Sources - Darkroom Printing
Setting up a Darkroom
Safelight
Dry and wet area
The enlarger
The lens
The mask frame
Darkroom Preparation
The Haze Test
Preparation of the Chemistry
Setting up the enlarger
The Enlargement Process
Setting up a Darkroom
Safelight: First there must be a room that either has no windows or whose windows can be completely darkened. Even small gaps must be light-sealed so that the only remaining light source is the orange-red darkroom light. If possible, the conventional light bulb in the room might be replaced with a remotely controllable RGB LED light source. This should be dimmable and only operated at the lowest level with pure red light. In any case, the darkroom light must be checked for safety by conducting a haze test before starting.
Dry and wet areas: A darkroom typically consists of a dry and a wet area. In the dry area the photo paper is stored, handled and exposed. Space is needed to remove the paper from the packaging and, if necessary, cut it to size. Also the enlarger and tools like magnifying frames, grain focusers and others (stencils, cardboard, etc.) are stored in the dry area of the darkroom. The enlarger must have a secure, shake-free position.
In the wet area the developer, stop and fixing solution trays are placed. Finally you need a large tub of water or a sink to rinse the fixed images. Running water in the darkroom is certainly practical, but not absolutely necessary to get started.
Dry and wet areas should be spatially separated from each other if possible so that you can work from one side to the other or, for example, from top to bottom. This prevents chemicals from getting onto the dry paper before they should. Paper tongs and trays should be marked and only used for the dedicated chemical bath.
The enlarger: The heart of every darkroom is the enlarger. Ideally, it has a built-in gradation filter (“multigrade head”). This allows best utilization of the advantages by modern multigrade papers with variable contrast. Exposure time is controlled via an electronic or electro-mechanical timer which is connected directly to the power grid and has two outputs. One is used to supply the enlarger with power, the other is used to control the darkroom light via a changeover circuit.
The lens: For 35mm negatives, an enlargement lens with a focal length of 50mm is sufficient. It should be a high quality lens - after all, sharpness and vignetting are important factors for the quality of the finished image. During exposure a medium aperture, representing the sweet spot of the lens performance is chosen.
The mask frame: The negative is projected onto a magnifying frame. This defines the final image format and shades edges and unwanted parts of the image. A mask frame consists of a fold over frame made of adjustable straps into which the photo paper is inserted during exposure. The straps hold the paper in place and keep it flat. Due to this procedure the enlarged photograph will show white borders.
As a “low budget” solution “rigid” magnifying frames from matting boards can be made: A photo mount with a defined cutout is glued at one side with a stiff backing cardboard. Markings on the cardboard make it easier to position the photo paper for enlargement. After inserting the paper, the frame is fixed with weights (e.g. small metal angles) for enlargement.
Darkroom preparation
Before the darkroom can be put into operation, it must be checked whether it is safe for handling light-sensitive papers. This is done with the haze test.
Haze test: This test is used to check whether the photo paper fogs under the given darkroom conditions or whether the photo paper is sensitive to the remaining safe light. If the result is OK and there are no fundamental changes to the darkroom, this actually only needs to be carried out for the first commissioning.
Carefully pre-exposed paper is used for the test to ensure that the exposure threshold of the photo paper's emulsion is exceeded. This is done by placing a sheet of photographic paper under the enlarger (with no negative inserted) and expose to only to the degree that it turns very slightly gray. Now a coin is placed on the pre-exposed photo paper. This stack stays in the work area of the darkroom under safe light conditions for at least 3x “handling time”. Then it is developed, stopped and fixed. If the coin leaves a clear impression, laboratory lighting is not suitable. If no print is visible, everything is fine.
Enlargement process
Once the darkroom is set up and the haze test is OK, you can start enlarging the final image. The composition of the image is completed by choosing the magnification factor, the image section and the subject positioning. The chosen exposure method creates the final contrast range and brightness of the subject. The light intensity of the lens does not play any role. Exposure times of several minutes are possible as long as there is no shake of the enlarger.
Before starting, the developer and fixing solution are prepared and prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions. The bathrooms can be used multiple times.
If the image trace time - this is the time until the first contours are visible on the paper - increases significantly, this is an indication that the developer has been used up and needs to be replaced. It has proven to be a good idea to replace the fixer at the same time.
An odorless 2% citric acid solution can be used as a stop bath. It serves to end the development process in a controlled manner and prevents developer from being carried over into the fixing bath. The stop bath is only used once and then destroyed.
After filling the tubs with developer, stop bath, fixer and water and providing all other materials (tongs, grain sharpeners, etc.), the enlargement can be started.
Preparation on the enlarger.
The dust-free, clean negative is placed in the negative stage of the enlarger. To clean the sensitive negatives, only use specially developed cleaning agents (e.g. Tetenal Graphic Arts Film Cleaner) and a soft special cloth.
The image section is completed by positioning the magnifying frame and raising and lowering the magnifying head. The focus of the image is checked using a grain focusser or a magnifying glass. In order to avoid minimal blurring, a sheet of light-insensitive photo paper should be placed in the magnification frame in this step. It is best to use inkjet printer paper for this. The setting is made with unfiltered white light with the aperture fully open.
The magnification head is now stopped down to the working aperture (f 5.6 - 11) and the gradation filter is swiveled in. The image is now prepared for enlargement. All further steps are carried out exclusively under safe darkroom light.
Exposure of the photo paper
Various strategies can be used to expose the photo paper. The procedure for the “manual splitgrade method” is described below. With this procedure, the contrast during enlargement can be precisely controlled and very good prints with a maximum tonal range can be achieved with little time and material expenditure. Additional techniques such as dodging or burning will be discussed later.
For manual split grade, you need photo paper with variable gradation (e.g. Ilford Multigrade), the appropriate developer chemistry and the ability to spectrally filter the light from the enlarger either through a built-in variable filter (multigrade or color head) or through gel filters inserted into the beam path.
“Paper gradation” refers to the contrast of photo paper. The gradation is described by numbers between 00 and 5:
0 = extra soft (= very diffuse grayish)
1 = soft
2 = special
3 = normal
4 = hard
5 = extra hard (= almost pure black and white)
While papers with a fixed gradation are exposed to unfiltered white light, papers with a variable contrast range react differently to different spectral ranges of light. Yellow light leads to low contrast (gradation 00 or 0), and magenta light leads to high contrast (gradation 5). Intermediate levels are achieved using mixed colors of yellow and magenta. This behavior is used with the manual splitgrade method.
With the splitgrade technique, a yellow filter is inserted first, then a magenta filter. After determining the exposure times for both light colors, the paper can then be exposed additively with the desired contrast.
The basis for the splitgrade technique is to identify the lightest and darkest areas on the negative. The best way to do this is to use the digital contact sheet.
Process of manual split grade exposure:
First, the exposure time for the brightest areas of the negative is determined.For this purpose, the filter for soft gradation 0 (yellow) is used and an exposure series of the bright areas is created by successive exposure on a test strip (use the same paper as for the final enlargement!). After developing, stopping and fixing, the exposure time is identified on the test strip at which the bright areas just show some drawing.
Now another test strip is completely exposed with the time found. This step ensures that any dragging of the shadows is taken into account. Now the filter for hard gradation 5 (magenta) is selected and a second series of exposures is carried out on the pre-exposed sample strip. On the test strip you can now find the time at which the darkest areas of the image still just show structure or drawing. This means that the second exposure time has been found.
In the last step, the sheet of photo paper is exposed first at gradation 0 with the first time and then at gradation 5 with the second time. You get an image with the maximum tonal range.
Dodge and burn:
Exposure and image contrast can be controlled and balanced by dodging or burning parts of the image. If you combine these techniques with the split-grade method described above, the local image contrast can also be influenced by selectively lengthening or shortening exposure times with hard or soft gradation.
Dodging (shading) shortens the time for certain parts of the image during exposure. Therefore, this technique basically has a brightening effect, so that, for example, the drawing in shadow areas of an image can be improved.
Small stencils attached to a thin wire are suitable tools for dodging and are moved over the image area to be dodged. Rectangular passe-partout cardboard is used to brighten up areas such as the sky. It is essential to move the box to avoid sharp edges.
Post-exposure describes the reverse process, i.e. the local increase in the amount of light in certain areas of the image. This extension of the exposure time leads to a darkening effect in the affected area. This allows the drawing to be improved in the highlights of an image (e.g. areas of the sky). To post-expose smaller areas, you can also work with a passe-partout cardboard with a hole drilled into it. The hole does not have to be “cleanly” cut. Hard transitions are also avoided here by using an uneven edge and moving during post-exposure.
The chemical treatment of the exposed photo paper is as standardized as possible to ensure the homogeneity of the results.
Paper development is performed for four to five times the image track time. This is the time that passes until the first contours of the image become visible in the developer bath. In practice this is in the range between 10-20 seconds. The development should generally be So it will be completely completed after about 2 minutes.
After draining thoroughly, the developed paper is treated in the stop bath for 1 minute and then - again after draining - remains in the fixing bath for 3 minutes. The fixed print is then soaked in a tub of fresh water for at least 10 minutes and then finally soaked a second time in a large container with fresh water.
These times refer to the use of standard PE papers. Heavy or barite-coated papers require longer treatment and more complex fixing or watering.
In all steps, the bowls are moved slightly to ensure that the image is bathed in fresh photochemicals.
Be careful with the pliers! The coating of wet photo paper is mechanically sensitive. If possible, you should only touch the edge or corners with pliers.
To dry the pictures, either hang them on a clothesline in a dust-free room overnight or place them in a paper drying rack.
This section provides links with comprehensive. information on darkroom printing.
Amateur Photographer - Guide to Darkroom Printing
Ilford Photo - Darkroom Printing
Shoot Film Like a Boss - Youtube Channel
Analoge Fotografie - Negative Vergrößern
Analoge Fotografie - Manuelles Splitgrade
Trangent - Practical Problems solved in the darkroom (Youtube)