Hello y'all:
I have been doing some studio work with my digital camera. It does a fine job, but I think with the subject matter I enjoy shooting I want to print big. (Big, to me, means somewhere around 20" x 30".) So, I've been considering MF and LF photography. I have a film background, and have successfully developed 35mm and MF color and B&W film. Frankly, I enjoy the film process more than the digital process anyway.
I've been considering my options, and I think the main reason I want to print big is that I want the viewer to really be able to savor the detail. I don't necessarily want the real estate on the wall--that to me is simply a side effect.
Eventually, this lead me to do research on 8x10 contact printing. I'm wondering if this would be ideal for me. Small size, insane detail. I've done some research on the contact print vs. enlarged debate, and it seems to mostly go in circles. I'm hoping, though, to get a notion as to whether or not this would work for me.
I'm left to wonder, if a high quality digital image isn't upsized, and is printed at 300 dpi, and the eye cannot distinguish any finer division than that, how could a contact print be any better? Perhaps it comes down to tonality more than just straight resolution? (The same holes true for negative enlargements. If the grains are smaller than the eye can see, how could there be a difference?)
Many of the forums I've read about contact prints vs. enlargements end up with something like "you'll have to try it for yourself to see." While this might be true, it isn't all that helpful to me. If I buy an 8x10 setup, I can't turn around and purchase a 4x5 one. I'd like to hedge my bets by knowing what to expect as much as possible going in. Therefore, if someone could describe what differences I might expect, it would be greatly helpful.
Some important notes:
If I were to shoot MF or 4x5, I'd have to scan in the negatives and work digitally from there. I've had an enlarger in the past, but for various reasons, I'm not interested in getting another, and I do want to print myself. So, really, we're comparing the possibilities of a 4x5 digitally enlarged negative to an 8x10 contact print, with the goal being juicy, rich, intense detail that sucks you in.
Attached is an image I shot today. It's not finished; I need to touch up the background, but this is generally what I'm interested in doing. I really want the detail on these natural artifacts to POP.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
TA
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