I have considered making inkjets from slide, only because the process to print them chemically no longer exists, it sticks in my throat a bit but it seems like a shame not to.
Only considered mind...
I think the benefits and drawbacks that are of any consequence are time related, so personal circumstance will have an influence on commitment levels.
Doesn't really effect me, I have no time for anything so that's that factor eliminated..lol
I don't feel restricted by the commitment DR only because the clue to creating what I want is in the name "darkroom print"
It also helps that scanning is such an abysmal chore, I can relegate it to a digital snap for web purposes.
I don't feel like I have much skin in the game atm, haven't had a DR since moving house 18 months ago, still shooting and those negs are piling up but I have to finish rebuilding the house before I start on the DR.....which is a proper drag, I could scan but...................naaah, not interested..
Hold out for your new darkroom John, it’ll be worth it and of course you already know that
Time commitment is no issue for me really.
I could spend all day in the darkroom if I wanted ( health depending) , in fact I have seen myself in there for several hours at a time already.
For me it’s not just the laborious task of scanning ( although with LF it’s not so bad as not too many negs to deal with) ), it’s also the whole computer thing.
From a personal note, I spend too much time infront of screens as it is, if not computers then my fone which of course is a mini computer.
Then there is tv !!
Personally I find it all too much.
The last10 - 15 years has seen me increasingly sucked into modern tech and all the digi , pixelated ‘benefits ( like many of us I suspect) but tbh I feel that it really isn’t for me.
I flogged my digi camera kit and have NEVER regretted it.
LF took over to the point of being my only format .
The whole process of exposong film to obtain a negative from LF is artisanal / traditional ( I even meter with an analogue meter most of the time).
I’ve even recently acquired a tlr but one as close to the specs of a field camera as possible, so no electrics, no meter etc
So why do I then change all that by transforming what is essentially artisanal into a high tech digi file ?
Because I can get a darned good print? Yes it’s true that I can!
But do I enjoy the process…..No, not at all!
Can i get the same quality of print in the DR?….atm often not , hence my serious consideration to concentrate exclusively on improving my skills.
Contrary to some beliefs, I wouldnt say that a wet print doesn't have the same quality as an inkjet version…..They have different qualities and the good wetprints that i have are pretty good , certainly good enough for me.
The less good ones need to be redone by a more competent DR user.
That person could be me but not if i continue to sit playing with a mouse and curves!
100% darkroom is very tempting especially as I now have a dedicated room for the purpose.
, wiith darkroom printing only on dark nights like this time of year. I find it quite difficult to get the print I want in the darkroom, although it gets better with practice over a few nights. My biggest problem is that I don't have the skill to tweak a darkroom print in the same way as a digital file, since the digital file can be played with, duplicated and minor adjustments made over a period of time. The ability to come back another time and view these minor adjustments side by side is useful, in the same way that I used to make 2 or 3 prints and put them on a pinboard in the kitchen for a week until I decided which version I preferred.
