[Leica] Yes, Set Up A Darkroom

[norman.c.aubin at boeing.com (Aubin, Norman C)]

Marc, et al.

I have to disagree with your statements that not doing wet darkroom work 
means you're not a 
photographer.  No more would I suggest to someone who didn't coat their own 
wet plates,
nor coated their own papers that they are not photographer.  Many notable 
photographers 
hired other folks to do their printing for them.    

I've spent 25 plus years in my own darkroom, and would gladly hand it over 
to a lab rat to do 
for me if I could, it gets tedious dealing with the process after a point.

Digital printing is a viable alternative for many of us, and having done 
both for some time now I 
have to say that there are many advantages to digital that can't be ignored, 
time being one of 
them.  As I get older I have less time to waste, and digital lets me go 
faster, a plus in my book,
while still achieving the level of technical excellence I desire.

I'm currently learning Platinum printing, a beautiful technique for 
rendering images.  I love 
the fact that I can scan a Leica captured slide, edit it in Photoshop and 
print a digital negative 
that contact prints beautifully in Platinum.  I sure don't want to trade my 
Leica for a 11x14
camera!

Digital has it's place, and it shouldn't be scoffed at.  It will eventually 
replace film for many
photographers.  Digital output of scanned Leica negatives is a nice hybrid, 
allowing the best of 
those two worlds.

Some folks like B&W, some like chromes, some like warm tone papers, some 
like cool tone.

The "whole take that hill", "look at my scar's", "you ain't real if you 
haven't done what I've done"
mentality ignores the content of the image in favor of the mechanism of 
making it, rather
Hemingway in philosophy . . .  but look where he ended up . . . 

Norm