Film Fresh from the darkroom.

480sparky

Regular
Name
Ken
Spent half an hour in Ye Olde-Fashioned Darkroom, making a wet print of one of the negatives from last weekend's photo outing with the Shen Hao.

2015-10-132020.09.12.jpg


I was getting way too much contrast shooting Ilford Delta 100 at factory specs, so I dropped it to ISO 50 and cut developing from 12:00 to 9:30. Now I'm seeing much better mid-tones.
 
Very nice work! I always admire people who are capable to make these prints!
There is something about film that is difficult to replicate in digital.
I've heard that shooting film becomes a hype again, especially among people who were born in the digital age.
 
Is this hard to do? I was given an old enlarger, several developing trays, and a couple packs of photo paper. I've been having all of my film lab developed, and just scanning the negatives, but I'd like to try printing if it's not too much of a bother.

TT
 
Is this hard to do? I was given an old enlarger, several developing trays, and a couple packs of photo paper. I've been having all of my film lab developed, and just scanning the negatives, but I'd like to try printing if it's not too much of a bother.

TT

depends on what you consider a bother?

You'll need at least a full bathroom (no windows), wood over tub with 2feet open at the drain side
  • Enlarger and 3 trays/tongs go on the wood. (you may need legs to support the weight)
  • safe light bulb (red 6.5 watt)
  • darkroom timer
  • paper easel
  • paper developer / Stop / Fixer / Rinse tray (11x14 deep tray with a darkroom faucet print washer that fits over tub faucet and the deep 11x14 tray sits in the tub under the faucet) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/82706-REG/General_Brand_PR1114P_Rapid_Water_Jet_Print.html
  • A place to hang dry prints.. (RC paper dries easier and faster than fiber paper... as a newbee darkroomer at first)
  • magnified grain focus tool.

I suggest watching this:

Quicky

detailed

Google "darkroom printing" and look under the "Google video" tab

Plan on a few hours a session, you may want to use 4x5 inch test strips... a wedge is made to give you from about 4s to 48s exposures...
 
Is this hard to do? I was given an old enlarger, several developing trays, and a couple packs of photo paper. I've been having all of my film lab developed, and just scanning the negatives, but I'd like to try printing if it's not too much of a bother.

TT
It can be pretty much as simple or complex as you care to invest time in it. Getting a basic black and white print is very simple. If you're trying to make an art print, you can spend hours perfecting the tonal range, dodges and burns, etc. Otherwise it's, expose, develop, stop, fix, wash, dry, none of it taking very long with modern RC, multi contrast papers. I'd go ahead and do it, just to experience the magic of watching an image emerge on the exposed paper under a safe light. I worked doing custom prints for almost 30 years, and it's still magical to watch a latent image come out in the tray.
 
Back
Top