One of my first attempts at landscape photography in 1963.
The unmanipulated scan is a stark reminder of the challenges facing photographers nearly fifty years ago. Graded paper, special developers and judicious burning and dodging had to be mastered in order to tame contrast and ensure a correct rendition of shadows and highlights. Very seldom was the first attempt even vaguely satisfactory - numerous test prints were required to establish correct exposure and tonal range before a good print was produced!
Spots, blemishes, scratches and other imperfections on the negatives had to be dealt with either by chemical or physical means. It certainly was a time consuming and expensive pursuit.
Today, although Photoshop and other software handles processing seamlessly, non destructively and with consummate ease, each and every procedure can be traced back to traditional darkroom techniques.
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