Is a print the end point of the photographic process?

With this image, I had a difficult time settling on the overall tonality. In the end, or rather, for the time being, I decided that I preferred the lower key version presented here. I think the main reason is the increased contrast between the highlights on tree trunks and the dark horizontal mass in the background I was able to achieve.  I am happy enough with the image that I will spend some more time with it and ultimately make a physical print, which is always an arduous (and sometimes $$$) process for me. I might need to do a little more adjusting for a physical print, or take a different approach entirely. For me, a tangible object of some kind is always the end point of my art, in spite of the fact most of my work is only ever experienced in the digital domain.

Back in the darkroom

I took one, and only one, photography class at university. I just didn't connect with the way the material was being taught and never took another course there. It was an introductory photojournalism class and the print critiques were always very focused on technical details, such as why did you use Rodinal for these negatives? Don't you know that huge balls of grain don't suit every subject? That kind of thing. For whatever reason, I was enamored of the Rodinal look at the time -- are, bure, boke, baby -- but nobody was buying that as an argument. Plus, I agitated my film like I was shaking a martini, which didn't help matters very much either. 

On the other hand, I learned a tremendous amount in the darkroom, both by making a lot of crappy prints (and a few good ones), but also by chatting with the man who managed the university's teaching darkrooms. For example, he once told me I should experiment with as many cameras and film formats as I could until I found the right tool for me. He said I'd know when I'd found it. I couldn't afford to do take his advice at the time, as much as I may have wanted to. 

I was always a bit sheepish about picking up my prints from the public space at the end of a working session. I was never completely satisfied with my results, I guess. Ultimately, I tired of working in a shared space and started maintaining a guerrilla darkroom in a large closet wherever I happened to be living at the time. 

Recently, I've converted a small bathroom into a darkroom, and I've started printing again. Fun!