survey digital vs traditional darkroom

[Kirk Gittings]

Brian,
It was largely George's persistence that finally got me to try digital printing. He verbally pushed me for years in that direction. His prints finally did the trick.

[paulr]

"I give up!
Basket weaving here I come."

Me too, but lately I've started moving toward an all-digital basket weaving workflow.

Kirt: I'm confused. Are you saying that if I drive an iron horse, I can't post here?

[Kirk Gittings]

paulr,
It's not that simple. It depends on whether it is an analog or a digital iron horse and whether it is a full size or sub-compact iron horse. If its the later categories no. If its the former categories yes. If it is the former and the later no. If it is the later and the former yes and the former and the former yes. Is that clear?

[Dan Wells]

As a primarily color photographer, I actually prefer the control a really good inkjet gives me over what I could get in the color darkroom. I prefer Velvia for capture (120 in a small collection of vintage 'blads I've rescued from various basements and 4x5 in a Wista woodfield) but I also have a Nikon D2h that I use for a lot of images. I have a MUCH higher success rate per image with the Wista, due to the movements, than I have with anything else. The time I use the D2h is if I'm out as a photographer, but with a group of people who have a different purpose for the trip-I am also a professional naturalist, and I'm often out with a bunch of birders or botanists who won't stand for the time the Wista takes to set up. If I'm out with my favorite photo partner, we've got the Wista and sometimes a 'blad with us, and the only use any digital camera sees is as a lightmeter (that said, I did once get a great shot with the meter while Claire was messing with the tripod). My portfolio right now is about half and half (many more digital rejects, but about half of my best shots are film), all printed on various inkjets. I'd guess that the proportion of film in my portfolio may actually go up in the next few years.

-dan

[Bill_1856]

This thread is now over two years old. It might be informative to see how the posters have changed (or not) in the intrervening time frame.
Kirk???

[Kirk Gittings]

Well for me, I have been so damn busy that I haven't been in the darkroom for almost two years. Sad I know. I am waaaaay behind on traditional print orders. All the shows I have had have either been old work printed as new digital prints or silver prints borrowed back from private and museum collections. Things need to slow down, primarily so I can work on some new book projects and explore digitally enlarged negatives.

[MIke Sherck]

No change: still 100% traditional "wet" darkroom. I don't even own a copy of Photoshop (or a computer which would run it, for that matter. Nor an inkjet printer. Hey -- I've still got my daisywheel printer, though! And a 9-pin dot matrix.) Amazing how one determined person can ignore an entire decade of progress, isn't it?

Mike

[Andrew O'Neill]

I'm all traditional and plan on staying that way to my grave. All my gear is coming with me, ya hear me John??

[Greg Lockrey]

I changed over to digital printing about ten years ago and haven't looked back. I occasionally shoot some 4x5 B&W negs and 120 transparencies for myself and scan those. The business keeps me too busy for much personnal work. Business wise it's 90% digital with some 35mm transparencies for clients' submissions for shows.

[Doug Dolde]

I haven't had a darkroom since high school (60's)

Digital workflow but shoot film and scan transparencies.