a third party (pro lab?) why do you continue to avoid
glass?  I follow your experience below..but it would seem to beg for glass
if you have to replace photos that were damaged by externals or even
coatings.

I mentioned the kid with the ball point pen as a kind of "tongue in cheek"
experience. It is the only time I have had to replace a print from that kind
of damage.
Being as this is a discussion on B&W digital, I'm trying to not get too far
into traditional color prints. But here goes, I agree with Robert, I hate
glass. I only use it for prints that are matted and have to have it or the
Iris/watercolor prints that need it for protection.  Every traditional color
print from a 5x5 machine original to a custom 30x40 is sprayed with a water
based protective spray. I do not give my clients an option on this, it needs
it in my opinion. To my knowledge, I have never had a problem with spray on
a traditional color print. It was the traditional B&W prints that were
ruined. They used to use a laquer spray but they damn near burned the whole
lab down from a fire in the spray room and then they switched to the water
based spray.

Back to black and white digital, after some valuable instructions on how to
get a good scanned B&W print last week.
I went back to an older file that I was unhappy with because of the dots and
reprinted it. Wow it looked great.
This week I scanned a trad. B&W 5x7 glossy to reprint on my 1270 and even
after using the same instructions given to me before, it looked like crap.
So yes I totally agree, B&W digital is a lot harder than traditional studio
work.

Regards,

John in Okc
: Steadman
:   ----- Original Message -----
:   From: JackG
:   To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
:   Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2001 6:51 AM
:   Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Glass vs. Coating
:
:
:   Good Morning Steadman,
:
:   While all of the color prints we sell are coated, it is not for U.V.
:   protection. When we started doing/having this done years ago, the
:   manufacturer claimed U V protection. Years later they retracted or at
least
:   did not make those claims any more. I recommend people not use glass on
most
:   of the color portraits we sell. Of course we tell people that we
guarantee
:   our prints.........had to replace one because of a child poking a ball
point
:   pen on it, so glass has it's place. Now B&W silver prints are a
different
:   story if extensive retouching has been done. On inkjet prints,  I
definitely
:   feel they need protection of some sort, I agree with you that glass is
:   probably the best. As you recall, I have had very, very bad things
happen
:   with prints other than color that have been sprayed.
:
:   Regards,
:
:   John in Okc
:   ----- Original Message -----
:   From: "Steadman Uhlich" <steadmanuhlich@...>
:   To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
:   Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 11:37 PM
:   Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Glass vs. Coating
:
:
:   : Yeah...I have an opinion on this very subject....
:   :
:   : I think the coating idea is a good one for certain effect and certain
:   needs.
:   :
:   : However, I believe (and it is a gut feeling) that it would be better
to
:   put most Piezo prints behind UV blocking glass.  I checked tonight and
the
:   manufacturer of my glass states 97% UV rays blocked.  I bet that is
better
:   than a typical home sprayed on misting of a polymer that has "some" UV
:   agents in it.
:   :
:   <big snip>
:
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: Please follow these basic guidelines:
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