Large Format Photography and Darkroom Printing - What an Education

 

 

Falls, Buzzard Hill, Appalachian Trail, Virginia, by Reed A. George

Horseman 45FA 4x5 Camera, Wollensak Raptar 135mm f4.7 Lens

EDU 100 film, f/22, 4 sec. exposure

 

I've gone back to basics for this phase in my photography. As I mentioned, a dear friend has given me his father's darkroom, which helped to set me on this path.

 

I'm making a lot of mistakes, learning about limitations, and really enjoying the occasional success.

 

This is a scan of a print I made in the darkroom, with my own two hands. It represents so much more thought, effort, and investment in the process than a similar image I'm sure I could have made with a digital SLR. In fact, I could've made hundreds of similar images with the DSLR in a fraction of the time. And that's just the point; that's not how this image was made.

 

I understand that viewers won't necessarily care, but I do.

 

So much left to learn about this craft...

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Silver Gelatin B&W Prints Direct From Digital Files

Led Zeppelin Portraits by Herb Greene

Image Source: http://ledzeppelinportfolio.com/

 

I love to make monochrome images. I enjoy shooting black and white film, but I also really like doing digital conversions to black and white.

 

Digital Silver Imaging uses a laser enlarging system to produce real wet chemical silver gelatin prints directly from digital files. They can currently produce these prints up to 20" wide.

 

(Click Here) to go to Digital Silver's website.

 

Well, Digital Silver is using a Kickstarter campaign to increase their maximum print size to 48". This requires a significant investment in new equipment. If you contribute to the campaign (many levels of contribution available, from $15 to over $10,000, you can claim rewards varying from a small print from one of their existing images, to a limited edition set of portraits of the rock band Led Zeppelin, signed by photographer Herb Greene. Importantly, you can also contribute at levels that get you prints of your own images, or even high quality scans of your own negatives.

 

I like this campaign because it's not fighting the battle between film and digital. It's using the best technologies available to provide the highest quality traditional chemistry prints from digital files.

 

(Click Here) to go to the Kickstarter page for more information. The campaign ends on May 17, so hurry!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Disclaimer: I have no relationship or interest in Digital Silver Imaging. In fact, I've never even seen one of their prints. So, I'm trusting the descriptions they provide at the links I've provided above.