I've just resently stepped into the use of photoshop as a tool for creating photographic images, so my level of expertise is lacking. With that said, comparing phtoshop images vs silver print is apples and oranges. Each having it's assets and liabilities. The computer assisted image has it's own personality and not unlike any other art form requires an instinct for the creation and execution of a concept. In any artform it's still the responsibility of the originator to manifest original content and bring it to a proficient conclusion with that something extra that attracts veiwership. Personally computer technology is certainly appropriate for commercial applications, yet at it's current level lacks the absolute quality of a silver process. In color it seems to be able to hold it's own within it's own personality, but with the current papers available and the way inks saturate B/w images printed by the computer are a long way off. Printing in the darkroom is it's own moment. Music, tea, the amber ambiance and watching the image grow in the developer from it's foundational dark shapes. Darkroom is a great experiance and this certainly can't be duplicated by the push of a button on the computer! But the lure for me is their, Looking at an image sometimes I'd like to correct or eliminate something that would make the image work better. Would it not be great to use the computer to fix and adjust them take the image back to the darkroom for it's final creation?
