Am I too stupid ??

[retro]

You should be glad that you feel this way, once you learn the tricks of digital b&w you will never touch film again.

I touched film this morning.

It felt good.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The only time that I shoot Monochrome Digital is when I use a Monochrome Digital Camera. It is old. I cannot justify the cost of a new monochrome camera for work, make due with an IR converted EP2. The red/green/blue dye in the Mosaic filter passes near-infrared, essentially making it the equivalent of a Monochrome IR camera.

 

[exiled4979]

The only time that I shoot Monochrome Digital is when I use a Monochrome Digital Camera. It is old. I cannot justify the cost of a new monochrome camera for work, make due with an IR converted EP2. The red/green/blue dye in the Mosaic filter passes near-infrared, essentially making it the equivalent of a Monochrome IR camera.

some time ago I've converted my Oly C-60 for IR shooting, and yes, looks rather nice, and interesting, and everything, but I still can't find any real-photographers application to it except to provoke that "wow, how did you do that, is it PS?" effect... now it just sits somewhere on the shelf, can't even remember last time I actually took it out with me 🙂

 

[HLing]

....But if you want a digital image printed to look like a photographic print I don't think that's possible. If you had lots of money and staff you might consider doing what Sebastiao Salgado recently was reported as having said he does: since airport security rarely lets him take his film through without x-raying it and he travels so extensively he finally has begun working with digital cameras. Then the digital files go to some lab or other where they manage to put the images on film (how this is done I can't quite imagine) so he can manipulate them in the ways that he likes and is accustomed to. And so that they look right to him.

There are laser film printers that take a digital image and print to film (8x10, some also 4x5), which is then developed and wet-printed just like regular film. I was (still am) working on reviving one such printer.

Photography seems similar to music recording in that the best sounds are those captured straight to two-track on the spot, rather than re-mixed later.

 

[HLing]

Well, before you all answer "yes", let me clarify a bit...

I love B/W film, love shooting it, love manual rewinding, love developing, love looking at wet negatives, love the look and feel of B/W film photographs, love printing, so, yes, everything... but, I also love digital photography, digital PENs, some things are simply necessity for commissioned work... so, I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to post-process my digital files to be at least acceptable when compared to real BW shots, and, I'm lost... I'm not talking about sharpness or noise or whatever, but tonality, contrast, depth of blacks, but still keeping mid-tones...

I've tried everything and I just don't know how to get "that look" in street shots of, for example, Tri-x, or Delta100 pulled to 50ASA for portraits. I'm using Adobe Lightroom 3, so, please share your thoughts and preset-tips if you have any how to get realistic digital B/W 🙂

Please forgive me for not knowing the Adobe Lightroom 3, and so not knowing to what extent the different programs have in common. In GIMP there are B&W film simulations that can be used, as well as Retinex. I'm posting a quick test of a random image shot with my phone camera and its 2 step manipulation (1st I chose the Kodak Tri-x for the B & W, then used Retinex). i didn't use any of the different ways to fade the Retinex so it's really a very rough look that took no more than a minute. Anyhow, it may just be for grin, but it's a different program that may or may not be familiar.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iapEZuG3J1ugz2H8kkr8uQ?feat=directlink

 

[oftheherd]

That's interesting HLing. I must try that, since I gave up on Windows as my primary OS. It actually looks kind of nice. How does it print?

 

[HLing]

That's interesting HLing. I must try that, since I gave up on Windows as my primary OS. It actually looks kind of nice. How does it print?

You're very kind, Oftheherd!

Do you mean you are using Linux as your OS now?

When you ask How does it print, do you mean from the GIMP program? I've not tried to print anything from it. At the moment I only have eyes for wet-printing...can't wait to get back into the darkroom...(hoping it's still there)

 

[loquax ludens]

I run Linux on all my systems, and I have since 1995. I love my darkroom, but I wish I could figure out how to use Gimp too. I just don't seem to be smart enough to do anything beyond cropping an shrinking a picture, and I've spent many hours trying. I don't understand layers and I can't figure out how to work with them. I don't really get what those histograms and curves are telling me, and when I try to alter color saturation or balance or contrast, I always just seem to make things worse. Applying any of those "artistic" effects or filters to my pictures just makes them look tacky. I can't even sharpen a picture without shredding it. 😱

I've bought a couple of books, but they don't help much. To be honest, I can't make myself get all the way through them. I want to see if I can find a hands-on class that I can take. That might help me get over the comprehension block I have with that program.

HLing, your film recorder revival project sounds like fun. Good luck with it.

 

[oftheherd]

You're very kind, Oftheherd!

Do you mean you are using Linux as your OS now?

When you ask How does it print, do you mean from the GIMP program? I've not tried to print anything from it. At the moment I only have eyes for wet-printing...can't wait to get back into the darkroom...(hoping it's still there)

I was wondering how printing digitally with your computer's printer worked out, so yes, I guess from the GIMP.

I understand your preference for wet printing. That is what I am trying very hard to get back into. I don't consider myself a good printer, but I always printed better wet than I do now with ink jet.

 

[Strangeluv]

I use exclusively Silver Efex Pro and are very happy with the results.
One ex:

 

[gekopaca]

IMHO :
1) the question isn't the application but the plug-ins you use. Silver FX pro and Exposure 3 are good ones.
2) Digital BW prints doesn't necessary mean NO COLORS. I think the best results are made in RGB mode, i.e. you need color to obtain gorgeous blacks.
In that case the film dichotomy BW/Color isn't a reality
3) You need to shoot in Raw, then apply a suite of processes already experienced, exactly as a film process, from negative to print. Then, you will save your own presets (which is really more comfortable than chemistry presets!)
4) sometimes you might try several setups BEFORE going to BW setups, i.e. colors curves, few HDR, etc…

First, you will pass time to learn and find your presets, then, it will be really quicker and easier than film photography.

 

[GeneW]

Another vote for Silver Efex Pro. Download the 30-day trial and see what you think.

 

[HLing]

I run Linux on all my systems, and I have since 1995. I love my darkroom, but I wish I could figure out how to use Gimp too. I just don't seem to be smart enough to do anything beyond cropping an shrinking a picture, and I've spent many hours trying. I don't understand layers and I can't figure out how to work with them. I don't really get what those histograms and curves are telling me, and when I try to alter color saturation or balance or contrast, I always just seem to make things worse. Applying any of those "artistic" effects or filters to my pictures just makes them look tacky. I can't even sharpen a picture without shredding it. 😱

I've bought a couple of books, but they don't help much. To be honest, I can't make myself get all the way through them. I want to see if I can find a hands-on class that I can take. That might help me get over the comprehension block I have with that program.

HLing, your film recorder revival project sounds like fun. Good luck with it.

Thanks for the good wishes Loquax ludens!

I find that I'd rather bang my head against fixing a film recorder than be locked in front of a computer (be it photoshop or gimp...) for the fundamental goal of having an image i can hold in my hands. The Film Recorder/Printer is an important bridge between digital and analog, for that one very special and lucky digital shot that's worthy of print.

For the most part though, it seems that software after the fact cannot recapture what was lost; rather than to go against your instincts (of not wanting to read through the books) better and more fun to be ready and capture the next wave of images.