Digital BW, The Print

On 6/11/05 3:27 PM, "Djon" <westsidemaurice@...> typed:

> IMO this kind of discussion *usually* revolves around failure to cause
> one medium to emulate another medium...an iffy pursuit, given that
> silver paper is still available.
> 
> But inkjet prints are not silver paper, need not look like silver
> paper. That appears currently not to be their forte. The pursuit of
> silver paper characteristics is worthwhile and important, but it's
> peripheral to the medium, like a watercolorist trying to emulate an
> etching. 
> 
> Each is a different medium, each deserving respect independently.
> 
> IMO inkjet prints readily look better than virtually all Ciba and most
> Ektacolor (except for digitally enlarged or laser enlarged Ektacolor),
> using Ciba and Ektacolor frames of reference. It's said that Epson has
> long had this comparison in mind, only recently thinking about
> comparisons to silver paper.
> 
> 
> 
I think this decade the preference for Ciba or whatever the real name of it
is now went over to this thing you are talking about recently, Dijon.
This digitally enlarged or laser enlarged Ektacolor which I believe is
called something like LightJet. As a brand name. I think there¹s more than
one.
It ³won out² over Ciba as the color printing medium of choice.
These are people who typically sell their 20x24s for 500 bucks and 30x40s
for a grand.
But in the past year and a half those people like John Wawrzonek, Bill
Atkinson, the Silver light gallery group who also has their work in the
better New York and everywhere else galleries but are mainly landscape
although solidly fine art and not decorative have gone UltraChrome.
That¹s us folks, the Epson thing!
These are color people though and we are supposedly black and white.
As far as color goes I think UltraChrome is officially ³it².
I¹ts the cream of the crop, the way to fly in color photography bar none.
In black and white though it¹s still a bit of a tossup. With a lot of the
smart money still growing over to the silver gelatin print.
I think in a year and a half the better shows in the better galleries by the
better photographers will be just as much done UltraChrome as they are
darkroom.
But right now I think the technology is already there. And we have nothing
to apologize about.
If a top photographer gave me a choice on ordering one of his/her works
inkjet or darkroom I¹d have no preference.
³What ever you¹re in the mood for doing today²  I¹d say.
If it was a sunny day I¹d say ³Platinum². :)
But I¹d expect to pay a few extra bucks for the rare earth metals...
And that white Zink sun screen for his/her nose.


Mark Rabiner
Photography
Portland Oregon
http://rabinergroup.com/





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