Depends, of course, on what you mean by 'Master Printer'. Do you want
to make great prints from good negatives, or good prints from crappy
negatives?

I am from the minimalist school of printing. That means I interefere
very little (these days) with the printing process. To me, even
'expert' manipulations are quite noticable and distracting. I have
looked through Salgado's books, for instance, and have noticed rather
obvious manipulations (lines near the horizon, etc.). I would really
prefer little or none.


Draco wrote:
hugoamt wrote:
"Here's a question that I haven't seen asked on the internet: how does

one become a master printer? I'm not looking for a quick recipe, but I

want to know what it takes. Is it a matter of getting a good
background in photography at a school, landing a job in a lab, honing
your craft for years, and building a reputation? I'd really appreciate

it if the printers out there could share how they did it. How did you
become a master printer? "

You said it yourself, honing your craft and building
a reputation. UC also had it right. By learning to
make a good negative in the first place it becomes
easier to make good prints. Also learning to
make good prints from crappy negatives will
allow you to improve your printing skills.

Keep working at it.


Draco


Getting even isn't good enough.