I wrote this in response to those who crave L lenses, and those with
cheap consumer EOS Rebels and zooms.
My background is mainly custom printing. I believe many people buy
better lenses and shoot slides because they don't know what can be done when
a print is well printed by a PRO. Let me rant on a bit on this... My last
job was a 5 year stint, a lot of big big blowups on horizontal 11 by 11
DeVere and Durst 4 by 5 vertical enlargers. Some prints were tiled murals to
10 foot by 30 feet, some were 50 inch wide paper prints. Mostly duraflex,
some duratrans. I made a lot of 4 by 5 internegs I might add from 35mm. I
know what can be done, and that most originals come from 35mm shots.
My point, while I'm thinking this stuff, is the sharpness of a cheap kit
lens and the grain of Superia 800 film, when used with proper technique, can
be blown up from a 35mm negative to at least 40 by 60 inches with excellent
results. Beyond that, I prefer internegatives. If you have a good slide, you
can have a 4 by 5 internegative made and do wall murals. Well, go for an 8
by 10 internegative for the price difference on a big mural or print. Why
worry about grain, you've got an 8 by 10 negative. I tell you, an 8 by 10
negative will blow up to 8 foot by 10 foot with a grain so smooth you have
to look really close to see it. It's a bitch even seeing it in the dark with
a grain focuser. The tiny grain of a good 35mm slide does a sort of
dithering onto large film. The result can be fantastic. Then, a good drum
scan of a 35mm, and a digital 8 by 10 negative can be even better. I've seen
lousy 35mm slides scanned (talking grainy and unsharp), 8 by 10'd on a high
end film recorder that look great at 8 foot by 10 foot.
As a last point, I have to talk about viewing distances. Let's put the
large photo where it belongs - on the wall of course. Whether it's at an
exhibition, or in the home, the viewings distance is either sitting on the
couch, or walking along a row of photos, likely at about 4 to 6 feet from
the wall, or more if you're on the couch. While a good 20 by 30 print made
from medium format or 4 by 5 will really shine, I don't think a lot of
people, especially beginners with their Rebels and kit lenses realize the
potential of their camera, high speed film, and a good printer.
This really is the last point. I have to say over those 5 years at that
lab, I did notice some people who came back to me because of the quality of
my printing. Not nearly as many as I'd have hoped though. I knew other good
printers in town, but on the whole, a lot of poor printers with no sense of
quality. I will rate my printing as close to ultimate, ok? Over those years,
I never had a complaint about a print's quality, ever. However, I believe
there were cheaper labs and alternatives, and that quality took a backseat
to price, digital possibilties, and turnaround time of inkjets.
My friends, the traditional custom photo lab is on it's last legs. Go
out, find a nice guy who produces some truly fine photo blowups, and give
him your business. See what your camera can do. Frame them up and proudly
display them on the wall in your home. You don't need an L lens, and you
don't have to shoot slides.
I have thought of opening my own business doing custom printing for PRO
photogaphers. There still does seem to be a need, and I am wasting my
experience and abilities now. However, since nobody really appreciated my
skills, I'm not! Or maybe I would if anyone was interested .... anyone need
a good print made?
P.S. - It's the image that counts, not the grain, not the lens quality that
took it - if it's lousy it can sell, but it has to have a message in the
image. Oh, and it has to be well printed...
*
****
*******
***********************************************************
* For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see:
* http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm
***********************************************************
