I plan to start learning the technique of unsharp masking. I would be interested in hearing about others experiences and advice on this subject. I will be working with 4x5 negatives and plan to use T-Max 100 and T-max RS developer for making the masks. Thanks for any comments.

-- Jeff White (zonie@computer-concepts.com), August 28, 1998

Answers

I learned this technique from Don Kirby and have done a few tests that have "worked" but I've found the process is very involved and a bit tedious. If you need the sharpening or contrast reducing effects for a particular negative I'd say its worth the effort, however some photogs advocate doing it for all their negs!! I'd say thats overkill unless you've got a ton of time on your hands or you just love doing lab work all day long. Anyhow I have the info for the process I used, TMX and RS dev. just like you're planning . If you 've got any specific questions feel free to e-mail me

-- Tony J. Mastres (mastres@id.ucsb.edu), September 03, 1998.