TESTING- TESTING 123 Help needed!

[Ed Shapiro]

Hi Folks!

My computer/scanner/monitor system is on it's last legs and clinically dead but I am still using it until a bunch of stuff I have on back order arrives- it's gonna be another month or so until everything is up and running.

Problem is- every time I post an image that look OK on my screen, others tell me that the gamma sucks- the images lack contrast and density. An engineer friend and my IT guy have cranked things up but to no avail and pretty soon this gear is gonna get a righteous funeral. In the mean time pleas tell me of the cranking has done ANY good. If this confounded thing explodes and kills me- it's been nice knowing y'all

Ed Cross section of images isattached!

[Ed Shapiro]

Just a few more- if you don't mind. Thanks!

[Inked Photography]

Ed I have to agree. The images do lack contrast and density. #3 seems very foggy. #4 is probably the best out of all the images but yet the color seems flat. That's just what I see. I hope you are able to fix this problem. #3 is my favorite image here. I love the composition and it is a great photo of a beautiful bride.

[Ed Shapiro]

Just one more time
Oh- Color management is also dead so please forgive that!

[brian.austin]

Are these scanned images or digital captures?

[ladyphotog]

It must be working to some degree Ed, because the images are not consistently flat.

[Ed Shapiro]

Hi Brian- Some of the images are digital and some are scans form medium and large format color negatives- some are even scanned from proofs. I usually run all of this material through PhotoShop for some minor tweaking before posting. All of theses images, in their original forum, made perfect prints in terms of contrast and density.

A few months ago, I began experiencing computer problems- the setup I am working on is 7 yeas old and although it has had several upgrades in its circuitry, I am sure that has long ago seen better days. There as a possibility that the CRT is on the way out but in any event we were unable to calibrate the system using a number of softwares and an on-screen device.

I don't want to invest any more time or money in fiddling around with this thing, Meanwhile, seeing that this is my last year in wedding photography, I am going to be doing more commercial and portrait work in the studio. I have made a lease deal on the current Hasselblad Digital Camera and a dedicated Mac system to go along with it. Because of the outrageous price of that thing- it was hard to swing a lease deal because of financial technicalities such as resale and buy out options. It would have been easier to lease a car or purchase a new house. It finally went through and the money is there but as luck would have it- everything is on back order- you'd thing they only make the confounded things when they get orders for them.

Some feel that my choice was a bit overkill but I have a demand for large images for outdoor advertising and giant point of purchase transparencies. I also do a lot of institutional and corporate portraiture where those large board room portraits are required- usually about 30x40. There is also Hasselblad accessories that allow for swings and tilts and that means I won't have to drag view cameras to architectural sites anymore.

For portraiture- the Hasselblad has unmatched rendition of shadow detail as far as digital equipment is concerned, Since I do lots of low key images, this was also a consideration although the full frame Canon is not too bad a choice as well and a is allot less expensive. Also- I have a lot of older Hasselblad glass and a number of soft-focus antique lenses that I can adapt to the new blad.

Lady Photog- Thank you the comeback- I know there are fluctuations in gamma- that is why I posted a cross section of stuff that was sitting around in my hard drive- what is left of it.

Now I gotta figure out a way to delete all that stuff- it certainly is not a good example of my stuff what with me being a hopeless control freak- stickler and outright maniac when it comes to print quality- you should see the size of the garbage can outside my darkroom both dry and wet!

Regards and thank you for you assistance. Ed

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by Ed Shapiro

Hi Brian- Some of the images are digital and some are scans form medium and large format color negatives- some are even scanned from proofs. I usually run all of this material through PhotoShop for some minor tweaking before posting. All of theses images, in their original forum, made perfect prints in terms of contrast and density.

I can see the quality in lighting and posing but the digital images need a lot of work to get to today's digital quality expectations. Knowing you, I'm sure you still have the originals. I'd urge you to consider rescanning them using a MicroTek ArtixScan M1 Pro or something similar. That particular unit does slides, negatives or prints. Shutterbug gave it a pretty good review this month. I'm looking at picking one up for myself.

The foggy/low contrast look is typically seen when there is a reflection on the glass back to the CCD or the cover is left open while the scan is taking place (basically an overexposure). The images also seem a bit grainy/low resolution but if you resized them at all, that would explain it.

Have fun with the Hasselblad. It's on my wish list but I really can't justify one. I'd rather buy a plane first.

[ladyphotog]

The H3D is a beautiful thing Ed, I love mine. I thought I would have a coronary when I paid for it but it has been worth every penny. You will love it. What kind of Mac did you get?

[Harry]

Don't remember how it acts when it happens, but, any chance that your scanner bulb is dying? In which case you replace the scanner not the bulb. Just asking.

[Ed Shapiro]

Hi again!

Thanks for the hardware tip Brian- if I have any money left, I will be in the market for a new scanner- that one sound like exactly what I will need. In my post- the large family group was scanned from a 2 1/4 negative on a commercial drum scanner to a very high resolution @ 30X40 because I had to do some retouching on the drapes and the couch- the print was great. I placed the same CD that was burned to make the final print and it still transmitted poorly. I will take your advice and re-scan everything on a decent machine so that I will have electronic versions of some of my favorite film images. I tested out the demo Hasselblad and ran images right out of the camera- the image quality knocked me out. We then went to the 40" Epson printer- all I can say is- well- I won't say it- there are ladies present- suffice it to say the results were out of this planet.
When you get the airplane, let me know- we can make some killer areal photographers with the blad.

Oh! I did clean the glass and close the lid when I scanned some of those prints and negatives at the studio. Since most of that scanning was strictly for web use on forums, I reduced many of the images to accommodate the limitations on those sites- lord know what else I did to them but when the computer was working the images were OK at 72 DP!.

Photolady- The MAC has a Hasselblad "badge" on it- the latest model is dedicated to the system. I'll find out which model it is equivalent to. I didn't have a heart attack when I did the deal on the blad but there is the distinct possibility that my dear lovely wife is gonna murder me in my sleep regarding that particular investment. So if you never hear from me again- it's been nice knowing y'all!

[Ed Shapiro]

Hi Harry!

No- the lamp is OK- All of those images were scanned at different times. Shhhhhhhhhhh! I can't show this post to my wife- she's gonna think that I spent all that money because I forgot to change a light bulb. This sounds like the guy who replaced his TV set because he forgot to plug it in- I think he really wanted a new wide screen HD job but his better half was satisfied with the old set, so he cut off the plug. Thanks for the suggestion- Ed

[ladyphotog]

Originally Posted by Ed Shapiro

Photolady- The MAC has a Hasselblad "badge" on it- the latest model is dedicated to the system. I'll find out which model it is equivalent to. I didn't have a heart attack when I did the deal on the blad but there is the distinct possibility that my dear lovely wife is gonna murder me in my sleep regarding that particular investment. So if you never hear from me again- it's been nice knowing y'all!

The Phocus system, no wonder your wife wants to murder you!