Originally Posted by
Doremus Scudder
This.
The only thing I do differently than Vaughan is to base my print exposures on a highlight value. I make a test strip at my starting contrast setting, find the exposure that gives me the desired value for a textured highlight and then make a straight print at that exposure.
If the midtones and blacks are not where I want them, then I change contrast settings accordingly and make another test strip. I'll do this a couple of times, maybe, before I get close to the right contrast. At that point, the creative manipulations start: dodging and burning (often at different contrast settings), bleaching, etc., etc.
It may sound like a lot of wasted time making all those test strips and prints, but it's not. In reality, especially as you gain experience, you'll achieve your end goals more quickly and waste less paper. Every good printer I know uses some kind of test strip or exposure meter to determine a base exposure and then some other method to determine ballpark contrast. Some use contrast ring-arounds with split printing techniques, others just make another test strip at the new, estimated contrast, etc. Whatever; it really doesn't matter as long as you have something that works and lets you approach each individual print with a clear strategy.
Best,
Doremus
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