As is my usual "Mode O' Operation", I've got several prints
plastered around my cube. These are works in progress that I
make prints of and try living with for awhile. Time is the
bruiser of many fine pictures. What looks fantastic on the
screen or even on a freshly made print starts to look less
inviting over a few weeks time. Flaws start to show up and then
the fixation of the uglies kick in. What started out as an
entry into the portfolio becomes fodder for UV and water
resistance tests on my deck.
An example of this is a picture I took of a cluster of birch
trees. I took pictures in 4x5, 35mm and 2/3" digital. Amazingly
enough, the print from the digicam appears the sharpest. I
performed my usual tricks of the trade to the print (including
local contrast enhancement), but something was still missing.
The birch "paper" appeared too flat and lifeless. So, I added
"noise" to the picture. This brought the birch to life and
almost gave it a chromed look and texture.
Printing out the picture I was quite pleased with the results.
However, what's missing? The picture is too flat. There is no
3D-ness to it. I've since gone and did quite a bit of dodging
and burning to bring the birch trees "forward" in the print.
But alas, it just isn't there.
Going back to the Velvia slide of the same picture I'm startled.
The trees have complete isolation from the background. What's
going on here? I'm not quite sure if it's the lenses or the
film. As is the case with most of my Zuiko pictures, there
tends to be an ability to "see around the corners". This "wrap
around imaging" gives objects depth in the pictures. Painters
have used various optical tricks for centuries to give paintings
a 3D quality (such as false shadows, changing the angle of
brushstrokes to reflect overhead light, etc), but does this also
translate to optics?
Is it the glass? Or is it the capture medium? If it's the
glass, how do I mimick it in digital post-production? What if I
overlay an out-of-focus duplicate layer to simulate the "bloom"
that occurs with film and ancient flare-prone glass?
And how do I bring back the red sensitivity into digital
pictures without causing color shifts?
AG
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