This is a neg scan of a shot I made in India 2005 (Pune Botanical Gardens). It is the interior of an open well used for irrigation.
The neg is quite thin and I have tried to print it a few times but the perfect rendition eludes me. Any comments on how to get the best out of this one?
As I view this negative, the problem that presents itself is that the sunlit portions are increasing the overall contrast and in so doing are limiting the optimization of the local contrast .
If I were printing this I would do one of two things...the first is to flash the print to reduce the overall contrast to allow the print to be printed at a higher contrast and optimize the local contrast.
The second would be to mask the print with a contrast reduction mask. This would serve to bring the low values upward to collapse the overall contrast and again to print at a higher contrast to optimize local contrast. Normally this would not be a viable option on a negative with this high DR but because the low values are all low to mid tones the effect would not be detrimental. Masking could be done by using unsharp means and registration does not need to be ultra precise in this procedure.
Masking would provide the best selection of effected areas. Flashing would be more global in effect.
If this were a larger negative, I would probably opt for local density removal from the camera negative itself.
I agree with Donald, there are terrific shapes and textures in this image, well worth perservering. Saw you in Black and White Photography magazine recently. Probably the best magazine out there at the moment.