I'm going to try to ask this question without sounding like I'm trying to start an argument. Its something I've been curious about for a while but I couldn't find an answer to without making a post.
Are there any technical or aesthetic reasons to choose color darkroom printing in 2021 over a digital or hybrid workflow?
Obviously many of the reasons why someone would wet print color are going to be the same as why I wet print black and white:
-They like the process, are a purist, or never wanted to move away from process to begin with.
-Better sharpness than a film scan could produce (short of a drum scan)
-The novelty of an analog workflow in a now digital world
From the sounds of it, cibachrome/ilfochrome prints were something to behold. I imagine that direct positive images made from slide film can look quiet special given that slide film, in my option, is pretty special looking as is. Unfortunately that stuff has been long gone since before I got into photography. Do modern RA-4 prints retain any of those qualities or is there something else special about them? My only experience with RA-4 prints is a lightjet print on Fuji Crystal Archive paper from a lab, but the colors came out wrong on that print and the results were overall pretty lack luster so that may be a poor reference point.
For some context, I really like the results I get with my black and white darkroom. A good print has some "sparkle" that I can't objectively put into words. I have made pigment inkjet prints at home for a while on fine art paper, but they haven't really stood up to the results of some of my better wet prints. Though I am sure a proper lab could make something better than I could digitally. Side note: Canson makes some awesome matt cotton rag paper if you are into that look.
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