Digital BW, The Print

Hello James,

>>I¹m using a Ries wooden tripod probably due to early subliminal
>>implantations from Fred.

>as far as transmitting vibrations- I think Fred had the Zone VI 
>aluminum foil in his hat for that, didn't he?  : )

Yes, I think so - a kernal of truth blown up way out of proportion.  

I wasn't a FP disciple, but did appreciate much what he taught.  His
approach to the Zone system was just what I needed, a perfect
practical balance between the overly super technical and the
naysayers.  It made a huge difference for me and, along with certain
of his inventions, I think he made an important contribution to the
fine art BW community.  His practical approach to testing and problem
solving was also invaluable and I learned an enormous amount from his
teaching.  He made Zone system usable on a practical level for many. 
His cold light controller with dry-down timer was a lifesaver, saving
countless hours of work and wasted paper.  He was also a good story
teller and his newsletters were usually fun and interesting reading.

On the other hand, he was certainly a talented self promoter and I
took a lot of his stuff with a big grain of salt.  I also was not
moved by his photographs - a few nice things, but over all they didn't
ring my bell.  I bought his first book of photos and kept it for some
years, but when I moved a few years back and was thinning out my
possessions it didn't make the final cut and went on to a new owner.

Most folks are not all bad or all good.  All in all, his balance sheet
for me came up on the plus side and I'm grateful that he was there.


>Just replaced my Ries with a carbon fiber one...smaller, 
>lighter and easier to use

Same here, and it's much more rigid than previous ones - really quite
amazing.  For me this is one of the most welcome of the new
technologies.


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm