copake_ham said:
Going back to OP.
I look at it this way.
I'm Paul and I'm thinking:
"My film negatives-based, traditional handmade prints command $1200. Making those prints takes a heck of a lot of my time.
Buyers are increasingly indifferent to print quality and will pay that sum or close to it regardless.
Shooting digital and using inkjet will increase my work throughput tremendously.
So, SHOW ME THE MONEY!"
well, I actually am Paul, and that's not quite what I'm thinking.
I don't find buyers to be increasingly indiferent to print quality, although I do find them increasingly open minded about what kinds of prints they'll consider.
And while I would like to say my prints "command" $1200, at the rate that I sell work, it would be more accurate to say that they ask for it very, very quietly.
I also have yet to own a digital camera. I don't think they're evil, but at this point in history, for what I can afford, I get much better quality from film ... from a 4x5 and a (borrowed) hasselblad, both older than I am.
I made the investment in digital printing because i was working on an artist's book project, and it seemed like the ideal medium. This was right around the time that Forte became unavailable. I was uninterested seeking out and learning a new silver paper, since in all probability it would meet the same fate ... so I took the plunge and learned to print in ink.
What keeps me printing in ink, even though my silver paper is on the market again, is that I love the prints.
Because of the book project, I've had the opportunity to reprint an entire body of work that had previously been done in silver. To my tastes, about half the time, I like the ink print better. About a quarter of the time I like the silver print better. And about a quarter of the time it's a tossup. Five years ago, I would have found this impossible to imagine. But here i am saying it.
Your results could be different. This is in the context of one body of work, and my personal feelings about it. It still amazes me, because I was very proud of most of those silver prints.
I still have all my darkroom equipment. And I miss using it. But It's been a couple of years since I've actually been compelled to make a darkroom print. I don't feel like I've jumped ship, or become something else ... I've just expanded my toolbox to something that's working better for me right now.
As far as "show me the money" ... just like before, I'm consuming a whole lot more than I'm bringing in. That's not likely to change unless Jon Cone shows me how to print up some $50 bills.