The first scan of the first neg of a new project I’m working on.
- Lost Sole #1
Edited later that day to add:
I’m never at a loss for amazement at how much detail an 8×10 negative holds… here’s a different lighting setup for the same shot, along with a 100% crop
Full Size
100% detail @ 1200 ppi
At 1200ppi, we’re not even really getting all that is there in the neg, but the full file size is already 12000px on the long end, so it just seems overkill to take up HDD space with anything higher res. This scan will go 30″x40″ without even breaking a sweat. In fact, you could stick your nose in that 30×40 and still see tons of detail.
I’m still working out some of the technical details for how to shoot this stuff. I had a semi-alcohol inspired moment a couple weeks ago that resulted in me basically stealing all the shoes I could find from the Salton Sea and bringing them home in my Element. Chenin told me to just make sure I was washing my hands regularly. Without droning on about how I feel about the artistic merit of the project, let me just say that it’s a lot more work to shoot a sheet of film than to make a .CR2 file on a CF card, but I think it’s worth it. It takes 3600 watt-seconds of light to light up this little shoe to get enough DOF on an 8×10, and I could really still use more. At f/40 or so, plus losing 1.5-2 stops to the bellows, it takes a helluva lot of light, even with camera movements, to get everything reasonably in focus. Working with a questionably reconditioned Deardorff, a Fujinon W 250mm f.6.7 lens, and Delta 100 souped in HC-110 at 1:63 in the spare bathroom, then scanned on the new Epson 750. The few prints I’ve made look pretty killer. It’s one of those times where the web really doesn’t do it justice at all.
Anyway, now that I’ve got most of the technical stuff figured out, I’ll probably just be posting pics. I just had a pixel-peeping geek-out moment, though, and had to share. Even if this stuff never ends up being printed for anyone but me, I’ve still GOT to get a jumbo print made…
Younes Bounhar
This is fantastic. I love the hard light/hi-key combo!
Apr 20, 2009 @ 8:54 am
Martin
Hey Doug, I really like your iPhone version blog!
Apr 20, 2009 @ 9:31 am
Dominoe Imus
That image is kind of amazing, I really really like it!
Apr 20, 2009 @ 9:44 am
Martin Vargas
Awsome! The detail is amazing. So you’re happy with th Epson, right? I’m going to start scanning 50 year old transparencies from my grandfather. Your project sounds incredible! Best!
Apr 20, 2009 @ 6:03 pm
Kyle Barnes
Dude. Inspiring. Thanks. I never post my experimental stuff. Maybe I will.
Apr 20, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
admin
@Kyle – thanks man – you should!
@Martin – love the scanner. Dust is a never-ending problem, and I wish that the fluid-mount tray would fit 8×10, but it really does do a good job of getting the detail out, and SilverFast makes getting great tones pretty easy. Looks like the vast majority of the Photoshop time will be cloning out dust, rather than having to tweak tones. The raw scans look great.
Apr 20, 2009 @ 6:27 pm
Curtis Copeland
Wow! inspiring photograph. I almost invested in a Mamiya RZ 67, but decided to go digital instead. Thanks for sharing Doug and keep inspiring!
Apr 23, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
Hansel Dobbs
These photographs are amazing and as far as digital has come they show the expose the limitations of the medium in a big way. I love the creativity and your investment in time to keep the art alive.
Jun 11, 2009 @ 4:38 pm