Horse - Print

A quality print as usual Thomas. It would be interesting to know if the members who perfer the neg. scan only post neg scans themselves.

vincent

Thanks all, for your generous words.

I posted this mainly because I find the comparison interesting, but there are some ulterior motives, and I'm glad we've reached a point of civil discussion.

1. I think that the final print is what matters too. I know I can express what I want in a print. I can hold it in my hands, and it's a tangible thing before me instead of a bunch of electrons.
2. I've been stuck without a darkroom for about a year and some odd months now, and it has sucked immensely to have to reside to film scanning and inkjet as output. The process is so sterile, dull, and boring, and I find it lacks a level of craftsmanship compared to digital imaging, and I missed that hands-on work tremendously. I was literally aching to go back into the dark after nearly a year of absence.
3. Grain and tonality. While one can adjust endless parameters of a picture digitally, my personal opinion is that it's easier to achieve what I want with darkroom work. Grain does not appear the same in a print as it does in a film scan, by far. Grain from film scan seems harsh and unfriendly, unless you have a really awesome scanner that resolves grain, while my darkroom prints appear much smoother, but also more acute at the same time. The tonality I get from a print also feels a lot more 'organic' and it's as though I'm able to pour how I feel about the subject matter onto the print by handling it physically with my own hands.

My preference is clear. I love to print in the darkroom, and I am so incredibly happy that I am able to do it again. Now I only have a bout two years worth of backlogged negatives to try to print up...

- Thomas

Looks great. I really don't shoot with the idea of producing a great negative, rather the negative I need for my print. I guess thats why I find my neg scans so embarassing and unsatisfying

beautiful work thomas !

Wonderful Thomas!

very nice. Really, well done.

Thank you all for your nice comments!
The joy of printing in the darkroom is something I cherish deeply, to be able to change the outcome by using my own skill, eyes, and hands. I feel very lucky to have that to look forward to.