Beginner in monochrome ?

[dee]

Before the advent of THE M 8 , i was an SLR user , and prefered slides , 'cos I like the vibrancy and pictures-on-the-screen.

However I love the black and white pictures I grew up with .
Our family snapshots were dull , flat compared to real photos.

I was fortunate enough to have a little instruction at a Leica day in London ,
and surprised myself in having the most useable results with a borrowed Leica 50mm [ my favourite , with the magnification factor ]

But I have not dared PRINT any pics .

Is there a comparitively easy , no fuss way of ensuring acceptable prints , to encourage my to keep trying and learning ?

dee

 

[jaapv]

M3+Tri-X+wet darkroom?😀

Or:

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/digitalblack.html

 

[Al Kaplan]

Check your local community colleges about what non-credit evening courses they might offer. Here in Miami, FL they're so busy that it can be difficult to schedule darkroom time! You're not alone in this desire. Another possibility is to ask at the local photography supply store (if you still have one nearby) about perhaps introducing you to other clients who might be willing to show you the basics.

It's not all that difficult to develop your own B&W film or get decent B&W prints. It's not a requirement that you learn all the scientific technical terms or need a degree in chemistry, although some folks do seem to enjoy trying every available film and paper in every sort of developer. You can even develop film in TEA, the kind most people drink, but start out with a time tested developer such as Kodak D-76 or Ilford ID-11. They're really the same thing. It won't be long before you'll be making prints that are much better than the ones from your childhood

With the Big Switch to digital you can pick up traditional darkroom equipment, from tanks and reels to enlargers, at bargain prices. It's a great time to get involved!

 

[kipkeston]

Didn't he ask about making digital bw prints?

I'm no expert there.

 

[Rayt]

I am a digital b/w novice myself. Last year my friend showed me some prints he had made with his inkjet printer and I was surprised how good it was. I have made quite a few b/w prints in the darkroom and while my name is not Ansel I do have standards. The first step was to buy a b/w conversion software. I know you can do that in PS but I believe in supporting programmers. I settled for "Convert to b/w pro". I then opted for the R2400 because of the brain dead Advanced B/W mode which does it full auto. All I have to do is convert a file into b/w, tweak the curves a bit and then print out. OK they are not traditional prints but they are good and I like them.

 

[dee]

Thanks Rayt , yes it's digital b/w . I will try to look at conversion software suitable for my mac , but will also look into what Aperture 2 can do for me .

dee