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> becoming a better printer |
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#21
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#22
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I have found recently that a 'good' neg prints so much easier and better than a 'bad' one. The thing now for me and MY circumstances, is a way to get as many 'good' negs, on each film that I process.
Years ago, I always overdeveloped my negs, thinking that a little bit extra was better than not enough. I managed to print some of those negs but they were always very dense, especially in sky areas and they required a lot of burning in and dodging to get a decent print. I now develop my negs to be 'just so' = definitely a lot lighter than before and yes, I do find it much easier to print them. In fact the couple of times that I have used Ilfords XP2 film, although the negs look quite thin, they have produced some of my easiest to print work that I have been happy with. The only thing wrong with the film is it has NO grain, so focusing take take a longggg frustrating time to do, making you almost give up before you start! Terry S |
#23
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I used to work with a guy who had been a printer in a professional darkroom.
He said they never aimed to get better than OK for their prints - as they couldn't afford the time. However, he did say they always had reference prints on the wall of their viewing area, to allow the printers to quickly compare the tonal range of their work against known levels. It seemed a sensible idea to me. Martin |
#24
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Richafrd
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jerseyinblackandwhite.blogspot.com |
#25
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For those interested, I just remembered posting the Mt. Rainier image mentioned in my #14 post in my album. It should help in understanding my verbal description better. AA was never one to try to verbalize the merits of an image and always preached about the emotional impact of it; it either speaks to you or it doesn't. Ed Weston had this version of the same belief: "If you have to ask 'what is it', you never will know."
Last edited by Jerry Bodine; 10th March 2017 at 06:09 PM. |
#26
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I've just reread this thread, after it popped up whilst I was searching for something else.
There's some really good thoughts in it, so I'm glad I reread it. As for my path, to become a better printer. Well, I do and I am willing to spend more time, effort and materials in getting a better print than I used to. Most don't require too much of any of them, and thankfully I am getting a 'good' negative more often in the first place, which does make the whole process easier, more productive and more enjoyable. I don't fire off numerous exposures of anything on film, (like one does in digital) limiting myself to just one to two shots. I also take my time to look longer, when time allows, before pushing the shutter button on whatever camera that I am using. I have revisited older negatives and prints, and I can definitely see a difference between them when I reprint them. So I think the path that I tread is a long one, but one that I am enjoying going down and I am getting a little further along it each time I visit the darkroom. I just hope the above text doesn't sound too 'arty' and people can relate to at least some of it. Terry S |
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