The WELL: inkwell.vue.298: Ctein, "Digital Restoration from Start to Finish"

#58: Ctein (ctein) Thu 17 May 07 22:35

Thu, 17 May 2007 22:35:00 PDT

(replying to <54>)

My apologies for the times when the conversation got too geeky. Writing for an audience like this, I never know what level to place my responses on. Also, I'm trying to be brief (for me!) and that tends to make the writing denser than usual. A big reason that DIGITAL RESTORATION has 30% more words in it than I planned, was to insure its readability. I could have edited out enough superfluous wordage to bring it down to the target word count, but then it would have read like a graduate level textbook.

Always, please feel free to ask me to explain something in simpler terms if what I say isn't being clear. As a writer and teacher, it's my responsibility to explain things so that you can understand them. If you don't, it's not your fault; it's mine.

pax / Ctein [[ Please excuse any word-salad. ViaVoice in training! ]] [Read entire topic]

#57: Ctein (ctein) Thu 17 May 07 22:31

Thu, 17 May 2007 22:31:00 PDT

(replying to <53>)

Thanks! I am planning on sticking around indefinitely. The level of traffic (a couple of posts a day) is not so high that I can't deal with it, and I'd be happy to continue to answer people's questions about doing restorations as long as they want to ask them. Or, of course, any other things they want to ask me about. It's really audience-driven.

As long as people what to make inquiries of me, I will be happy answer them.

This is also as good a place as any to stick in a plug. I sell autographed copies of my books directly. DIGITAL RESTORATION can be ordered by going to this page:

http://photo-repair.com/DigiRestBook.htm

The reason I mention this is basic economics. If my publisher sells a copy of my book, I make about 5% on the cover price. If I sell a copy of the book myself, I make about 45% of the cover price. Each copy of the book that I can sell is worth as much to me as nine copies the publisher sells.

Nobody should feel like they're obligated to buy from me to, but I thought they ought to know why I push my book sales.

pax / Ctein [[ Please excuse any word-salad. ViaVoice in training! ]] [Read entire topic]

#56: Ctein (ctein) Thu 17 May 07 22:25

Thu, 17 May 2007 22:25:00 PDT

(replying to <52>)

I've been contemplating doing a book for O'Reilly and Associates on the art (as opposed to the craft) of doing really fine quality digital printing. This would be a much more compact book than the one on Digital Restoration, so I could undertake such a project without making my head explode. Problem so far is that I've been too busy to write up the proposal to send them. But that's what I would like to be next on my agenda. It would be a manageable topic. Sort of " Ctein's personal approach to making really good digital prints. "

New areas of exploration? Well, nothing that is really jelled. Mostly what I'm mulling over is what I mentioned previously, about becoming more interested in digital printing and less in dye transfer printing. That might produce some big changes in what I'm doing over the next year or three, but right now the ideas are only one-quarter baked. It's very hard to say where it will lead me. It's a sufficiently different direction for my art that I imagine a lot will change, but I don't really know what that will be like.

pax / Ctein [[ Please excuse any word-salad. ViaVoice in training! ]] [Read entire topic]

#55: Ctein (ctein) Thu 17 May 07 22:19

Thu, 17 May 2007 22:19:00 PDT

(replying to <51>)

Well, it kind of depends on how much money you're willing to spend and how big prints you want to make. Frankly, one of the very best B&W printers I've seen if you want prints that look like a genuine darkroom photographs is the HP Designjet 130. Is more expensive than your typical home printer, running $1,300-$1,800, depending on whether you buy the whitewall tires and the air conditioning, but it prints up to 24 in. wide, which makes it incredibly cheap compared to anything of comparable size. It's relatively compact for a 24 in. wide printer; it will fit on a large desktop. Its B&W prints really do look like darkroom prints; HP long ago mastered the art of printing on semi gloss and glossy papers without getting annoying gloss and reflection artifacts. That's something Epson still has problems with.

If you're more interested in matte-surface prints, I think very highly of the Epson Stylus R 2400. It does really nice looking B&W matte prints, and it's got some extremely elegant controls for altering the exact tone (hue) of the prints.

pax / Ctein [[ Please excuse any word-salad. ViaVoice in training! ]] [Read entire topic]

#54: beneath the blue suburban skies (aud) Thu 17 May 07 12:45

Thu, 17 May 2007 12:45:00 PDT

yes, thanks. this particular discussion topic got a bit too technical for me, but the book is not and i really look forward to having some time to play around with what i'm learning reading it! [Read entire topic]

#53: Cynthia Dyer-Bennet (cdb) Wed 16 May 07 10:27

Wed, 16 May 2007 10:27:00 PDT

Oh, and also, I want to thank you for joining us these past two weeks! It's been a treat to have you here, Ctein. Though our virtual spotlight has turned to a new guest author, this topic will remain open for additional questions and responses indefinitely. If you're able to stick around, please feel free. [Read entire topic]

#52: Cynthia Dyer-Bennet (cdb) Wed 16 May 07 10:25

Wed, 16 May 2007 10:25:00 PDT

After you answer (davadam) I have a question for you, Ctein:

What's next? Any new writing projects in the works? Any fascinating assignments you're looking forward to tackling? Any new subjects you've always wanted to explore that you're finally making time to delve into? [Read entire topic]

#51: David Adam Edelstein (davadam) Tue 15 May 07 21:09

Tue, 15 May 2007 21:09:00 PDT

I'm sure there's a joke here about photos waiting for restoration being in some kind of quantum state, but it's just not coming...

Anyway, I'm curious about what you do recommend for darkroom output -- is there, for one thing, any digital black and white output you do like? [Read entire topic]

#50: (none) Ctein (ctein) Tue 15 May 07 20:15

Tue, 15 May 2007 20:15:00 PDT

Oh, that's an easy one! The photography. Considering that doing almost anything else would earn me a better living than pursuing my art, it's pretty clear to me where my heart lies.

But for intellectual hobbies? Quantum mechanics, environmental science, and planetary geology, in that order.

pax / Ctein [[ Please excuse any word-salad. ViaVoice in training! ]] [Read entire topic]

#49: Cynthia Dyer-Bennet (cdb) Tue 15 May 07 12:46

Tue, 15 May 2007 12:46:00 PDT

heh, I had a feeling "a new suit" wasn't on your to-do list, Ctein.

In addition to your talent in the world of photography, you have a degree in physics, and you're a technical writer whose work covers everything from electro-optics to computer languages. Which of your many areas of expertise interest you the most? [Read entire topic]