BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY:

Introduction to the Darkroom Development

Home	Setup	Placing the Negative	Composing and Focusing	The Test Strip	Developing	The Final Print	Final Thoughts	Links

MAKING THE FINAL PRINT

Evaluate your test strip

Your test strip should have 5 or 6 regions, ranging from light to dark. The lightest section should be exposed for 5 seconds, the second 10 seconds, third 15 seconds, and so on. A good test strip goes from extremely light to almost black, showing the maximum shades of grey. Pick an exposure that has good contrast and exposure. You might need to make another test strip with smaller intervals to fine tune the best exposure time.

This test strip shows a good range of tones. The third section has the best exposure and contrast, so the print will be made at that time.

Create your final print

Once you have decided on the best time, you are ready to print a full size image.

Recheck your focus and framing.

Expose the paper and repeat the same developing process.

After the photo has been in the fixer for 30 seconds, look at it in the light.

If the print is too dark, take some time off. If it is too light, add a few seconds. It is a subjective process, so the print isn't done until you are satisfied with your work.

After looking at each print in the light, make sure to return it to the fixer for 5 minutes. This is important so you have good qualities of each “draft” of your print. I like to use these for other projects or to test/practice other techniques.