Put yourself into the shoes of a professional film photographer. Your client is a magazine that needs to review and select different pieces before publishing. You shoot on film because it’s rich, beautiful, and a cornerstone of your creative identity. When your artwork eventually gets published, the originals will need to be scanned and edited digitally, and there’s a good chance you won’t be the one scanning or editing the final published version. The true depth of your film photos could potentially be lost… or will it?
We Love Darkroom Film Development
Darkroom prints offer a distinct quality and aesthetic that is often revered by photographers and art enthusiasts. They boast a unique depth and richness in their tones. The process of enlarging a negative onto photographic paper allows for subtle variations in exposure and development, leading to a broader spectrum of tones and more nuanced highlights and shadows.
Additionally, the hands-on nature of darkroom printing allows photographers to exercise greater control over the final result. Through techniques such as dodging and burning (manually controlling exposure during printing), photographers can selectively adjust the image’s brightness and contrast, enhancing specific areas of interest and creating a truly personalized and expressive piece of art.
Furthermore, darkroom prints tend to have a certain organic and authentic feel to them. The slight imperfections and natural grain of the photographic paper add character and a sense of tactility to the final print, which can evoke a nostalgic or emotive response from viewers.
Digital Photos Have A Lot of Benefits Too
Scanning photos digitally offers a wide array of benefits that have revolutionized the world of photography and made it more accessible and versatile than ever before.
Instant Results: With digital images, photographers can see their images immediately after capture. This real-time feedback allows for quick adjustments and improvements, ensuring that the desired outcome is achieved before moving on to the next shot.
Non-Destructive Editing: Digital editing tools like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom allow photographers to make non-destructive adjustments to their images. This means that the original file remains untouched, and changes are saved as instructions, making it possible to revert to the original version or modify adjustments at any time.
Wide Range of Editing Possibilities: Digital development provides an extensive range of editing options, from basic adjustments like exposure, contrast, and color balance to more complex techniques like layering, compositing, and special effects. This flexibility empowers photographers to unleash their creativity and achieve unique and compelling results.
Easy Sharing and Distribution: Digital images can be instantly shared across various platforms, including social media, websites, and email. This facilitates quick and widespread distribution, allowing photographers to reach a larger audience and gain recognition for their work.
Versatility and Adaptability: Digital images can be easily resized, cropped, and formatted to suit different purposes, whether it’s creating prints, social media posts, websites, or multimedia presentations. This adaptability ensures that photographers can cater to diverse needs and audiences.
Sometimes You Want The Best of Both Worlds
Let’s come back to our example of the professional film photographer. In the past, the process of printing, sending, and selecting prints was cumbersome. It also resulted in lost control over the final published version of your work.
The Old “Match Print” Process
- Your film was shot, processed, and proofed.
- You made your edit and your selects were printed as 8×10 work prints, which were then sent to your client.
- Final prints were then printed larger, typically as 11×14 Repro Prints (3 copies of the print with varying density/color as desired).
- The Final Prints were then shipped to your client, who in turn sent them to their Press/Pre-Press house to scan, convert to CMYK and then make adjustments to match to the Final prints. Hence the name “Match Print”.
With a Match Print, you ultimately put the control of your published work in the hands of the publisher who scans and edits.
What if there was a better way? What if you could maintain the same level of creative control from Darkroom development while leveraging the versatility of digital?
Achieve a Darkroom Photo Look on Digital. Ask for a PRISCA.
Technically, the process is a combination of a darkroom print and a flatbed scan. At the Icon, we call this a PRISCA.
Our new “PRISCA” process
- Our experts develop your film and create a Darkroom print of your image.
- Then, the Darkroom prints are used to create high-quality digital scans using a state-of-the-art flatbed scanner. When scanned, the result is a direct representation of your vision and screams “I shot this on film!”
- From there, the digital version is extremely versatile and the original artist controls the edit.
- Finally, the files can be easily shared electronically.
A PRISCA is a brilliant way to hold onto the creative control from Darkroom development while leveraging the versatility of digital photos.
If you would like to explore a PRICSA for your next project, give us a call.
