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Ghostly church

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Gregg Simpson

New member
I would like your thoughts on this picture before I tell how it was done!


Solar_Church.jpg

This is a scan of the original print that I took 25 years ago (pre digital era) of St Albans Church, Withernwick, East Yorkshire, UK.
 
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Gregg Simpson

New member
The print is from a normal B&W neg ilford XP, the print was exposed and developed as normal, then into an E6 reversal bath for about 12-15 seconds, normal fix and rinse. You may have to experiment with times to get the right result.
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Gregg Simpson said:
The print is from a normal B&W neg ilford XP, the print was exposed and developed as normal, then into an E6 reversal bath for about 12-15 seconds, normal fix and rinse. You may have to experiment with times to get the right result.
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Gregg,

Why is it that I feel so good that it was done with your own hands and trial and error and not with an "artistic filter plugin in Photoshop, Lightroom or whatever? If the effect is the same, why do I care? Is that respect for your work or is it just artistic snobism?

Asher
 
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Gregg Simpson

New member
Asher Kelman said:
Gregg,

Why is it that I feel so good that it was done with your own hands and trial and error and not with an "artistic filter plugin in Photoshop, Lightroom or whatever? If the effect is the same, why do I care? Is that respect for your work or is it just artistic snobism?

Asher
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Asher,

I don't think it's snobism, there is/was something special about spending hours in fume filled darkroom playing with exposures, dodging, burning etc just to get the result you want. Don't get me wrong I love digital and I'm not missing the chemical fumes, but I do feel a lot of people new to photography are missing out, I think it gives you a better understanding of light, colour and composition processing your own film.
Too many photographers are over using PS effects on mediocre photos and calling it 'art'.
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Greg,

Is that Church near you? What would you think of making available file of that in digital as a regular B&W digital taken either at day or night time and see how close one might get to what you have done by software?


I have a feeling that the edges you have are very clean and would be hard to match.

Asher
 
fahim mohammed

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Gregg, spooky indeed. Puts the fear of God into one!

I specially like the tilted cross. Adds a touch of the macabre.

Regards.
 
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Gregg Simpson

New member
Asher Kelman said:
Greg,

Is that Church near you? What would you think of making available file of that in digital as a regular B&W digital taken either at day or night time and see how close one might get to what you have done by software?


I have a feeling that the edges you have are very clean and would be hard to match.

Asher
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Asher,

It's at the end of the street where I live, I will dig out the original neg and scan + I have some digital shots I will upload if that is ok!

Gregg
 
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Gregg Simpson

New member
Asher Kelman said:
Greg,

Is that Church near you? What would you think of making available file of that in digital as a regular B&W digital taken either at day or night time and see how close one might get to what you have done by software?


I have a feeling that the edges you have are very clean and would be hard to match.

Asher
Click to expand...
Asher,

Original B&W can be downloaded here

http://www.greggsimpson.co.uk/images/

I have uploaded it as a TIFF file to retain maximum detail. I look forward to seeing your efforts with Photoshop.

Gregg.
 
D

Daniel Buck

New member
the 2nd image looks much better in my opinion. Not compositionally or anything, but the processing. The first photo looks processed to much for me, akin to someone who can't sing well but tries so hard to! And for me, processing to the point of being really obvious usually leaves me with a sense of being fake. And with a sense of being fake, usually means that I don't buy into the original intent of the photograph :)

I dont' mind alot of processing, so long as it's seamless and not super "in your face". I work in an industry (movies and big commercials) where processing things and adding things that aren't already there is a day-to-day experience. And 9.8 times out of 10 the smoothest natural looking processing will take the cake, from artist to producer to director. Even if it's an out-of-world looking scene (take Avatar for example), if it's done well and done realistically, it's going to be buyable by alot more people, and thus appreciated alot more :) And appreciation/admiration, that's the ultimate goal for photographers, right? :)

Just my opinion though :)
 
G

Gregg Simpson

New member
Daniel Buck said:
the 2nd image looks much better in my opinion. Not compositionally or anything, but the processing. The first photo looks processed to much for me, akin to someone who can't sing well but tries so hard to! And for me, processing to the point of being really obvious usually leaves me with a sense of being fake. And with a sense of being fake, usually means that I don't buy into the original intent of the photograph :)

I dont' mind alot of processing, so long as it's seamless and not super "in your face". I work in an industry (movies and big commercials) where processing things and adding things that aren't already there is a day-to-day experience. And 9.8 times out of 10 the smoothest natural looking processing will take the cake, from artist to producer to director. Even if it's an out-of-world looking scene (take Avatar for example), if it's done well and done realistically, it's going to be buyable by alot more people, and thus appreciated alot more :) And appreciation/admiration, that's the ultimate goal for photographers, right? :)

Just my opinion though :)
Click to expand...
Daniel,

I appreciate your thoughts on this, but please take into account this was produced in a darkroom with chemicals and experimentation not with some Photoshop/Lightroom plugin, it wasn't intended to look realistic more surreal.

Gregg
 
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