How far is too far?

November 22, 2011 How far is too far?

It seem’s at the moment I’m shooting two rolls of film in my Rollei every day, and processing them at night.

I process the films in my tank, and after the negatives dry, I scan them and then open them in Photoshop.

Now I’m trying to keep things as authentic as I can (well, until I can get my hands on an enlarger and some photo paper), but i find myself wanting to play in Photoshop. So far I’ve limited myself to getting rid of spots, and selective burning and dodging of certain areas.

But it leaves me wondering, exactly how far did people go in adjusting prints back in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s? And in keeping with the theme of remaining semi-authentic, I don’t really want to do anything I can’t do in a darkroom. I might learn one day how to replace skies and things in the darkroom, but until I can, I’m trying to keep things pure…