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Declining Darkroom Popularity?

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Christopher John Woodhouse

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Dec 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/27/98
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My perceptions of the work being exhibited at local club level (UK)
and amongst my friends, is that home colour processing is declining
rapidly, BW continues a gradual decline and that a surprising number
of photographers are trying ink-jet<>digital as an alternative.

It seems that the 'easy' gains of digital are luring people away (at
least temporarily) from conventional C and R printing, whilst the
followers of BW are more die-hard.

Is this perception shared by anybody else?
--
regards chris.w...@zetnet.co.uk
darkroom photo information page www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ktphotonics


Gpmsu

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Dec 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/27/98
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Photography as a true hobby seems to have suffered a serious decline in the
past 10 years. I don't know if digital imaging will change this trend. I don't
think it will. 98% of the photos are the snap shot variety... family, pets,
etc.

John Hicks

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Dec 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/27/98
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On Sun, 27 Dec 1998 16:39:08 GMT, Christopher John Woodhouse
<chris.w...@zetnet.co.uk> wrote:

>My perceptions of the work being exhibited at local club level (UK)
>and amongst my friends, is that home colour processing is declining
>rapidly

In my experience, all home darkroom interest is declining rapidly.
Too much competition for leisure time etc.

---
John Hicks
John's Camera Shop

Robert Alan Siegel

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Dec 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/27/98
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Who said lawyers were useless?


DLa7174711 wrote in message
<19981227203025...@ng-fb1.aol.com>...
>So it's a great time to pick up sued equipment.

Francis A. Miniter

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Dec 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/27/98
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WHEREFORE, Plaintiff demands that Defendant Enlarger disgorge the sum of
$100,000 in damages for the shallow, flat depiction of the Plaintiff's
face, and that Defendant Enlarger be hereafter ordered barred from so
depicting Plaintiff.

Sorry, I just could not pass this one up.

DLa7174711

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Dec 28, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/28/98
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L. J. Powell

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Dec 28, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/28/98
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DLa7174711 wrote:

> So it's a great time to pick up sued equipment.

especially will all those lawyer out there filing suits against
darkrooms.

Probably could fine some used equipment also.


--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Louie J. Powell, APSA
Glenville, NY USA

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Maison/7881/

"Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Joseph O'Neil

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Dec 28, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/28/98
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On Sun, 27 Dec 1998 16:39:08 GMT, Christopher John Woodhouse
<chris.w...@zetnet.co.uk> wrote:

>My perceptions of the work being exhibited at local club level (UK)
>and amongst my friends, is that home colour processing is declining

>rapidly, BW continues a gradual decline and that a surprising number
>of photographers are trying ink-jet<>digital as an alternative.

Home colour processing seems to have been utterly replaced by
digital imaging anymore. Many people people I know and know of are
buying slide and negative scanners, and doing their colour prints that
way.
The exceptions to this rule are those doing Cibachrome prints.
There where never that many people doing this sort of work in the
first place, and the move to digital makes thier work allt he more
valuable, IMO.
As for B&W, on the 35mm level I think there has been a real
decline in the home darkroom,b ut strnagley I think I see a real
growth, albiet not that large of a one, but noticeable and steady, in
B&W work in the home darkroom in both medium and large format
photography. I notice it is harder to find good materials, and I
often find myself either travelling out of town or mail ordering in
special supplies from time to time.
it's kinda weird in a way, and I do not know if this analogy
fits, but when photogrpahy first came out, and as it grew in
popularity, a lot fo commercail artists at the time moved over form
whatever they were doing - waterpaints, charcoal, oil paints, etc,
into photography.
yet today while the number of photographs taken outnumbers oil
paintings by a margin of a billion or trillion to one (pick any huge
number you like), there are actually physically more people oil
painting now than at any point in the past.
I wonder if the future of photogrpahy will go that way?
joe

http://www.multiboard.com/~joneil
Large Format Images From Southern Ontario

Alan Rosenberg

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Dec 28, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/28/98
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I use PHOTOSHOP for color and duotones... However I make 8x10 B&W prints
to start, other wise most scanners unless high end are dogs. AS for digital
cameras the best do not compete with with a scanned print 35mm print or a
120mm. If you want super prints scan a 8x10 print made from a 4x5 neg and
have it printed on an Iris printer..


Christopher John Woodhouse wrote in message
<199812271...@zetnet.co.uk>...


>My perceptions of the work being exhibited at local club level (UK)
>and amongst my friends, is that home colour processing is declining
>rapidly, BW continues a gradual decline and that a surprising number
>of photographers are trying ink-jet<>digital as an alternative.
>

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