As a long time contact sheet fan, I've imaged having a Photoshop template of a Tri-X contact sheet I could paste my "roll" into. Failing that, the LR print module will suffice.
A bit of reminiscence, I used to work in a pro photo lab in Chicago, color side, but on off-hours, could wonder into the BW side and make enlarged "contact sheets" -- 11 x 14 or 16 x 20 -- of my black and white work. They're still fun to look at.
I'm one of those who grew up making contact or proof sheets to see and edit a 'take'. Always loved the magic. I have a gallery show of concert performance photography from the 70's and 80's up in a museum now. When deciding what pix to hang I had the idea of re-creating contact sheets from shows I would be showing. I made six 17 X 22 prints of the contact sheets from select shows so that a viewer can see the final and the possible choices as well as how quickly the artists and stage can change from 1-36 frames. People really enjoy it. To get an original look I placed the negatives on a light table, covered with a piece of glass and photographed them from above. Next time I'll try the print dialogue in LRCC.
Let me be the contrarian. As much as I appreciate and miss the wet process, contact sheets were legacy as the result of necessity. It was a quick and dirty process to "catalog" and develop a gestalt of the content and general appearance from a series of negatives, much akin to a series of "thumbnails" today. While it might be a fun "mini-project", for old time's sake, its true utility is a bit suspect.
I miss them. I miss my darkroom.
Great project! Nothing better than when the contact sheet comes out of the developing tray. Even the digital development tray!
What a great idea -- I'm on it!
As a long time contact sheet fan, I've imaged having a Photoshop template of a Tri-X contact sheet I could paste my "roll" into. Failing that, the LR print module will suffice.
A bit of reminiscence, I used to work in a pro photo lab in Chicago, color side, but on off-hours, could wonder into the BW side and make enlarged "contact sheets" -- 11 x 14 or 16 x 20 -- of my black and white work. They're still fun to look at.
Thanks for the mini project idea.
Great post! I shoot with the “Texas Leica” and still develop the negs in the darkroom. I will try out this wonderful idea!!
I'm one of those who grew up making contact or proof sheets to see and edit a 'take'. Always loved the magic. I have a gallery show of concert performance photography from the 70's and 80's up in a museum now. When deciding what pix to hang I had the idea of re-creating contact sheets from shows I would be showing. I made six 17 X 22 prints of the contact sheets from select shows so that a viewer can see the final and the possible choices as well as how quickly the artists and stage can change from 1-36 frames. People really enjoy it. To get an original look I placed the negatives on a light table, covered with a piece of glass and photographed them from above. Next time I'll try the print dialogue in LRCC.
Let me be the contrarian. As much as I appreciate and miss the wet process, contact sheets were legacy as the result of necessity. It was a quick and dirty process to "catalog" and develop a gestalt of the content and general appearance from a series of negatives, much akin to a series of "thumbnails" today. While it might be a fun "mini-project", for old time's sake, its true utility is a bit suspect.