How do rate your printing skills, wet or dry

[FrankS]

73% of statistics cited are made up on the spot.

[mdarnton]

I can't find myself in the list. For quite a while I was alternately a photographer and a B&W printer for other photographers. I once took a seasonal job that they'd used three people for, for years, and when they hired me they had to reassign the other two they'd hired that year. So I guess I do decent work, but I don't enjoy it, and dumped my darkroom about 12 years ago in favor of digital. I bet I could, today, walk into anyone's darkroom, with any equipment, and make a better print than most people, on the first or second sheet of paper. (Yes, I have a system, a consistent method. When I'm spinning, my trash rate is phenomenally low.)

Recently, however, having gone back to film since November, I have been regathering the fixings for a pocket darkroom based on a Durst M301 (my first enlarger, c1958, was a Durst 35mm enlarger, also, a Durst Reporter), so I guess I will be doing it again.

[Audii-Dudii]

I was pretty much hopeless in the wet chemical darkroom, but after 15 years of making inkjet prints for myself, I can now confidently declare myself to be a master printer ... of my own work, anyway!

Seriously! I've had other people (including several professional printers) print my files and their results are nowhere as good as mine. Of course, it helps that I'm effectively working in a closed-loop, in that I'm able to tailor my captures so as to optimize my final prints, because I know what look I want my prints to have and I know the various idiosyncracies of the equipment I'm using -- both on the front end and the back end -- quite well. That's an advantage that most professional printers don't have and at times, it can be quite a significant one.

Mind you, I suspect I would be hopeless at printing other people's files...

[varjag]

First printed wet when I was 9 or 10. I spoiled a few hundred sheets learning to print from 35mm, 120 and 5x7", so can arrive at a decent looking print now. Voted 4.

[zuiko85]

Sorry, but did not vote as there was no category titled 'hack wet printer'

[Ronald_H]

Have only been doing it for like two years. Unlike developing film, I have stuck with the same chemicals and materials (a.k.a paper). I find that having done years and years of Photoshop work helps you in the darkroom as well. But... I'm just a rank amateur. But the people I give prints usually are very happy with them. Even my wet prints far, far surpass b/w lab prints of digitized files.

[135format]

Well looks like most people place their skills somewhere in the middle which I would have guessed is about right. We have a handful who are very experienced printers and a surprising amount of "Master Printers". Not what I would have guessed but I know there are some very experience printers out there and I suppose since we have a fair amount of B+W photographers here maybe not too surprising.
And its good too see that we have new people entering the printing scene. Very important to keep wet printing alive. Stick at it, it gets easier with frequent practice.
Keep the votes coming.

[135format]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fizzlesticks

There is no surprise to the amount of ego on the Internet! Who knew that 12% of RFF are master printers! I guess this is proof positive of a study I saw a while back that average people always overestimate their abilities. Stewart touched upon that earlier. I sure would love to see some of the work of the master printers here!

Maybe my definition of a master printer deviates from some here but I have known some real master printers.

Since there is no distinction bewteen wet or dry printers I'd say you really don't know one way or the other. Give them the benfit of your doubt, they may be dry printers who are experts in inkjet printing.

And for others, my take on what a master printer is, is one who is accorded that status by his/her peers. Its not something you decide yourself.

[Fawley]

I've improved from the kind of stuff I used to crank out 30 years ago anyway. I'm starting to be able to reliably improve on an image by the usually darkroom tricks. I want to get better with toning and Farmer's Reducer.

[shadowfox]

The way I see it, you either bond with darkroom printing, or not.
It's like with piano (or lots of other things, piano is just an obvious one that came to my mind), some people have the talent, others don't.

You could be doing darkroom for years, but you still don't love *doing* it. You just like the results, therefore, you don't understand why others like the process.

You could be doing it just a couple of weeks, but you loved it. And that spurs you on to keep trying and guess what, you'll get better sooner.

I love printing in the darkroom.
I wish I have more time to do it.

[Chris101]

Originally Posted by shadowfox

...
I love printing in the darkroom.
I wish I have more time to do it.

That's where I am too. I also wish I had the energy to do it. Snapping and posting digital images is just SO much less work. I can usually only manage one major printed project a year.

When I compare how many see my prints vs the number of eyeballs that see my digital work on the internet ... well, that's discourages me as a printer too.

But then, when I look at my prints - and hold them in my hands - that makes the effort worthwhile again.

[timor]

Originally Posted by Roger Hicks

Mediocre

No kiddin.. Roger. In any case you are close enough to get help from E. Buziak.

[rizraz]

Just started wet printing again....... getting better

dry printing........ this one getting worse, the printer finally decided to gave up on me last month.

[steveniphoto]

i started last week and made a few prints.. they were passable i guess.

[jordanstarr]

I enjoyed reading this article, but what I enjoyed the most was the notations on the work prints.

http://theliteratelens.com/2012/02/1...room-printing/

[jordanstarr]

Originally Posted by 135format

Well looks like most people place their skills somewhere in the middle which I would have guessed is about right. We have a handful who are very experienced printers and a surprising amount of "Master Printers". Not what I would have guessed but I know there are some very experience printers out there and I suppose since we have a fair amount of B+W photographers here maybe not too surprising.
And its good too see that we have new people entering the printing scene. Very important to keep wet printing alive. Stick at it, it gets easier with frequent practice.
Keep the votes coming.

I'd be interested to know what the definition of "Master Printer" is and how one obtains that title.

[Vincent.G]

My prints look decent to my family and friends. I would love to have a master printer look at my prints some day.

As this is the internet, I won't take this poll too seriously but I voted for the fun of it.

[menthel]

Never had the chance to wet print but really want to. Otherwise I just send my pictures to the little photo printer I have and they come out vaguely resembling the photo I took. I would love a proper printer with good black and white reproduction but space doesn't allow!

[rogue_designer]

I used to print for other togs in a custom commercial/exhibition lab, and can print color (C print and Reversal including Cibachrome), BW as well as Platinum and a few other specialty methods in a wet lab, as well as being pretty well versed in digital printing methods - but I wouldn't call myself a master printer.

[paradoxbox]

i used to sell and service photo printers and color calibration equipment from all the big brands..i guess i'm pretty good at printing. i can't wet print to save my life though. i need more space to do it

[MartinP]

I have been printing black-and-white for somewhat more than thirty years, including several years professionally, formats from 35mm to 10x8". I've also started playing with RA4 in the last year. I ticked "run-of-the-mill" in the poll.

[Rotarysmp]

I am between 3 and 4. I choose 3.

I used to have darkroom equipment which I would set up in the bathroom. Made it very time consuming with the extra hour of set up and break down. I have a few photos I am very proud of, but a lot of negatives I wasn't good enough to print to my expectations. This set up got sold when the kids came along.

Then spend a couple of years scanning film (Minolta dual scan I) and printing to an Epson 870. Different frustrations to a wet darkroom (controlling color and profile, ink consumption, ink refilling, fading, clog nozzles) , but also a few photos I really liked. In general I printed smaller formats than in the darkroom.

Gave up for years, funny how the first 5 years of digital have the least permanent evidence, but the most shots taken. All the photos in that time are digital files.

Now I have a been given an Epson R800 but can't get it unclogged, and have been sending my files to a lab for printing (it is so cheap and convenient). I still have no real control over color.

A digital film converted to B&W which I had the lab do a "fine art inkjet print" on Baryt is the best B&W photo I have. Rather a defeat for my printing skills.