Digital BW, The Print

Martin,

>However,I dont do much color conversion with my digital camera 
>(Canon Pro 1).  

Ah, I have a Pro-1 also.  Great camera, and quite amazing given a
sensor the size of a fingernail.  Wouldn't be much without the good lens. 


>...Bronica 645 Rangefinder with Delta 400 or Delta 100...I like the
>level of detail you get with medium format film.  

Very true.  I shot mostly 6x7 for years.  Lots of nice real estate on
a 120 neg.  But a lot of water goes under the bridge during 50 years
of photography, and things change periodically, through different
phases or stages.  I can look back and see distinct periods in my
photographic life.  A few years ago I underwent a paradigm shift and
decided to completely abandon film and darkroom and fully embrace
digital.  I think I was just worn out on film and chemicals and my
creative flame was more like a pilot light.

It's definitely a sacrifice to give up the resolution of large film,
but priorities can change and other things become more important as
you get older I guess.  I want to explore digital and see what kind of
artistry can be fashioned within its limitations.  I'm finding that it
is freeing up my creative juices in new ways and I'm able to more
easily break out of the same old motivations and preconceived notions
that lie buried deep.  I'm having a ball and am doing some of my best
work ever, but feel like I'm just getting started.

One thing that was a nice discovery is how different it is to work
with an image that has no film grain.  I began digital printing by
scanning negs, and later got into digicams.  It was a revelation and
it opened up new ways of working with images, at least conceptually. 
It's similar to picking up a nylon string guitar when you're used to a
steel string.  Suddenly different kinds of creative impulses are
released and you find yourself spontaneously trying different kinds of
things.  Hard to explain, but real.

Getting a 2400 was the latest step in this journey, and it has
radically changed my printing life.  I am finally able to get the kind
of results with a hassle free workflow that was barely a dream four
years ago.  Those early struggles are like a dimly remembered old
nightmare now.  I'm closer to a purely creative photographic
experience than ever before, and it keeps getting better.  The flame
is now more like a blowtorch.



Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm