Quote:
Originally Posted by PavelDerka
Are many of you here familiar with the website http://www.shorpy.com/?
I look through every day when I find the time. The site features quite a broad selection of era photography and is very interesting I think, to lovers of photography and history both.
I have long noticed that the photographs from the late 90' to the 20's have what I think of as a special charm. Content aside, the part that surprises and quite frankly perplexes me is how rich these photographs are.
I wonder if it is the fact that they are made with dry plates, or perhaps what I'm struck by is the characteristic of the large 8x10 sizes itself. Could film shot on 8x10 impart the same richness today? Could it be inherent to the slow speed of these emulsions or are there lost developing techniques at play as well?
I see much stunning beauty in modern high calibre works today - but if my memory serves me accurately here I don't find quite that same rich look, spanning sometimes all the way from dark to light areas of what must have been contrasty scenes. Or is it my imagination?
To those who may be unfamiliar with the site altogether - I'm hoping you find it fascinating as well.
I'd love to hear others thoughts on this. As I try to conquer the darkroom with baby steps I've found a strong appreciation of what has come before us, and the high level of mastery I can now better appreciate.
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Pavel, thanks for that link, it’s a very interesting site, which I was unaware of and has now gone into my browser for further long term study.
The richness of some of those older images is unique and probably today we can only emulate but not compete. I would suggest there are a number of reasons for this richness, such as the use of glass plates, which had wonderful dimensional stability, i.e. they were dead flat. Cameras were often heavier, reducing vibration during exposure. The use of chlorobromide papers, which were richer than some around today. This was an age before marketing men talked bullshit and when quality papers were quality, even having different weights and thickness. Also inside subjects were sometimes lit with more powerful multiple lights, when the weight of equipment was less of a consideration.