08-19-2013, 12:29 AM
eustacetilley wrote:
Normally, I would be opposed to this, just as I was opposed to what Turner was doing. (Ted, not William...) But I was surprised at some of the quality here. Nice work.
Eustace
Colorizing B&W prints is an old technique from the days before there was color film and printing. The tints are applied with brushes, and each print is unique, there was simply no way to make exact duplicates as one does today on a computer. No undo if a mistake happens or you don't like the effect. Just as every print is made one at a time.
Ansel Adams said something like," The negative is the score, the print is the performance." The making of a unique colorized photo from a unique print of a unique negative adds up in a way to a lot of "firsts" as you commented on above.
It's painstaking, tedious work, I've tried a few times with unsatisfactory results. I enjoy seeing a well done colorized print. For me it adds something to it's individuality and artistic vision. Not to take away my enjoyment of a well printed silver B&W print. I saw some Adam's originals at the SF MOMA a few years back. Absolutely masterful. Detail and depth that you can't get from a reproduction in a book, and certainly not a computer moniter.