nospam
In article <9fn4a9t5g65j06rsia3gj7c304slcldv3q@4ax.com>, Eric Stevens <eric.stevens@sum.co.nz>wrote:

some photographers did do their own darkroom work, but as i said, it wasn't required. many pro photographers worked with a pro lab who took care of the details.

Eric Stevens
And the photographer had no idea of what kind of things the lab could do for them.

PeterN
And the good ones give precise instructions to the lab. In order to give instructions to the lab, the good photographer must understand what a lab can, and cannot do. If the instructions are not followed, the lab doesn't get paid.

Eric Stevens
Quite.

nospam
quite wrong. have you ever worked with a pro lab?

you tell them *what* you want, not *how* to do it.

you don't tell them how many seconds of exposure or how long to leave it in the developer. *they* handle that part.