Creative Tools for the Darkroom

[Nicole]

Hi everyone, I was wondering what your best tips are for the following:

Apart from using hands what other little constructions do you use to assist with finer points of dodging and burning to give you better control?

What items do you find work best for localised diffusing? Any other handy tips on diffusing?

Do you have any other darkroom tips you'd like to share?

Thanks everyone,
with kind regards,
Nicole

 

[Charles Webb]

Nicole,
I use what ever is available. I use black 81/2x11 sheets of heavy paper rolled into a cone for burning small areas. The large end of the cone towards the lens of course with the smaller tightened or loosened to give me the size point of light I need. Care must be used to be certain that the top end of the cone is large enough and near enough to the lens that all of the penumbra is contained within the cone. I hold the cone much like a pen or pencil and simply write the light into the the predetermined area. Crumpled cellophane, black toole netting held in an embroidery hoop, sometimes with a burned hole in the center makes for handy reusable dodging tools. I use my hands for the majority of my dodging. for a specific shape I'll cut it out of black paper and stick it to a length of black wire with hot glue. Then use it like a magic wand, keeping it in movement for the amount of hold back needed. I still use a metronome in the D.R. to aid in both timing exposure of dodged or burned areas and agitation of film and paper. All of what I do and use is as old as the hills, but works.

Hope this help a bit!

 

[MurrayMinchin]

My Gawd Nicole...it's 10:40 PM here...everyone back east is asleep or passed out...what time is it there?

Aside from sharp and unsharp masking techniques which would require re-writing the book on those techniques, (and the host of other techniques used by others that I can't possibly dream of which we'll soon find out about), I do have one tip for burning.

I use a big piece of cardboard - flat black on the bottom - with a large-ish hole cut out of the centre. To the side of the hole in the burning card is a disc that spins with holes that range from tiny, to a bit bigger, to fairly large, to about as big as the hole in the main piece of cardboard, to one the same size as the original hole. With this I can burn small areas, to larger areas.

Murray

 

[Sparky]

photocopiers & laser printers!!

If there's a distinct area that I want to dodge - and I think it might be a bit small for me to deal with effectively (i.e. - if I'm making an 8x10 or smaller, or else an exhibition contact print) - I like to scan or photocopy a proof of the print and print it out at ABOUT half size. Then - (if it's a photocopy) magic marker it in black so it won't transmit diffuse light and stick it on the end of a length of wire. I get it into position - and when I'm ready to do the deed - I burn in by moving it (still in position) UP and DOWN between the lens and the print such that it's (diffuse) shadow is changing in scale (getting bigger and smaller). You can also cut narrow notches in the edges or feather them to get a softer penumbra (shadow edge). It's a great technique and works very well. Also for burning.

 

[David]

I was recently printing some contact 11x14's and needed to do some fairly specific burning. I used a mag-lite with a cone made of flat black paper that friction fits over the torch head. I made two, one with a finer point than the other. It's an odd tol, but it works on specific applications - in this case a really dense bit of the neg.

 

[doughowk]

Way Beyond Monochrome has a section on building an all-purpose burning tool. Masks cut from working prints are useful for getting a specific dodge or burn area.

 

[PeterB]

Do you have any other darkroom tips you'd like to share?

Every now and then I will buy bags glass marbles at the local $2 shop. (actually they're only $1 for a bag of 100 !)

After mixing up fresh chemicals , I will pour the marbles into the stock/conc. bottle of dev or fix so the air is expelled. I find this beats using a compressed inert gas (which blows the chemicals all over me!), or collapsable bottles which means additional transferring of chemicals.

regards
Peter Badcock

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

In my opinion, diffusion under the enlarger always looks unnatural. Unnatural isn't necessarily a bad thing--the effect can range from "tasteful and only noticable to photographers who do their own darkroom work" (the best example I've seen of this involved using a Softar 1 filter under the enlarger for about 30-40% of the exposure) to "surreal and interesting" to "ghoulish but sometimes you want that" (see some of Mapplethorpe's portraits for this).

 

[photobackpacker]

Nicole,
I use what ever is available. I use black 81/2x11 sheets of heavy paper rolled into a cone for burning small areas. The large end of the cone towards the lens of course with the smaller tightened or loosened to give me the size point of light I need. Care must be used to be certain that the top end of the cone is large enough and near enough to the lens that all of the penumbra is contained within the cone. I hold the cone much like a pen or pencil and simply write the light into the the predetermined area. Crumpled cellophane, black toole netting held in an embroidery hoop, sometimes with a burned hole in the center makes for handy reusable dodging tools. I use my hands for the majority of my dodging. for a specific shape I'll cut it out of black paper and stick it to a length of black wire with hot glue. Then use it like a magic wand, keeping it in movement for the amount of hold back needed. I still use a metronome in the D.R. to aid in both timing exposure of dodged or burned areas and agitation of film and paper. All of what I do and use is as old as the hills, but works.

Hope this help a bit!

The cone is an interesting twist. It would seem to me the light passing though the lens would be striking the inside surface of the cone at an angle that would encourage a fair amount of bounced light creating a fair amount of non-image light onto the print. Have you ever done a comparison of the cone method to flat card method?

 

[photobackpacker]

After watching John Sexton print, I have tried to adopt his burn-in technique. He uses a piece of white mat board with a very crude hole in the center a bit larger than an inch. It is not exactly round. He then uses another card to vary the size of the opening. He makes it look so easy and does it with such precision - it is amazing. That simple tool seems to accomodate the majority of his burning needs.

I have an old microwave oven in the darkroom which I use to quick dry my final pre-production print. When I have a print that I think is perfect, I will tone it, wash it briefly and then nuke it dry. This helps to avoid the nasty morning after dry-down surprises. Obviously, I don't use it for the production prints.

 

[Bruce Osgood]

I picked up a tip/trick from Les Mclean at the Ft. Worth workshop. Les carries around a 30 year old piece of 8x10 cardboard wrapped in duct tape that he has twisted, bent and made malleable over time. This is his burn/dodge card. He can arch it, bow it and twist it into almost any configuration he needs.

I was very impressed with this but I don't think I have 30 years left to "break one in" so I'm using a Mouse Pad.

 

[Charles Webb]

B.L.
Yes, I have compared the cone to a flat card with a hole in it. They both work
very well. The cone has advantages, as does the flat card. Results are very simular, I personally can control the cone easier than the flat card, however I have never tried the technique with a flash light. Frequently I will remove the negative and use the regulated by the apperature light from the enlarger
to burn in areas. I am not suggesting rocket science here, simply a technique used by many other dark room tech's I have known. I have also watched Sexton print, at one time with AA's supervision.

David G mentions that the diffusion done under the enlarger may look un natural, anything in photography that is overdone will and can look un natural. A little bit goes a long way.

I also stoop so low as to use crocein scarlet to hold back large and small areas when many prints of the same negative is necessary. I also use pencil lead, dyes, and an Adams machine when necessary. I don't refer to these things as tricks, but as tools.

 

[eric]

I use mostly my hands. The "hole" is where my 2 thumbs meet. No I don't have 2 thumbs in one hand, I put them together and I vary the size of the hole. Imagine using your hands to make a butterfly or a bird doing shadow puppets. I make dodging tools from black construction paper and wire from the art store. (Think cheap)

The other usefull thing I now have in the darkroom...are BOOKS ON MP3!

 

[Bob Carnie]

Hi Charles
The crocein scarlet you mention, is this in powder or liquid form? My first mentor used a powder form on his large format negatives to do multiple dodged prints . You are one of the few , I have ever heard mentioning this method.
I also think Lillian Bass sp. used this technique for her wonderful fashion photographs.Are you familiar with her work?

 

[Charles Webb]

Crocein Scarlet was for years marketed by Ansco and Kodak. Both came in a powdered form mixed for use with water. I normally keep a bottle of concentrate, (read strong mix) that I use for my final dillution and application.
I dip a four or five ought kolinsky water color brush into the concentrate and lift out a few drops of the red dye and place in/on a white ceremac dish. I then use clear water with a few drops of photo flow or dish detergent in it
to dilute the drops of concentrate to a working solution. A very light transparent pink carefully brushed into the shadow area will add density to that area. It can also be used to beef up a highlight that needs more strength. At times I work with wet negatives (squeegeed, but still wet!)
the scarlet has a great tendency to want to migrate or fringe into other areas. So I would rather work with a dry negative. As with any negative/transparency dye technique, one must pay attention to what he/she is doing. A negative overdone with crocein scarlet can be rewashed in running water to weaken the dye application, but never seems to completely wash out. If the C. S. technique is used on the emulsion side of the film, the retouching can show in the final print as it is sharply focused. As I said, care must be exercised in application. If the application is applied to the film base just like in pencil retouching the thickness of the film base helps a bit to diffuse any retouching or sharp edges. Retouching on the base side is easier, but at times you must work on both sides of the negative. Then you may also have to spot or dye a bit on the finished print. Best, is when what you have done cannot be seen in the final print, this is what you strive for! When working with 8x10 color transparencies I often applied the dye with an air brush to keep edges soft. A Pasche AB is wonderful for this type of work.
Also works well with large negatives and crocein scarlet.

I have no idea if crocein scarlet (the Kodak name) is available, can't remember the trade name for the same stuff from Ansco.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Hello Folks
The above post by Charles is an absolutely wonderful technique with huge possiblities for the fine art print. Thanks Charles