Ctein goes digital!

[AshenLight]

My wife and I own several of Ctein's dye transfer prints. They represent the work of a master and to be honest, how he arrives at the final print is immaterial to me considering the artistry of his work. I find it hard to judge a photographer (or any other artist for that matter) by the medium he or she chooses to create the final image. If someone's art moves you, why does the methodology used to create it matter?

Ash

[Chazzy]

I was going to buy his book, but not now. No way.

[Shaggysk8]

Well all his reason seemed fair enough and film is not endangered so I hope he finds a new lease of life, I mean we do all have to challenge ourselves after all.

Paul

[jovo]

I've never found Ctein's photographs to be anything more than competent, and there are an awful lot of those folks in the world. I'm sure the prints are excellent, but if I'm not all that taken with the image, the print is immaterial. Now he'll just be one more pixelographer in the ever expanding sea of pixelographers, and won't even have the distinction he accords himself of being the best dye transfer printer in the world. Congratulations, Ctein, on making yourself irrelevant.

[AshenLight]

I've never found Ctein's photographs to be anything more than competent, and there are an awful lot of those folks in the world. I'm sure the prints are excellent, but if I'm not all that taken with the image, the print is immaterial. Now he'll just be one more pixelographer in the ever expanding sea of pixelographers, and won't even have the distinction he accords himself of being the best dye transfer printer in the world. Congratulations, Ctein, on making yourself irrelevant.

My, what a stunningly narrow view. The general intolerance here for any photographer that uses any medium but film is amazing.

Ash

[Jerry Basierbe]

Agreed.

Jerry

My, what a stunningly narrow view. The general intolerance here for any photographer that uses any medium but film is amazing.

Ash

[David A. Goldfarb]

If it's where he wants to be now for the work that he does, I don't see what I have to say about it. I'd still recommend _Post-Exposure_ 2/e as a must-have book for any darkroom worker, and I'm happy to own one of his dye-transfer prints.

[perkeleellinen]

I've heard about the guy because of his technical articles I don't understand. I've heard he makes nice prints, but I've never had chance to see one. I wonder if photography is unique in that people judge artistic output by equipment choice, I also wonder if in any other medium an artist would announce to the world when they change technique.

[keithwms]

For quite some time Ctein branded himself as a superlative dye-transfer printer, maybe even the last great colour printer overall. Last time I checked there was truly no limit to the hyperbole. That said, I have heard from many that the prints, when viewed in person, are indeed very special.

It will be a loss for the analogue community if/when the dye transfer method of printing is gone, but we must also remember that the method and the man are two separate things, and nowhere is it written that dye transfer is the best that can ever be.

This may also be a great risk for him, because, frankly, his fame is largely derived from his methods and his stockpiled resources. If it is true that he is going digital then he is cutting out something that really distinguished his work. So I wish him the best of luck with that.

P.S. I would hasten to add that I strongly believe that people should use whatever tools they need to put their thoughts onto paper. If something just isn't working then, hey, experiment and try new things. Maybe he felt he was in a rut. It happens.

[wiltw]

Why are we unable to separate the concept of capture, from the concept of output?! What Ctein now chooses to use to capture his images remains independent of his darkroom mastery of a classic print making process. Yes, it does raise a question about how he obtains a color negative image with which to make his exceptional dye transfer prints!