Digital BW, The Print

Hello Al,

>I am a 4x5 photographer who is excited about the whole digital 
>thing (cameras, scanners, inkjets and digital negatives for 
>masking or contact printing.)

I began switching about 4 years ago, beginning with digital printing.
It's just amazing how much more control we have over the results.  I
have a 4x5 neg with some uneven development (experimenting with a new
development tank) and reticulation (fixer too cold).  But it is one of
my better images so I kept trying to use it.  It is probably the most
difficult neg I've ever used, and I never did get a fully satisfactory
enlarger print from it.  But then I scanned it and was able to
overcome its various problem in PS and now I'm getting the best prints
ever from it.  I would never go back to the darkroom.  I've sold
almost all my darkroom stuff.


>I will close with the following story.  Several months ago I was 
>in RI visiting an old friend who has an extensive print 
>collection. (Callahan, Weston, Sommer you name it...).  He showed 
>me his new prints which included work from Smith and Chamlee.  
>The next day I returned to Rochester, NY where I now live, to find 
>out that Kodak discontinued B&W papers!

Wow, nothing like getting inflated then deflated <g>.  Seems like the
handwriting is on the wall, but film and chemicals will likely remain
available.  I switched to digital capture just over a year ago, but I
make mostly small prints so don't need 4x5 any more. If you make large
prints and/or like working with the 4x5 I'd say stick with it and scan
negs for as long as you can.  My scanned 4x5 negs are making
incredibly good inkjet prints.  There is so much to learn about the
printing side (and using PS) that it will keep you fully occupied for
quite awhile.  If you switch to digital capture at the same time it
will put a double whammy on you.  At some point if/when you get ready
to switch to digi capture the cameras will have evolved and choices
will be better than they are now.  Good luck, have fun.

Regards,
Clayton


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