Digital BW, The Print

Is there a tutorial on how to better navigate this Yahoo B&W Printing site?

I'm finding it hard to follow these threads. Furthermore, the jargon used here is very 
technical.


I want to become a better photographer and B&W Printer, but maybe this site is a bit 
advanced for me.

Any advice on what to read and how maximize my current setup?
I use the following:

Canon 20D camera w/ 24/2.8, 28/1.8, 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 lenses.
1280 Printer w/ MIS Eboni Black Only Ink
iMac G5
Adobe PSCS2
Epson EM Papers & Red River Dourian Art  papers

I've studied Clayton Jones' web site and got Black Only printing down OK, but I'd like to 
eek out a bit more from my prints.

I shoot mainly family life images w/ a fair amount of landscape/architecture.

I really like artists like Walker Evans, Eugene Smith and Margaret Bourke-White.

At 3:59 AM +0000 1/27/06, Kevin wrote:
>X-Virus-Checked: Checked
>
>Is there a tutorial on how to better navigate this Yahoo B&W Printing site?
>
>I'm finding it hard to follow these threads. Furthermore, the jargon 
>used here is very
>technical.

I try not to worry about either of those. When I think a thread is 
relevant to me, I try to figure out how to ask a question which will 
help me with it.


>I want to become a better photographer and B&W Printer, but maybe 
>this site is a bit
>advanced for me.

Maybe, but I don't know of another; so I'd say hang in, get what you 
can as you can, and let it grow.


>Any advice on what to read

I sometimes find interesting articles on Michael Reichmann's web 
site, Luminous-Landscape.com, for example 
<http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/enough-already.shtml>, and 
Sean Reid's reviews, which I now see more frequently on 
<http://www.reidreviews.com>.


>  and how maximize my current setup?

In addition to this site, I also use the MacEpsonList, also a Yahoo 
list, to get hints/tips about gear.


>I use the following:
>
>Canon 20D camera w/ 24/2.8, 28/1.8, 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 lenses.
>1280 Printer w/ MIS Eboni Black Only Ink
>iMac G5
>Adobe PSCS2
>Epson EM Papers & Red River Dourian Art  papers

Seems nicely balanced to me, which makes it harder to suggest an 
improvement. Maybe I'll think of one later.


>I've studied Clayton Jones' web site and got Black Only printing 
>down OK, but I'd like to
>eek out a bit more from my prints.

If you can get more specific, I bet you get a lot more suggestions.


>I shoot mainly family life images w/ a fair amount of landscape/architecture.
>
>I really like artists like Walker Evans, Eugene Smith and Margaret 
>Bourke-White.

You're in good company, Kevin. Good luck, and keep us posted.
--
Sam

Kevin,

Here is how I browse this forum.  When I am in the messages section, 
I change View to Simple, and change As to Thread.  Yahoo then indents 
all the replies underneath the original message.  This works well for 
me, but I depend on contributors writing meaningful subjects.

I am not famous nor a professional, but the web site I created is 
where I share my knowledge of the digital darkroom.  I still use film 
based cameras, but then scan, process and print my images digitally.  
I use both color and B&W.  There is extensive material on converting 
from color to B&W on my site.  The sites address is 

http://www.zuberphotographics.com/

Good luck on getting acclimated to this forum.

Thomas