One of the fun components of working with collodion based image making is the many variations it provides. By reading 19th century literature it is easy to determine that photographers made negatives, all other practitioners were called tintypists, daguerreotypists and ambrotypists. This is why some contemporary collodion based photographers will sometimes say, with tongue in cheek and intended humour: Real photographers make negatives.
Hobbit's Garden, Salted Silver Print
Is it more challenging to make a negative? Most definitely. Are the rewards greater? That depends. Enjoyment comes in many different forms – I enjoy the opportunity to try the many different printing techniques of the 19th century pioneers. Additionally, I live in a climate when November through to May isn't really conducive to fun working in the field, so printing fills that void.
Should the challenges not be sufficiently enticing, the opportunity to finish a print with beeswax and the aroma of lavender oil should lure you in.