Filmwasters
Which Board? => Main Forum => : Steven. February 24, 2013, 07:54:48 AM
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I tried doing a quick, dirty search of the forum but couldnt really find what i was looking for.. my apologies if im just creating more clutter...
anyways, i have some negs that i wish to make wet prints of. i have done this before and know the basics but there's a couple things im confused about.
1) can you still print something that is 3 or so stops underexposed? if so, how would you go about doing that?
2) any tips on dodging and burning? i tried it out and the results were rudimentary at best.
3) are enlarger lenses universal? i recently came across an enlarger for free but its missing a lens.
please and thanks everyone!
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1. Yes you can :) just expose for the highlights (do test strip over the most important highlight and choose the stage that shows the first hint of tone), then print the whole neg using the selected exposure time at grade 2 1/2. If the shadows are too heavy/dark, reduce the grade and print again. If the shadows are weak/ too light, increase the grade and print again. keep doing this until you are happy with the tones across the print. (don't forget that if you are wandering above grade 3 1/2, and using filter gels, you'll need to double the exposure time to cope with the filter factor)
If it is over exposed, but dev'd normally, you'll have contracted the tones so will probably need a higher grade (depending on SBR); if over exposed and over dev'd, you'll either need normal or low grade contrast, depending on a variety of factors.
Film can record quite a large range of tones from dark to white (Somewhere around 11-13 stops I understand) so the only limiting factor is the paper, which manages only about 5 stops of detail.you should be fine.
2. Keep it moving all the time. Don't overdo it until you have had lots of practice. keep the card/dodger at least half way between the lens and paper to ensure the edges are well-blurred. Don't try to work miracles. Dont make the mistake of thinking you can do what photoshop lets you do, cos ypu mostly cant :) Finally, a well dev'd and exposed neg shouldn't need much burning and dodging, maybe some work in a sky to bring out the clouds, or some gentle graduation to a foreground to pull the eyes into the print, but that's it.
3. You need to make sure you get the correct thread for your enlarger lens panel. Most are L39 thread, but some a 50mm. So check the enlarger options before you buy a lens.
Hope that helps, and Good luck with it :)
Leon
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Also, on enlarger lens threads, I've once seen some Meopta lenses that had smaller than 39mm thread. This is something to be careful with.
And on the dodging and burning side, think of it in terms of f/stops. It's much easier.
So when you want to burn in the corners, expose the print normally. Then start the timer again while you do your burning using the same time. That's a +1 stop burn. Just add exposure that way until you get what you want.
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thank you Leon and Francois.. Very very very helpful as usual. :) :)
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You're welcome
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Eeek! Do you really regularly burn edges in 1 whole stop at a time François? You must have some serious light fall off for that to be necessary. I wouldnt recommend such heavy burning generally ... 1/6 - 1/3 of a stop is about my limit before I get nasty-heavy mud. I sometimes go above this with skies for interpretive effect, but even that is quite rare.
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Huh. I find I gotta wallop my skies sometimes Leon but I don't think I am following your sage advice about exposing for highlights. I think I might be going backwards and then having to compensate when my skies are blown out.
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Personally find that split grade burning and dodging helped me loads.
Also a bit of a pre flash fan.
I would highly recommend a book by Steve Mcleod ' the mater printers black and white handbook' simple but useful advice.
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Yep, you read right, 1 full stop! But that's only when things are really bad. Usually, I try to avoid dodging and burning as I find it to be a pain. But when you have dull gray winter skies with nothing going on in them, then I have no other choice than to burn in the corners to bring everything in.
But I must admit that my 6x6 enlarger has quite a bit of fall off in the corners... I also only paid something like 30$ for it.
The worse I've done was a 3 stop increase in the corners... but that was out of pure desperation :)
I did give the skies quite a bit more too...
It's pretty strange, but while I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to exposing and composing, I tend to just fudge it in the darkroom... round things off, guesstimate, eyeball. The only things I'm very methodical about is developing, fixer and washing time.
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Personally find that split grade burning and dodging helped me loads.
Also a bit of a pre flash fan.
I would highly recommend a book by Steve Mcleod ' the mater printers black and white handbook' simple but useful advice.
All good tips. Especially the book - very good.
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I have a signed copy ;D, Steve works at Metro and when I bought my enlarger from them I got him to sign it. Really nice guy, without a really nice enlarger. I dont think they have any traditional print making capability there now. :'(
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I just figured out how to correct for the uneven exposure on my enlarger!
The enlarger was not designed for the only compatible bulb I could find. The bulb in it probably was a bit shorter. Since the head has absolutely no adjustments (condensers are in a solid block and the bulb is of a fixed height), I've made a graduated filter using Gimp that goes from 50% in the center to nothing at the edge. That should make it easier to print stuff without having to burn the corners so much.
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Stevegz - his prints are amazing. Especially that Iggy pop one on the cover.
François - that sounds like a plan. I love it when a plan comes together. Are you using standard transparency materials?
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Well, that's what I plan on doing... if I can just find the darn box!
I have something like 50 sheets left and it's just when you need them that you can't find them... >:( a-nnoy-ing!
I thought of printing on vellum but that would cut out too much light.