Re: later looks

[cmiller@berkshire.net (Curt Miller)]

Hello -

Ben said (in part):
I cannot count how many times I've printed til the wee hours, washed, dried
and spotted my prints, and walked away loving the results. Next day, I look
at them again, and I like them. About a week later I hate them.


I'm not sure that you may not be trying TOO hard, too soon with your prints.
I'll share with you my approach which is somewhat different.  Perhaps going
a bit easier will help.

I usually shoot 2-10 rolls of film per week (mostly in my Leicas, some in
MF).  I develop immediately.  Within a few days, I loupe all my negs and
decide which I'm hottest to print.  I print these (still within the week) on
8X10 VC RC paper.  I don't bother spotting (though I'm meticulous about dust
and print with a glass carrier).  These are my "work" prints.  I then carry
these around with me everywhere.  I look at them constantly, sometimes
sharing them with co-workers, etc.  I then refine (a continual process) my
images that 'make the grade' and from which I want to make exhibition prints
for my galleries (for sale).  It is only then that I will make fiber prints
(selenium toned, etc., etc.) from these images.  By the time I've gotten to
this stage, I well aware of an image's strong points and shortcomings so
there is little disappointment.

I love working very quickly with the RC stock and can print a dozen images,
wash and dry within a couple of hours.  I love looking at these over the
years, too.  I've gotten pretty good at making reasonable prints on this
stuff quickly.  This way, many more of my images come to life than if I
toiled over FB.   For exhibition/sale I ONLY use FB!  I use about 100-200
sheets of VC RC stock per month.  My very favorite is Agaf MC Premium.  The
base is brighter than the Ilford (my clse 2nd choice) and it is cheaper (I
buy it in 250 sheet boxes).  The funny thing is, when I enter competitions,
my image are always on FB so other photographers think I turn my nose up at
RC.  I probably go through more RC in a week than most of them in 6 months!


Curt


BTW - My "hit rate" is about 1 in 300-500 images (suitable for exhibition/sale).
PS - Ben: My wife got me some discount plane tickets so I'm thinking about
flying to Denver in a month or two.

Elizabeth Mei Wong
Birding with Berkshire County's Hoffman Bird Club or
             Women Outdoors at http://members.aol.com/womenout/index.htm

Henry Curtis Miller, M.P.A.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts
In the Berkshires, next door to Tanglewood