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Paper Developing

ashokgoyal42

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
125
Location
New Delhi, I
Format
Multi Format
Hi,

I've understood and practiced development of negatives and now I'm addicted to the process. Until now I've been shooting medium format and 4by5 and after development I've been scanning the negatives.

My question is if I get an enlarger and go the paper development route, how will I handle the spots and the tiny defects which one can see on the scanned image? I am assuming that each and every tiny defect on the negative shows up on paper as well.

Ashok
 
Ashok:

Scanners tend to emphasize dust and defects, so you may very well find that much of what you have had to deal with in scanned files will be either invisible or at least hard to see.

For those that remain, one needs to learn how to use spotting dyes or retouching pencils.

Search "Spotting Prints" here and on Google - here is a link to a video:

http://www.ehow.com/video_2372437_spotting-photography-print.html
 
Hi Matt,

Thanks, that was a helpful link. One more follow up question - once I have a negative is that the starting point to lith printing and carbon printing etc? My main attraction of going to paper developing would be to exploit the textured print possibilities that it offers - I'm willing to slog it for that. Would love your suggestions ...

Ashok
 
Ashok, the negative is the starting point of all printing, use the right paper,such as fomatone, for lith printing and the results can be stunning, and for the alternitive processes, such as carbon etc,you would need a LF negative as they involve contact printing,Richard
 

Thanks Richard.

So, if I need an 8by10 print carbon printed I need to expose an 8by10 negative? Are there processes by which a medium format negative can expose an 8by10 negative?

Ashok
 
Ashok,Yes you need an 8x10 negative for an 8x10 print with any alternitive process, such as carbon printing, and there is no way to achieve this from MF, tou are limited by the size of the negative, but I think you said you use 5x4, and that size can look beautiful contact printed using older processes, Try looking at the fotospeed alternitive process kits, they do a range, with everything you need to get started, and may give you a good starting point,For lith you would enlarge any negative in the normal way, but develop in something like the fotospeed LD50 lith developer.There are several very good books on lith printing,and try finding Tim Rudmans website, he is the authurity on lith work.Richard
 

Thanks for the leads, Richard.
 
ashokgoyal42 said:
Thanks Richard.

So, if I need an 8by10 print carbon printed I need to expose an 8by10 negative? Are there processes by which a medium format negative can expose an 8by10 negative?

Ashok
Click to expand...

There are ways to make enlarged negatives. You can do it all in the darkroom by making an interpositive, then enlarging that to negative film.

Most people use one of the digital routes these days. There are a few ways to do this: injet negatives and film recorders are the two most common. Look at the http://www.hybridphoto.com/ for discussions on this.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Thanks Gebhardt.
 
I want to start paper developing. I've decided as a first step to contact print my 4x5's. So I started shopping for papers and the choice is just too much. (On top of that I read that sensitized papers don't print a range beyond three stops? Is that true?) Which papers do I buy if I want to print my 4x5 negatives. I like sharpness (habit from digital life) and contrasty images.

I would appreciate any suggestions.
 

Any quality paper will do!
 
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