ooze
Hmm, personally I would like to see Robin Bell interpret several negatives of different formats; a straight print and then Robin's interpretation(s). Some of those negatives should be difficult
Having interviewed a number of master printers, Robin included, I think I can fairly safely say that none of them would ever admit to having to work on 'difficult negatives'.
Firstly, as a commercial printer, it's not a good idea to tell a client that his/her negatives are 'difficult', it's tantamount to saying their exposures are poor. Besides, remember that a lot of printers will be processing the films they print from, too, making it the printer's job to compensate for poor exposures. Robin, for instance, knows the foibles of his clients and will often over or under develop as a matter of course - because he knows, say, that photographer 'x' underexposes by one stop etc. Or, the photographer will often ask for a sacrificial 'clip test' prior to developing a batch of film to confirm the development time.
Secondly, master printers like Robin tend to be, quite rightly, proud of their abilities in the darkroom - they simply won't admit to the existence of 'difficult negatives'. To do so might undermine their competence.
I'd echo what Tom Stanworth says. Get Robin to print something for you and not only will you get a great print, it's likely that he'll reveal something you hadn't noticed. He's an amazing printer - in my opinion probably the best in the UK - and his passion for what he does is quite inspirational. He's also a top bloke (but don't let him know I said that). Many world famous photographers rely on his abilities to showcase their work and he deserves much greater credit.
