Help a beginner make their first enlargement from scratch?

ChrisBCS · Apr 30, 2017

I've been re-reading voraciously. Split grade, etc.

But starting from "scratch", since as I have been taking photos continuously I'm in need of a little (a lot?) of anchoring.

I have a Fujimoto G70 enlarger. I can use it as a Condenser or Diffuser source. Dichroic head with clean filters. Everything works, including and especially the timer. There are two brightness settings (low/high).

I have two grain focusers.

I have a 6x7 negative carrier.

I have 3 enlarging lenses available. 50mm, 80mm and 105mm. All Durst Neonon. The 80mm does not have click stops for the aperture, just the numbers, and the the 50mm has light falloff at larger sizes using the 6x7 carrier, my understanding is that it is too short for MF negatives.

I will be enlarging 6x6 negatives from a Hasselblad 500c.

I have Ilford Multigrade IV Resin Coated 11"x14". No multigrade filters. I'll used this thread to document progress and feel free to tell me what I could do better or change.

I DO NOT have a means of masking, and would have to DIY. Cut a mat?

My first questions are: 80mm or 105mm? Should I start with a test strip at grade 2? What should my starting time be at this enlargement size? Should I be adding x number of seconds per strip, or going by doubling time (5, 10, 20, 40 seconds, etc.). Using bright or low setting?

Can I split grade print and dodge and burn this paper?

Many thanks, and if this is obnoxiously basic, please ignore.

Best,
Chris

cliveh · Apr 30, 2017

You say you are starting from scratch and in that case I would suggest for a Hasselblad you use the 80mm lens on your enlarger and forget about contrast control for now and just try to print at the right exposure (time v intensity).

tedr1 · Apr 30, 2017

There is much to learn and it takes time, there are a lot of questions that need answers. Gett some multigrade filters. Split grade printing is an advanced technique. Stick with dodging and burning which is easy and can take you a long way.

I think the best way I can help is to urge you obtain books devoted to printmaking because they will provide answers immediately, and take you further than you can go with an online forum. Two that come immediately to mind are Horenstein's Black and White Photography which is written for the beginner and is available for peanuts used on amazon. The book Way Beyond Monochrome by Lambrecht goes further and costs real money. Get both.

Leigh B · Apr 30, 2017

As Cliveh said, keep things simple until you've mastered all aspects of the effort.
Then you can get complicated.
Rule #1 for all photographic work... Keep detailed notes of everything you do.

The first thing you need to learn is how to determine the proper exposure. You need not use a full sheet of paper. Use a smaller piece, placed in an area with full range of contrasts.

Put a negative in the enlarger and set it up to fill the paper as desired for the final full-size print. Adjust the image size by changing the enlarger height, focusing after each adjustment. Set the lens aperture two stops closed from full open after focusing.

I use a Projection Print Scale to determine exposure. It's a 4x5 negative that you place on top of the paper below the enlarger. You expose for 60 seconds, then process as usual. Look at the different areas to get the proper exposure time.

Here's the Projection Print Scale at B&H (made by Delta, but same as the original Kodak one):
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/15711-REG/Delta_12610_Projection_Print_Calculator_Scale.html

Once you're comfortable with the exposure, do a full sheet of paper.

Keep working at these basic processes until you can make good prints reliably with minimal effort.
Then you're ready to consider advanced techniques.

- Leigh

removed account4 · Apr 30, 2017

hi chrisBCS
one thing people forget to do is submerge the test strip and print entirely in the developer
and flip it and submerge it again a couple of times and then rock/agitate the tray.
do it for your test strip, do it exactly the same way when you make your test print and final print.
agitate in the stop bath and agitate in the fixer too ..
ALSO
make sure when you use your grain focuser you have a piece of paper under it the same thickness
as the paper you will be enlarging onto, if you don't, ... your focus will be off the thickness of your paper
i 2nd the horenstein book, it is a wealth of information.

ChrisBCS · Apr 30, 2017

Thank you all. I can't put into words my gratitude at your patience with all my questions. I will pick up both recommended books; I am all in at this point with respect to my desire to learn competent printmaking. Starting this thread seems to be a function of my excitement at having all the pieces together to start trying enlargement and I apologize for its naiveté.

Leigh B · Apr 30, 2017

I started printing with a home-built enlarger when I was 5 years old, before grade school.

Just remember that this is only as complicated as you choose to make it.

If you learn from your mistakes over the years, you'll be a genius like I am.

- Leigh

mshchem · Apr 30, 2017

You can use the 6x7 carrier for 6x6 negative, you don't need to mask. If you have the discipline to use a projection print scale it will make your life easier. Get a bound composition book, a lab book and write down everything!!! Record neg to easel distances everything.

If you look on Ilford's website they publish magenta and yellow filtration values for dichro heads. I use the mix of Magenta and yellow, this allows you to adjust contrast without changing exposure works great.

Split printing is awesome, but wait till you learn the basics. When you are ready Darkroom Dave on Youtube.

Develop for 2 or 3 minutes, Not 2 to 3 minutes. Time and temperature need to be the same on every print. In the recent past some RC papers came with developer impregnated in the paper, they would fully develop in 45 seconds. Not today (THANK GOD), stick with Ilford MGVC IV RC. You will know when (or if) you want something different.

Get an electronic aquarium thermometer. I have bought these off Ebay directly from China, pack of three cost 6-7 bucks delivered. These have a thermocouple encased in plastic on a wire. These are amazing devices, I have a Kodak process thermometer and a bunch of other glass lab thermometers. The Aquarium thermometers are dead on. These have a little LCD readout and a suction cup that doesn't work
Here's an example.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-pcs-LCD-D...820152?hash=item338e9a7878:g:waUAAOSwlPRTbBBn

DON'T use the lens without click stops! You need to know exactly where you are, to start use the 105mm, set it at f8 when you print and adjust the time. Enlarging lenses are cheap, I use an El Nikkor 80mm for 6x6.

After you get the basics down, consider selenium toning. I use my solutions strong 1 part Kodak Rapid Se Toner to 3 to 7 parts water (or Hypo clearing agent). It will add a lot of depth.

Google "Darkroom Dave" wonderful Brit. who worked for Ilford for years. He is great at showing How to. on Youtube.

Time, Temperature, water quality, keep good notes, stay consistent, gentle constant agitation,

Oh if you have a smart phone get the app. f-stop timer. Helps to make exposure time changes.

Best Mike

ChrisBCS · Apr 30, 2017

Well Yahtzee to me. Way Beyond Monochrome is completely available as an ebook from our University Library.

Leigh B · Apr 30, 2017

mshchem said:
DON'T use the lens without click stops! You need to know exactly where you are,

Probably good advice.

Does your 80mm lens (which is appropriate for 6x6) really have no click stops, or are they just disabled? Some enlarging lenses have click stops with the ability to enable or disable them.

- Leigh

ChrisBCS · Apr 30, 2017

Leigh B said:
Probably good advice.

Does your 80mm lens (which is appropriate for 6x6) really have no click stops, or are they just disabled? Some enlarging lenses have click stops with the ability to enable or disable them.

- Leigh

Wow. I feel... special. The collar indeed slides right down and clicks with aperture changes.

MattKing · May 1, 2017

This is an excellent Ilford resource: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/applications/page.asp?n=34
Start off with some smaller prints - you can get four 5x7's and a couple of test strips from a single 11x14 sheet.
For a while, your most important accessory will be your wastebasket.
Actually, even after nearly 50 years (I started in the darkroom at 11), my wastebasket is still an important accessory!
And be prepared to have lots of fun, even if there are bits of frustration mixed in.

LarsAC · May 1, 2017

A lot of good advice was already provided. Some additional input:

Learn f-Stop printing - this helped me to quickly adjust exposure or determine dodge / burn timing.
Use fresh material - don't waste time, money, or motivation on crappy stuff.
Make sure, your negatives are good - printing becomes tricky if your negatives are too thin.
Good negs print without filters on Multigrade paper (about grade 2), but you probably want to invest into filters soon.
Be methodical and consistent in your work - change only one thing at a time.
Try to explore some variables systematically - e.g print the same photo with different contrast levels to see what you like and how your controls behave.
Expect a long learning curve.
Enjoy!

Lars

P.S. i like the wastebasket as an accessory - never saw it that way. Errors will lead your way though.

ShootsAndLeaves · May 1, 2017

I got an enlarger as a gift last Christmas, so I am also a beginner, but maybe I can share a little of what I have learnt during this time.

Keep everything as simple as possible. As you get more experience, you will realise the limitations of certain variables, then you can apply more advanced techniques to overcome the limitations. So read about more advanced techniques, but don't worry about them too much for now. For example; I just started with one box of graded, normal contrast paper. I was printing everything, different kinds of photos on it, mostly straight prints without cropping, dodging or burning. Most prints I was happy with. But I found the prints of babies and children had too much contrast and didn't bring out the skin tones well. So I got a box of soft graded paper, which looks better for babies and children. Maybe later with more experience I look through my prints and see they could use a little dodging or burning, then I can always go back and try that.

If you make prints for gifts etc. Always make and keep a copy for yourself, put in a sleeved folder, number them so you can see which print belongs to which note in your notebook. This is great to see how you are progressing.

Learn how to make consistent contact sheets. This helps you learn to recognise a good negative and save time and frustration. I find it hard to tell if a negative is easy to print just by looking at it, but on a contact sheet it is much easier. Experienced printers can probably tell a good negative just by looking at it, but I think for us beginners a contact sheet is much easier to read.

Masking: I don't have a fancy paper holder or easel. I improvised/experimented with different things - an old photoframe, tape, home-made cardboard masks, and sometimes not worrying about borders at all. I really like the cardboard masks because I am re-using something that would just end up in the trash, and they are not perfect and leak a little on the sides giving a unique look. Maybe I look back in a few years time and cringe at them, but the point is to try a few things do whatever works for you now.

After I figured out how to print images that I was happy with, I signed up in the APUG postcard exchange. This was great, it was a bit of pressure having to print X number of prints, but was a great learning exercise. And another great thing is you get to hold prints made by others in your hand, and see different techniques which you might not have tried yourself. For example, I got a selenium toned postcard, so now I know what selenium toning looks like without having to do it myself or trying to imagine what it looks like from looking at a photo on a computer screen.

A little philosophy... printing is an art. You are the artist. Don't get bogged down with details, just make prints, evaluate them, ask yourself if you are happy with it, is there anything you want to try to do differently. It's your print, you are the 'artist', so you do whatever you want.

Good luck with your first print run!

Kino · May 1, 2017

If I had one tip I would give it would be sure your prints are fully developed; blacks to dmax. Don't yank them out when they "look good"; that's a recipe for disaster and inconsistent results.

mshchem · May 1, 2017

Kino said:
If I had one tip I would give it would be sure your prints are fully developed; blacks to dmax. Don't yank them out when they "look good"; that's a recipe for disaster and inconsistent results.

+1+1+1

klownshed · May 1, 2017

There are quite a few YouTube vids and a series on Lynda.com which are worth signing up for a free trial for...

One YouTube video example. Pulled at random:

Bob Carnie · May 1, 2017

lots of good advice, I would suggest not trying to split print until you have a good handle on the different filters and how they change contrast and density.

Also do not be afraid of making your image too dark or too light as you can learn a lot by making prints on either side of perfect.

When changing anything do one thing at a time, rather than two or more elements at a time.

Remember back in the GOOD OLD DAYS we used graded paper and many people only worked with one or two grades of paper and were able to make fantastic prints.
have fun and do not beat yourself up, it takes some time .

M Carter · May 1, 2017

Regarding finding your exposure time - I don't like those "projection print scale" things, they rarely seem to work.

I setup the enlarger for the neg I want to print, get it focused and lock the focus and enlargement down. Then I pull the neg, and stick the blank end of the roll in the carrier - with MF, it won't be much area, but make a test strip of that area and find the max black - where the test strip can't get any blacker is the maximum black that the film and development - the specific roll you're printing - can deliver on your paper. Then return your neg to the carrier and make a print at that time.

If you need to back off your printing time, you're cheating yourself of the max black your neg can make on your paper; look at what the issues are and think of how they relate to exposure and processing. Getting negs that give you max black with good shadow detail and easy to print highlights is the most important step of your imaging chain.

ChrisBCS · May 2, 2017

So much gratitude. Thank you. After reading this thread, several messages that APUG members have so graciously sent me, and several chapters of Way Beyond Monochrome, I decided to get after it. Picked a negative with good density. It was a sunset with crepuscular rays, no graduated ND filter, no red filter or polarizer. Shot on Delta 100, developed in Xtol.

So first I aimed for the broad side of the barn. I made a test exposure with a geometric progression at f11 using half stops: 32, 24, 16, 12, 8, and 6 seconds (cut me some slack, I don't have a safelight and did everything in complete darkness).

I picked 14 seconds as a base exposure to start, based on a mixture of textures in the shadows and how the clouds looked. I wanted a bit more texture in the shadows of the pump jack, and I saw what I liked in the 12 second test strip. Then I used that exposure to make this abomination of a print map:

Which I followed as closely as possible to get this print, which has not been altered digitally in any way. Just a straight raw to jpg off my camera. In fact, it's just a teeeeny bit more contrasty than the actual print. This print was where I decided to call it a night.

As far as tweaks, I'd like to make the top left a bit darker still, and maybe go up a half to a grade of contrast to get the clouds to really stand out from the sun highlights. Perhaps just do the increased grade on the sky burn ins? Hadn't decided on maybe making the road a 1/3-1/2 stop brighter. Unfortunately, the negative has several physical defects that are clear in the print.

Thank you so much everyone, I have a completely immersive new obsession courtesy of your enabling. I am in love with doing this already.

LarsAC · May 2, 2017

Wow, excellent for a first take. You can try quite a few techniques on this neg. Maybe bleaching the puddles on the ground looks interesting as well.

Lars

ShootsAndLeaves · May 2, 2017

Congratulations on your first print!

ChrisBCS said:
(cut me some slack, I don't have a safelight and did everything in complete darkness).

Something else I learned through experimentation, is that the darkroom doesn't have to be completely dark. I found that I can get away with a candle in a jar, not shining direct on the working area, and working methodically with a single sheet of paper out at a time, closing the paper box immediately, working to get it in the fixer as soon as possible. Supplemented with a red bicycle light when needed.

Fogging depends on the paper, light in the dark room or more specifically shining on the paper, and duration. It is safer and easier to tell everyone that a dark room should be completely dark, but that is not necessarily true. It is easy to test your individual setup for fogging with the coin test.

Craig75 · May 2, 2017

Print's come out a treat.

Not sure how you are making your test print but what caught me out for ages was -

Id give the whole sheet an initial hit of say 10 seconds then mask a strip then give rest of paper 5 seconds then mask a strip and give rest of paper 5 seconds etc etc. If i liked the strip that was 10 seconds + 5 seconds + 5 seconds on test strip that is not the same as giving print a constant 20 seconds!

Thats explained terribly but hope it makes a little sense.

ChrisBCS · May 2, 2017

LarsAC said:
Wow, excellent for a first take. You can try quite a few techniques on this neg. Maybe bleaching the puddles on the ground looks interesting as well.

Lars

Thanks! Yeah I was definitely thinking the puddles should be a full stop brighter. Now the fun begins: when are you actually DONE with a print. Hah.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but grades 00-3 get the same exposure time right? So if I want a grade more contrast in the sky, I can use my existing print map with no filtration (so Grade 2), and just add 25 Magenta (per Ilford specs) on the dichroic head?

ChrisBCS · May 2, 2017

Craig75 said:
Print's come out a treat.

Not sure how you are making your test print but what caught me out for ages was -

Id give the whole sheet an initial hit of say 10 seconds then mask a strip then give rest of paper 5 seconds then mask a strip and give rest of paper 5 seconds etc etc. If i liked the strip that was 10 seconds + 5 seconds + 5 seconds on test strip that is not the same as giving print a constant 20 seconds!

Thats explained terribly but hope it makes a little sense.

I'm not sure I follow.

I picked (pretty randomly) a base exposure of 6 seconds of F11 and I made the test print span 2.5 stops.

Moving left to right, first strip gets 8s, then next strip gets 8, then 4, then 4, then 2, then 6. That gives six test strips with a total time of 32, 24, 16, 12, 8, 6 seconds.

Now what you're saying is that if I liked the 16 second strip as a base exposure, in order to replicate it I would need to give it 6 + 2 + 4 + 4? Can you explain why? Because for my map print I chose a 14 second base exposure, a quarter stop darker than 12 seconds, and I gave it a constant 14 seconds, then developed. The map print looks exactly like I expected it to when placed next to the 12 and 16 second test strips.

Help a beginner make their first enlargement from scratch?

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