I just visited Lynn Radeka's web site (www.radekaphotography.com), where there is a great deal of information about various masks used in black and white printing. His photographs, as viewed on my monitor, are beautiful. I'm wondering -- how many of you who are still doing darkroom work use masks for contrast reduction, enhancement, etc.?
It seems like an awful lot of fuss to me, not the mention the cost of pin registration systems, lith film, etc.
Are those of us who are not using masks not getting the most out of our negatives? Did Saint Ansel use masks? Can great prints be made without having to do a lot of cutting, pasting, aligning, pinning, etc?
Just when you think you have a great print for the bathroom wall, along comes another method that makes you question whether it's really that wonderful.
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