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Old March 3rd 06, 02:45 PM posted to rec.photo.darkroom
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Default How does one become a master printer?

My short answer to this is always: buy a bigger garbage can.

Practice, try new things, read. There are a lot of alternate processes out
there and techniques that are in danger of becoming obsolete since the
sources for the materials are disappearing, so try them now.

Good to retain finished copies of all your "experiments" and keep a good
Daybook or Journal so you can recall what you did (also good). I tend to
write my notes on the back of my prints. Parker ball points write well on
RC prints, and RC is plenty good for experimentation (possible exception for
RC and the next thing on my list to explore is lith printing). Film notes
in 3x5 spiral notebooks that are transcribed to the back of contact sheets.
I don't obsess in the Zonie fashion about every frame but will take general
notes, filters used, times and type of developer, etc. (I don't mean this in
a bad way, I'm not trying to knock their methods, but I learned early on
that I'm not disciplined enough to take notes on every exposure.)

I also print model releases on the back of contact sheets for models to
sign. I get a release when I shoot and then get the second release signed
when they prick up their copies. The release then gets filed with the
negatives (almost like a system).

Ansel Adams used to call it practicing the scales, he was also a very good
pianist and made the analogy to music frequently in his writings. Good
teacher, excellent photographer, excelled in the darkroom, but the last
exhibit I viewed I was surprised at the sloppy way he spotted prints (may
have been the "help' but I was tickled to know there is one-and only
one!--area in which I consider myself at par with the master).

Vestal also goes on at length about ways to explore our medium, film
exposure and darkroom testing are very much center to his books.

Ralph Hattersly is another, much of his "avant garde" work looks pretty
dated now but he had a really big bag of darkroom techniques, even if you
never print anything that looks like his stuff he had some pretty slick
tricks.

I think it's good to hang your work on the wall but hang some of the
"failures" as well as keepers, you may figure out what it was you didn't
like about a "bad" print or you may change your mind and decide you want to
explore that technique later on!

That and 20-30 years will make almost anyone a "master".

--
darkroommike


wrote in message
oups.com...
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?