Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., SKID Photography 
<skid@b...> wrote:
> Try it yourself.  Go to Nancy Scans or some other good, high 
end service bureau, you might be amazed. 

I agree with Martin; the tones seem smooth and creamy. What 
more could have been done, maybe more contrast work in 
photoshop on the existing scan?

I have tried letting outside labs do scans for me, but even though 
they mean well, and they're fine citizens and all that, it's just not 
their image. Nor do they have any sixth-sense feeling about what 
the scan should feel like. So, for me, I don't think I could EVER let 
someone else do a scan for me.

I know I'm spoiled to the Imacon, with it's great preview functions. 
But so much of the interpretation of the neg happens at this 
stage of the game. Unless I had the permission to be standing 
there while a lab made a scan for me, (which I'm sure they'd say 
no to, because I'd be pacing and making suggestions and be 
generally an annoyance), then I'd say ANY scan that YOU made, 
even from an inferior-hardware scanner , would be better than a 
scan from some high-end thing, made by someone who wasn't 
there when you shot the image.

I know there are people who would argue this, but I also think 
there's some mojo to having the photographer have his 
thumbprint on all steps of the process. Somehow, you can just 
feel it. Especially in your style of shooting, it's gotta be you doing 
it.

Anyway, that lab would be in there with the Rubber Stamp tool, 
trying to take out all those Scotch Tape lines. Wouldn't THAT be 
special? No way. That musician in that shot would come out 
looking like some Republican MBA after a lab got done "cleaning 
up" your scan.

-Mark

PS. And I've just gotta ask: What does SKID actually stand for? I 
can't figure it out. Every time I see this name, I think of "skid 
marks" which doesn't exactly conjure up the most romantic 
feelings. I've tried putting your names in various combinations, 
but can't come up with SKID-anything...