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full manual challenge

No issue with a fully manual no crop image in B&W.

The problem I have is that all of the great B&W negatives are manipulated by the printer to give a great print. The printer takes a good negative and produces a stunning print. I'm a comparative novice in my wet darkroom compared to these printers, but I use LR to do the same thing. I don't believe in doing anything I can't do in a wet darkroom.

https://petapixel.com/2013/09/12/marked-photographs-show-iconic-prints-edited-darkroom/
 
No issue with a fully manual no crop image in B&W.

The problem I have is that all of the great B&W negatives are manipulated by the printer to give a great print. The printer takes a good negative and produces a stunning print. I'm a comparative novice in my wet darkroom compared to these printers, but I use LR to do the same thing. I don't believe in doing anything I can't do in a wet darkroom.

https://petapixel.com/2013/09/12/marked-photographs-show-iconic-prints-edited-darkroom/

I often do similar things in Photoshop using the lasso tool (with a large feathering) and then a curves layer on the selected area. The trick is not to push things to far otherwise it becomes obvious that some manipulation has taken place.

I have removed things using the clone tool, but it’s not something I do regularly.
 
This is why I posted my pic with the note saying that I had failed to follow my own brief!
See post 13.
In retrospect (and the thread was just for some lighthearted fun), I should maybe have made it clearer that this was a follow on from the 'favourite camera' post, where many named a fully manual SLR and sighed over the modern plethora of gadgets. This was a chance to get back to something basic, but I never intended it to be too regimented.
 
I used a Leica Monochrom M (10760) for about 3 years and regret selling it, which I after I got an M10. I have a fully automatic Leica Q, but prefer manual with M10 or an M7. The remarkable thing about the Monochrom is that images hardly ever need any processing.
I like this one because it was so good at getting dark skin tones.

28820941001_46bc968526_o.jpg
 
lovely pic...like the bokeh!

Leica 50/f2 ASPH. Best value and sharpest lens I've ever owned, £1,000 s/h and it will always hold its value or go up. Works brilliantly on Sony A7's.

This image is a 30 year old 35mm colour negative from OM2 50mm, photographed with a Sony A7R and Leica 60mm/f2.8 R Macro, cropped, RGB reversed and hit the b&w button (using COP11).

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yes that IS weirdly toned...it almost looks like infa red film.
No highlights at all and all the midtones squashed up. Odd but nice.
 
yes that IS weirdly toned...it almost looks like infa red film.
No highlights at all and all the midtones squashed up. Odd but nice.

You can mess about with these and get it OK, even though colour film loses a lot of dynamics. As it happens, the film colour tones are lovely. I'm going back there this time next year so will have another go, film and digital.

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OK, here's a frame from my last roll of film (no, I didn't shoot it this week) - Leica M6TTL 35 pre-asph 'lux - old stock (frozen) Neopan 400 rated at 800, developed in XTOL 1:1, scanned Minolta Scan Elite 5400 - very limited post processing as per a darkroom print - slight crop, alter contrast, burn in left and top edges, selenium tone, lighten eyes (Farmer's reducer in the old days), paper and silver tone altered slightly to mimic Agfa Record Rapid.

Two of my photography friends, Chalkie Davies and Denis O'Regan

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