Thanks for the reply. I think maybe I'll try shooting JPEGs and DNGs, and only go to the RAW file when it's a "portfolio" shot or the JPEG can't be tortured into a good image. I guess I'd rather have work prints that exist but are technically imperfect, as opposed to potential great images that never get realized because I don't bother to do anything with them.
I also spend all day in front of my computer. I wish someone would invent a UI for Capture One that's tactile and hands-on like working in a darkroom. I've tried various hardware interface devices, and none of them was quite right for me. Maybe that's my killer VR/AR app - a virtual darkroom where you manipulate images with your hands. Imagine grabbing a curve and pushing and pulling it to get what you want, or having a large lever to pull instead of a tiny slider on screen. I can dream, right?
David,
I promote myself as a lazy slacker, but I try to shoot like a large format shooter, meaning I optimize IQ at time of image capture as if trying to make a negative for contact printing.
In art school we were trained to make negatives that were easy to print. This set the tone for me. My film images pretty much just get straight printed no dodging or burning, just straight printed. In digital I just use an old version of Lightroom 5 and post processing is minimal.
With digital I use Heliopan filters that are marked “Digital” because they have additional UV and IR filtering which eliminates unwanted non visual signals that are basically ”noise” meaning unwanted. I discovered that by eliminating this unwanted signal that I have not only cleaner files, more visual information, and most importantly less clipping and better dynastic range.
With my Leica Monochom with the CCD sensor, pretty much I would say this is likely the most unforgiving digital camera ever made. No Bayer Filter array to allow highlight recovery, and less forgiving than a CMOS sensor that has better dynamic range. The point I am making is that the first Leica Monochrom requires precision to utilize its unique rendering which I think has a richer midrange than a CMOS sensor Monochrom.
Know that on my Monochrom I use Heliopan medium yellow filters marked “Digital” to record the contrast at the time of image capture instead of post. My files require the most minimal post processing.
In color digital, pretty much, I use no post processing at all.
IMHO digital allows people to correct after the shot is taken, but this makes no sense to me. The more a file is processed the more digital artifacts get amplified. I would suggest developing a way to minimize post and doing more to optimize at time of image capture.
My friend John heavily influenced me. Every month he would edit and create a blurb book. It was/is a great-great way to organize and present work. I myself have made one-off books as a way to present and organize my work.
Thanks for reminding me of my approach. Think like a large format shooter is the moral of the story…
Cal
