Digital BW, The Print

I find it interesting how some people like to focus on social interaction and possible conflicts, slights, etc, while others like to focus on the actually meat of the matter (in forums at large) and generally try to ignore all of the obviously personal interpretations of other people's words and opinions.

I would like to state for the record that I have not really seen anyone actually bashing ABW here. From what I've seen of Tyler's prints, his personal photography just wouldn't work with the ABW workflow. His landscapes (the light he captures in his photos) require a manual ink mix. I feel lucky that my portraits don't require such a crazy amount of tinkering and I can get away with a straight k7 Selenium inkset. Some of my most recent work I've actually run on K3 QTR.

While Tyler obviously holds a lot of sway just by what he thinks, I think we all need to chill out a bit and take stock of our own self-interest as artists. Tyler has perfected a way of printing that works for him. It doesn't work for everyone and he is utterly clear about that. This is a rowdy bar. No self-censorship in here. Because of that, we all need to be a little more self-aware when it comes to our reading into other people. This is the basis for really strong communication.

What I am pushing for is a deep understanding of our materials and how they relate to each individual's work. I think this group of people is at the forfront of that deeper understanding vis a vis digital. I'm waiting for a day when we all decide to publish a book of the last decade of really intense discussions from this forum. What an education! It would be a must-buy for any digital bw class me thinks.

Spending energy worrying about who said what is not constructive. We must observe others statements and remember that they are just opinions and technical info. This forum is not a dictatorship and everyone's opinions and questions are welcomed. When I first joined I was 19 and I really didn't have a clue as to what the hell I was doing. I spent a year not posting at all and just absorbing the technical info. It's generally been the most constructive forum I've ever been a part of. There seems to be a great degree of equality here than pretty much everywhere else.

What's funny is that all this stuff is really just 15 years old. Compare that to the history of painting and this place is a hot potato! It's exciting. There really are no rules and the ones that are set up should be broken in the service of each individual's art. So if K7 is hue/ink-restrictive and you like the ABW toning, goferit! If you want split-toning, use QTR! Just think about the possibilities. You want to print white ink? Well, Epson makes that now . . .

Walker