Basic Photography Course

The negative and printing glass must be cleaned

before you place the negative on the printer. Place the
negative emulsion-side up on the printing glass and

arrange them under the mask until the desired
composition is obtained. When you must make more
than one print from the same negative, tape the negative
(at the corners only) to the printing glass. If the negative

is completely taped down, air can be trapped between it

and the glass. When the platen or pressure cover is
moved into the printing position, the air does not escape.
This results in an unsharp print. When you use a
hand-cut mask, tape the mask to the glass along one edge
before positioning the negative.

Printing Filter Selection

The first requirement for you to make a good print

is a clean negative. The negative must then be examined
to determine the contrast (flat, normal, or contrasty) and
the approximate exposure time required to produce a
quality print. As a beginning darkroom worker, you may
not be able to make these determinations accurately;
however, in a short time and with a little experience, you
should overcome any trouble.

In analyzing a negative to determine the most

suitable printing filter, be careful not to confuse contrast
with density. When in doubt, make test prints. If the test
print is contrasty, you should make another test print
with a lower numbered filter to lower the contrast. If the
original test print lacks contrast, change to a filter with
a higher number to increase the contrast. This is a good
time to review the information on printing filters and
printing papers in chapters 2 and 3.

Test Print

The printing exposure is the operation most likely

to cause trouble for an inexperienced darkroom
technician. Unlike most films that can tolerate some
overexposure and underexposure and still yield usable
photographs, printing papers must be exposed correctly
to produce good prints.

Experience and familiarity with printing equipment

does help; but for a beginner, the correct exposure for
prints from most negatives is best determined by making
test prints.

The factors that affect exposure are as follows:

The intensity of the printing lights

The distance between the printing lights

and the printing glass

The sensitivity of the printing paper

The density of the negative

The first three factors are standardized and,

therefore, eliminated as variables by using the contact
printer and by printing with the same type of paper. The
only remaining variable is negative density. You can
determine negative density by making a few test
exposures. The exposure time for a negative of average
density may be about 1 to 3 seconds. When the negative
is large, avoid the expensive and wasteful temptation of
using a whole sheet of paper; instead, use a strip about
2 inches wide and as long as the negative for the test
exposure. For example, an 8x10 sheet of paper can be
cut into three or four small strips.

After you have determined the filter and the

test-exposure time, set the timer accordingly. Place the
paper test strip over the negative in the printing position.
Place the test strip on the negative so the test exposure
includes some highlights, midtones, and shadow areas.

Hold the paper in position with one hand and lower the
platen. As soon as the platen grips the edge of the paper,
move your hand away. When the platen is fully lowered,
turn on the printing lights for the test-exposure time.

When the test strip has been exposed, develop it for

the recommended time. If the image is too dark, the
exposure was too long. If the image is too light, the
exposure was too short.

It is difficult for even an experienced photographer

to judge the contrast of an under- or overexposed print
that has been under or overexposed. Before attempting
to judge the contrast of a print, you must change the
exposure until the proper density is reached. A normally
exposed print develops gradually, but steadily-shadows

first, then midtones, and finally highlights. The image
should appear in about 30 seconds, providing the

developer is at the proper strength and temperature. If
the image develops very quickly with a general mottling,
it is overexposed and the next test should be given less
exposure. An overexposed print develops in a very short
time, and the common temptation is to "pull" (remove)
it from the developer. This prevents the image from
getting too dark, but results in a flat, muddy, uneven,
tone image. On the other hand, when the recommended
development does not produce a print of the proper
density after 2 minutes, the print is underexposed. After
you have successfully exposed and processed a few
prints, you will rapidly gain enough experience to
estimate, closely, the density of negatives for contact
printing exposures.

11-5

contents

Basic Photography Course

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DOFMaster for Windows On-line Depth of Field Calculator DOFMaster for Mobile Devices On-line Depth of Field Table Hyperfocal Distance Chart Articles FAQ Recommended Books Support Contact Links Home As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.	contents <- previous page next page -> The negative and printing glass must be cleaned before you place the negative on the printer. Place the negative emulsion-side up on the printing glass and arrange them under the mask until the desired composition is obtained. When you must make more than one print from the same negative, tape the negative (at the corners only) to the printing glass. If the negative is completely taped down, air can be trapped between it and the glass. When the platen or pressure cover is moved into the printing position, the air does not escape. This results in an unsharp print. When you use a hand-cut mask, tape the mask to the glass along one edge before positioning the negative. Printing Filter Selection The first requirement for you to make a good print is a clean negative. The negative must then be examined to determine the contrast (flat, normal, or contrasty) and the approximate exposure time required to produce a quality print. As a beginning darkroom worker, you may not be able to make these determinations accurately; however, in a short time and with a little experience, you should overcome any trouble. In analyzing a negative to determine the most suitable printing filter, be careful not to confuse contrast with density. When in doubt, make test prints. If the test print is contrasty, you should make another test print with a lower numbered filter to lower the contrast. If the original test print lacks contrast, change to a filter with a higher number to increase the contrast. This is a good time to review the information on printing filters and printing papers in chapters 2 and 3. Test Print The printing exposure is the operation most likely to cause trouble for an inexperienced darkroom technician. Unlike most films that can tolerate some overexposure and underexposure and still yield usable photographs, printing papers must be exposed correctly to produce good prints. Experience and familiarity with printing equipment does help; but for a beginner, the correct exposure for prints from most negatives is best determined by making test prints. The factors that affect exposure are as follows: The intensity of the printing lights The distance between the printing lights and the printing glass The sensitivity of the printing paper The density of the negative The first three factors are standardized and, therefore, eliminated as variables by using the contact printer and by printing with the same type of paper. The only remaining variable is negative density. You can determine negative density by making a few test exposures. The exposure time for a negative of average density may be about 1 to 3 seconds. When the negative is large, avoid the expensive and wasteful temptation of using a whole sheet of paper; instead, use a strip about 2 inches wide and as long as the negative for the test exposure. For example, an 8x10 sheet of paper can be cut into three or four small strips. After you have determined the filter and the test-exposure time, set the timer accordingly. Place the paper test strip over the negative in the printing position. Place the test strip on the negative so the test exposure includes some highlights, midtones, and shadow areas. Hold the paper in position with one hand and lower the platen. As soon as the platen grips the edge of the paper, move your hand away. When the platen is fully lowered, turn on the printing lights for the test-exposure time. When the test strip has been exposed, develop it for the recommended time. If the image is too dark, the exposure was too long. If the image is too light, the exposure was too short. It is difficult for even an experienced photographer to judge the contrast of an under- or overexposed print that has been under or overexposed. Before attempting to judge the contrast of a print, you must change the exposure until the proper density is reached. A normally exposed print develops gradually, but steadily-shadows first, then midtones, and finally highlights. The image should appear in about 30 seconds, providing the developer is at the proper strength and temperature. If the image develops very quickly with a general mottling, it is overexposed and the next test should be given less exposure. An overexposed print develops in a very short time, and the common temptation is to "pull" (remove) it from the developer. This prevents the image from getting too dark, but results in a flat, muddy, uneven, tone image. On the other hand, when the recommended development does not produce a print of the proper density after 2 minutes, the print is underexposed. After you have successfully exposed and processed a few prints, you will rapidly gain enough experience to estimate, closely, the density of negatives for contact printing exposures. 11-5 contents Basic Photography Course <- previous page next page ->	As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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