Now we’re beginning to get to where the rubber meets the road! In my opinion this step may be the most important ones besides finding and making your exposure in the field and making the final print!  As previously discussed, if you’ve made a Proper Proof sheet it will tell you a lot about your negatives in terms of exposure, contrast, your chosen film speed and composition.

Here’s what I do. I sit down with my proof sheet in good light and look at it carefully. If I see pictures that look like they may be candidates to be printed I then examine them carefully using a high quality loupe.

Now for a dose of reality … sometimes when I look at a proof sheet I decide there isn’t anything on I want to print.   It’s all right; it happens and it will happen to you too if you really care about only printing pictures that meet a high standard. Be ruthless in your editing. It may seem frustrating, but it will make you a better photographer!

For years I have used two adjustable focus loupes made by Mamiya  that are designed for 35mm and 120 negative sizes and the images they yield on proof sheets.  If I find a picture I like I take a red marking pen (I like Sharpies) and draw a line around it.  I then look at it carefully with the loupe.  Next, I do something very important. I decide whether I will print it full frame or whether I’ll crop it. That’s right – as I’ve discussed before, I crop my photographs when necessary to improve the print I will be making.  Can’t deal with that, I’m sorry. You’ll live … I have and I am here to write about it.

I use a couple of pieces of mat board as cropping tools and decide what to delete, then I use the same pen to mark off what I want crop on the picture. I have now accomplished two things.  One, I have decided if there is anything on the my proof sheet worth printing; and two, if necessary, I have made the essential cropping decisions to make the picture(s) better.  Now when I am ready to make a print I know exactly what to do!

Believe me, this is a much better approach than simply grabbing a proof sheet, looking at it quickly and willy nilly making a print. Sure, you might get lucky, but you are more likely to waste a lot of time and be doomed to a lot of frustration along the way.

Trust me on this and stay safe,

Michael