I am curious about how other contributors work up to their final print. For example, I will usually work on a series of images that I think have potential and after achieving a final proof I like, I will usually tape it onto a temporary mount and overmat. Sometimes I will put up a toned and untoned versiion in different places, one at home maybe one at work to help decide if it is what I ultimately want to produce as a fine print. Sometimes I will make two prints of same image but different sizes. Occaisonally I will just put the print away and come back to it a month later and see if it still interests me.

Does anyone else follow similar methods or have different ideas in deciding if what they have worked on is a keeper?

-- James Chinn (JChinn2@dellepro.com), February 16, 2002

Answers

James

I use a very similar method. In may case I tend to make what I think should be the final version and mount it. I then like you place it around various parts of the house for about 3 - 4 weeks and if it still "moves" me then I make another final version for mounting on quality mounting board. The first version is then kept on file with the printing notes in case I want to make another. I am fairly ruthless when examining contacts and I only make full negative proofs from maybe 1 or 2 negativies in a film. I like the idea of making toned and untoned versions.

Adrian

-- Adrian Twiss (avtwiss@ukonline.co.uk), February 17, 2002.

Comments of others are very important. It's hard to be objective with you own work. Matting the print helps, as it improves the presentation and allows you to see it like it would be displayed. Experimenting with toners is also a factor.

I have less of a problem determining which of my prints are high quality than predicting which negatives will produce superior prints. Some of my best prints have been from negatives I thought were only so-so. So much can be done at the printing stage with both chemicals and exposure. So in my opinion, identifying the negative that you need to devote hours to can be the real key to determining which of your prints are "keepers."

-- Jim Rock (jameswrock@aol.com), February 19, 2002.