ABSTRACT
For the most part, I favor the distinctive attributes of analog photography and, hence, prefer to work in the darkroom. But, there are some advantages to digital imaging that cannot be ignored by even the most diehard of film enthusiasts. The option and flexibility to take a digital image and easily make the necessary tonal corrections, or dramatically manipulate its composition and contents, does either not exist or is only difficult to achieve in a purely analog environment. Still, some photographers just do not want to give up on the unique qualities of an analog, fiber-base print. The reasons are mostly subjective in nature, because a well-made fiber-base print is clearly in a class of its own and truly ‘beautiful’. But sometimes, the reasons to opt for a fiber-base print may be based on a specific customer request, or they simply serve as a trademark to be clearly distinguished from competing photographers. Nevertheless, there is no longer a compelling reason to make an either-or decision between analog photography and digital imaging, based on the desire to have a fiber-base print as the final output, because analog and digital techniques are easily combined. Through use of hybrid halftone printing, time-proven materials and digital image manipulation are successfully incorporated, and the final product is a fiber-base print, which is impossible to distinguish from its analog counterpart.
