[Leica] Re: NO MORE DARKROOM?

[Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>]

At 10:02 AM 5/1/00 -0500, Bill Satterfield wrote:
>Tina, Pls send me one to. I am interested in getting out of the darkroom 
>too. What
>do i need to get started right and not have to upgrade later. I do not have a
>computer at home. Are there publications that I can read that will get me
up to
>speed? . Send me one your your photos too, please.......
>

I could not even comprehend the idea of giving up my darkroom. It is such a
foreign concept. It is beyond my thought process.

When I think of great photographs and great photographers, I think about
the darkroom work involved.

When I photograph, I think of the subject in terms of a silver image
immerging from the darkroom.

I've always looked forward to spending time in the darkroom. It is a
solitary place where you can think, be alone with your thoughts,
contemplate your inner self.

The door is closed, white light is off, you cannot be disturbed.

You can spend hours working on one image, or hours working on many images.
whether processing film, anticipating the results, making prints, burning,
dodging, you have the feeling of being creative. Creative with your hands,
mind, and soul.

It is in the darkroom, where the rubber meets the road. You have to think
clearly. Mistakes can be permanent. You cannot power off and re-boot. You
must be true to yourself.

It is in the darkroom, during quiet isolation, that many far reaching
creative thoughts manifest themselves. Creative frustrations as well.
Frustration creates innovation. It is an isolated analog world. In tune
with the analog human mind.

Computer screens, binary, hexadecimal, and mouse clicks simply do not
present this opportunity. The opportunities presented are in terms of a
staff of computer programmers, in some other dimension, manipulating your
creative thoughts in an underlying and remote manner. Visible on a computer
screen, output to a miniature paint ball gun.

Sterile.

Digital camera, 1's and 0's, Bayer pattern, PRNU, linearization, color
space conversion, interpolation, YUV, Huffman tables, quantization tables,
JPEG, PC, Photoshop, ink splatter printer, file cabinet. Emotionless.

Analog camera, light on film, silver, latent image, oxidation/reduction,
dry, loupe, light box, enlarger, light through film, light on paper,
silver, latent image, oxidation/reduction, dry, trim, mount, hang on wall,
smile. Emotional high.

The darkroom to a real photographer, is Nirvana.

Jim