[alt-photo] Re: Official press release about HP largeformatnegatives

[Terry King]

Loris


Forget the jargon. Get on with the practice.


terry





-----Original Message-----
From: Loris Medici <mail at loris.medici.name>
To: 'The alternative photographic processes mailing list' <alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
Sent: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:47
Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Official press release about HP largeformatnegatives


Terry, send me a scan of an 256 step tablet cyanotype print made with an
inkjet negative, to let me count the tones, if you dare!!! ;) (Or, better,
try and see it for yourself...) OTOH, I repeat again; even 80-90 individual
tones give pretty nice / beautiful results! (As you know already, by real
life experience, naturally...) *I'm just talking about stretching
theoretical limits here, nothing more*... I agree on the fact that we have
very nice methods on hands, and all work well enough for getting the job
done...

Regards,
Loris.


-----Original Message-----
From: alt-photo-process-list-bounces at lists.altphotolist.org On Behalf Of
Terry King
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 12:19 PM
To: alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org
Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Official press release about HP
largeformatnegatives

This correspondence is interesting but it appears to overlook that there are
perfectly good and simple ways of making digital negatives already using ,
for example, the Agfa back projection material and Epson printers and inks.
These methods can produce fine gradations and ranges of tone that will
exploit the full tonal potential of a platinum print, that is  from a
negative with a tonal range of up to 2.4. See my articles in View Camera and
AG  which demonstrate the tonal ranges for individual processes.

We have to remember, however, that unless HP software is designed to cope
with individual processes, printers, inks and base materials it will offer
no advantage over what we have already.

Terry King


-----Original Message-----
From: Loris Medici <mail at loris.medici.name>
To: 'The alternative photographic processes mailing list'
<alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
Sent: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 8:55
Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Official press release about HP large
formatnegatives


We'll have to wait and see if they indeed provide a better solution. I
definitely see further room for improvement; I currently can only get
something like 80-90 individual tones with - relatively high contrast
processes like - Cyanotype, which isn't bad at all! OTOH, I would definitely
like to use more of the total/theoretical 256 tones potential - especially
meaningful with smooth working processes like pt/pd. If they show up with a
method that makes use more of the theoretical limit, I'd like to adopt it.
In my understanding, currently, the cutting edge is method is Quadtone RIP -
but it's hard to use/learn it + more importantly, it doesn't work with
HPs... We "may" get more tones with no (or less drastic) curve adjustments,
if ink laying / dithering (and such) is specifically controlled by the RIP,
optimized for negative-making. (That's why I said "I definitely see further
room for improvement" above..)

In any case, I should say that what I'm getting right now is OK, I'm happy
with it - this is sort of (almost idle) pixel-peeping / nitpicking. We
should really wait to see if there's really a considerable / significant
improvement...

Regards,
Loris.


P.S. I think Muñoz was/is using imagesetter negatives, but I'm not
absolutely sure, just talking according to what I've seen in a low qualitu
youtube video...


-----Original Message-----
From: alt-photo-process-list-bounces at lists.altphotolist.org On Behalf Of
Tomas Sobota
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 10:31 AM
To: The alternative photographic processes mailing list
Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Official press release about HP large
formatnegatives

The HP blurb says: "We're committed to helping professional photographers
simplify and accelerate the process for producing, showcasing and archiving
their art."

Wow, this sounds like Kodak all over again...

I wonder if they are addressing the wrong problem? Presumably most of us
have the digital neg creation already under control, with the several
existing methods such as Mark's PDN, Mike Ware's and others? I don't know
what method does the Spanish photographer Isabel Muñoz use for her platinum
prints, which are more than 1 meter square and beautiful, but she certainly
did not have to wait for the HP "solution".

I also wonder if this will be creating false expectations in many people.
Alt-photo is rather more than just the ability to create a large negative.
What comes after is more difficult.

Tom Sobota
Madrid, Spain

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