Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [OM] IMG The Art Depot

Subject: Re: [OM] IMG The Art Depot
From: Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:06:06 -0600
The Chuck wrote:
> Unlike Ken I'm unimpressed by the "magic" of film.  I like nice, clean
> images.

Well, if you like nice clean images in the world of film, you better
be shooting at least 6x7cm. Digital walks the dog in that regard.

The "magic" of film pretty much comes down to these factors:

1. B&W. Chemical prints. Still no comparison. Digital output? Doesn't
matter which capture medium you use. SfX makes every hack photographer
into Ansel Adams.

2. Exploiting the color shifts for dusk/dawn shooting as well as for
UV/IR response which alters how the film "sees". (northern hardwoods -
gray or brown bark?).

3. Ability to use non-digital cameras of choice. The "magic of film"
for me is called the OM-3Ti and OM-4T.

It helps that I have my own excellent scanner and the experience of
tweeking. For people who don't have the patience of Moose or AG, I
wouldn't expect them to get anything anywhere near what the technology
is capable of delivering. Getting maximum dynamic range from a scan
isn't easy work and getting proper color curves response is even
harder.

So, to the above points:

1. Do you have your own B&W darkroom with enlarger, decent timer and
the chops to use it? No? Then digital is probably better.

2. Do you exploit the color shifts of Provia? Do you ever have the
need to warm the tree bark of northern hardwoods? No? Then digital is
probably better.

3. Do you have an OM-3Ti? How about a lovely OM-4T or two? No? Then
digital is probably better.

I'm reminded of an argument I occasionally have with my wife over
pianos. Me? I absolutely love a GOOD grand piano. A Yamaha C7 remains
my favorite recording piano, for instance. But there are some really
really good digital samples of a bunch of pianos, including the C7
which are available in her Yamaha S90 keyboard. I can patch in the
latest updated sounds with a push of a button. (Midi controlling the
latest samples loaded into a computer sampler/sequencer). She's
perfectly content with the Keyboard, but I'd much rather take the time
to mike and record the performance in a studio with a few thousand
dollars in microphones on an $90,000 piano that has to be retuned
every hour.

Why?

Because there is something unique and orginal about each recording.
The room temperature, humidity, exact placement of baffles and even
the lighting changes the sound. Lighting? Sure! The musician is
reacting to how he/she feels, hears and sees the piano. Change ANY
element in the room and the musican plays differently. Subtle, but
real. No two performance at two different times in even the same room
will be the same. But with a keyboard, the performance starts to
stabilize and become similar, if not identical, no matter the
environment.

Might as well just use autotune on everything.

Film photography is like this. There is just something imperfect about
film photography that allows for unique performances that take on
their own life. If you want to use autotune on everything, there are
plenty of effects presets in Lightroom to satisfy most everybody. But
if you like to develop your own images in an organic fashion, film has
its place. This is especially true in darkroom photography where
dodging and burning takes on an artform unlike anything you can do in
the computer.

Film photography isn't about perfection, it's about managing the
imperfections and exploiting them to create something far greater than
the sum of the parts.

AG
-- 
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz