Standard "Print Viewing Distance" Myth.

[Heroique]

LF forum paging Cezanne ... LF forum paging Cezanne ... Please report to the Standard “Print Viewing Distance” Myth thread. Thank you.

[Curt]

First I get as close as I can, it's a habit to check technical execution. That depends on the photographer; there is little need for photographers like W. Eugene Smith. Content trumps technical. I seem to move back to about 1 1/2 times the diagonal; try that with a 2 1/4 — 3 1/4 contact or enlargement from a half frame!

Has any one gotten their eyes right up close to a Leonardo da Vinci painting or print to inspect the sharpness? How long were you in jail?

[Bill L.]

Do you know if Butcher still sells inkjet prints? I looked at his web site and could not find any mention of inkjet technology, or any inkjet prints for sale in his gallery. The technology is all about silver gelatin printing with enlargers, and the gallery only has silver gelatin work for sale.

There is a comment about size relevant to this thread on his site. He writes.

“I want people to view my work up close,” says Butcher about his desire to create very large prints. “When you’re in nature you’re scanning from the log to the tree to the bird to the water and your mind puts the images together to create the feeling of the scene. When you view my large prints your mind does the same thing because you cannot see the image all at once. And sharpness is the key to it. Your eyes - your brain - wants things to be clear and sharp. All of that makes the viewer relate to my images in a way that is similar to the peace felt when being out in nature. I want my images to create a positive emotion in people, with the hope that they carry that emotion out into their lives to make the world a better place in which to live.”

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

I was there in feb. 2011, at which point you could buy both inkjet and silver prints. The nice thing was that you could compare the same shots in both editions, and I really liked the inkjet prints. Of course, he had several wall sized silver prints there to drool over, which I'll get next time I win the lottery - not only the price of the prints, but the price of the house to display them properly.

Bill

[Bill L.]

Interesting. I was at a talk at his studio just a year ago and he was completely discounting the longevity of anything but a real silver print. He must have changed his mind.

Hi John,

IIRC, he was using epson printers with pigment inks (not sure whose inks). I have them framed behind glass and on the wall out of direct sunlight. Chances are they won't last as long as silver, but, frankly, there is every chance they will last longer than I will, so I am not particularly worried about it.

Cheers!
Bill

[paulr]

Anyone categorically dismissing the potential permanence of inkjet prints should consider that the medium is just a new way of putting ink on paper. Ink dates at least to the 23rd century BC in China, and paper as we know it was invented two thousand years ago.

In comparison, images made by suspending crystals of metal in animal gelatin are quite a more recent invention.

[Joe Forks]

yup I stick my nose right up in all the prints I view. such a rebel breaking all those rules.

[Vaughn]

...In comparison, images made by suspending crystals of metal in animal gelatin are quite a more recent invention.

Mine are made of either different thicknesses of gelatin that has burnt plant material suspended in it, or precious metal imbedded in the paper fibers...

[bob carnie]

I have it delivered monthly from Ilford to the distributer Amplis to me.. hasn't changed in 23 years of making silver prints for clients.
I never bought from the camera stores, other than emergency and papers not supplied from the big four.. Kodak, Agfa , Fuji and Ilford.

So where are you finding big rolls of silver paper, Bob? The only thing still routinely avail
that I'm aware of is Multigrade IV. Maybe Kentmere can be special cut. All the local labs
used to use Forte paper - wonderful stuff for mural work, but no more. With inkjet printers proliferating, the commercial demand for rolls of traditional silver paper would seem to be dimimising. Maybe there's some old inventory laying around somewhere, but I'm not aware of who has it. Guess if you specialized in that kind of work, you could stockpile a big custom cut. But who am I to comment - I've got quite a stash of discontinued paper in my freezer too.

[Drew Wiley]

Bob - I think if you tried to actually buy those roll sizes of fiber paper from B&H, you'd discover that nearly all of them are available only only a special order basis with a lead
time, possibly with minimums, and some possibly not available at all, or with a long wait.
I just talked to a friend yesterday whose was shopping there in person just a few days
ago. Their actual inventories have shrunken drastically. Like I said, if this is something
someone plans on specializing in, they could potentially place a significant factory cut.
But it would take some luck finding just one roll if you're nitpicky about your choice (like
I am). And you need a big sink. But I've met my share of people who can acquire all the
gear and facilities. Getting the shots which really warrant that kind of enlargement is
a different subject!

[Bernice Loui]

Thanks Drew for the tip.

I'll plan a trip to Pt Reyes Station to visit and have a look. May as well bring the camera and make it a photo day.



Bernice

Per Bay Area: Marty Knapp at Pt Reyes Station has done a good job of replicating his
dakroom prints (traditional cold-toned silver) with inkjet. He lost his darkroom lease and
fortunately already had a running start into a replacement technique. His little gallery space is open on weekends. The very finest monochrome digital printing in this area is
not done inkjet, but with very expensive prepress equip, and not really viewable by the
public unless some local museum gets involved. It's hired gun work sent out (mostly NYC), and far beyond the financial resources of typical photographers to enlist.