THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE

To avoid confusion, do not add
pieces of other rolls to the file even
if you have plenty of extra space
in it. Don't mark the file to indicate
which frames to print or how to
crop them. That's what the contact
sheet is for.
PRINTING
Tools
• Photographic Paper
Photographic paper is functionally
the same as film, except it has opaque
paper instead of clear film for its
backing. Like film, it is coated with
silver crystals which turn black when
they are exposed to light and processed.
However, the coating on
photo paper reacts far more slowly
than that on film.
Photo paper is graded according to
its contrast. Contrast grades are
generally numbered from 0 to 5 —the
higher the number, the higher the
contrast. In some cases, descriptive
words, such as soft (low contrast) and
hard (high contrast) may be used to
indicate contrast grades. Or you can
use a variable contrast paper with
filters to yield a range of contrasts.
In addition, the surface texture,
image tone, base tints and weight
may be indicated either with a code
or a few descriptive words. Surface
texture descriptions include glossy
(smooth and shiny), matte (textured
and dull) and lustre (in between
glossy and matte). Image tone
depends on the chemistry of the
emulsion, and ranges from "cold"
blue-black to "warm" brown. Base
tints, produced by dyes that affect the
color of the paper, are described
as white, warm-white, cream, etc.
Finally, the weight of a paper indicates
its thickness. For photo
paper, this is generally expressed as
232 The Photographic Eye
"single-weight" (S) or "doubleweight"
(D). (Resin coated paper,
described later, comes only in
"medium weight.")
Most of this information may be
compressed into a single code, such
as F3 (in the Kodak code). In this
case, the "F" stands for glossy and
the "3" stands for moderate contrast.
Whatever brand of paper you use,
familiarize yourself with its code. As
time and money permit, experiment
with a variety of contrast grades and
surfaces. To begin with, however, a
glossy and moderate-to-high contrast
(#3 or #4) paper should suit your purposes
well. (#2 is considered "normal"
contrast.)
• Enlarger
The enlarger is essentially a camera
in reverse. It projects light back
through the negative and focuses it
onto a sheet of light-sensitive paper
which, when processed, produces a
positive image.