The DARKROOM COOKBOOK, Third Edition

Exposure and Developing Technique for
Photographic Printmaking
Rod Dresser
Most black and white photographers are familiar with the axiom for producing negatives—
expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights. Why is it such a leap of faith that there
is not a complementary process in printmaking? I submit there is, and it is equally valid.
Note that there are two distinct steps in negative creation—expose and develop. The
same distinction applies to printmaking—exposure and contrast control. Thus, our axiom for
printmaking is expose (exposure time) for the highlights and contrast control (VC fi lters or
paper grade selection) for the shadow areas.
Here are the steps to accomplish the most effi cient and best print results for printing
on variable contrast paper:
1. Examine your negative and make a fair judgment as to its contrast. If it appears to be high
in contrast use a low-contrast fi lter (1, 1 1/2, 2), and if it appears to be lacking contrast use
a higher grade fi lter (3, 3 1/2, 4). If you are unsure start with a 2 1/2 fi lter.
2. Set up the negative in the carrier and adjust the enlarger to project the desired size on
the easel.
3. With unexposed paper in the easel run a test strip using three- to fi ve-second intervals.
It is only necessary to make the strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide.
4. Develop, stop, and fi x the test strip for your normal paper development time.
5. Rinse the test strip and examine it under a 75-watt fl ood lamp about four feet away.
(This approximates normal museum/gallery lighting.)
6. Very carefully select the test strip that indicates the highlights that appear as you want
them in your fi nal print. As an example, clouds that have full detail but are brilliant.
Be sure that you have a strip that is too light and one that is too dark on either side of
your chosen strip. If not, you may be missing a time that is just right.
7. Calculate the optimum time from the selected strip and make this your base exposure
time. An example is if you chose the fourth strip counting from the lightest strip and the
exposure times were four seconds for each strip your base exposure time is 16 seconds.
8. Make a full print for the base exposure time.
9. Develop, stop, fi x, and rinse the print.
10. Carefully examine the print under the inspection light and validate the highlights. If they
are too light, increase the exposure time. If they are too dark, decrease the exposure time.
11. Keep making prints while changing exposure time until you have the highlights perfect.
Note that I have not mentioned the shadow areas. They are to be ignored until
the exposure time is properly obtained.
13. When you have achieved the correct exposure time look at the shadow areas. If they
are too dark the contrast is too high. If they are fl at (too grey) the contrast is too low.
14. Adjust the contrast by changing fi lters and reprint. You will have to adjust the exposure
time due to the change in fi lter density. This requires that you run new test strip
at the new contrast.
15. This may necessitate a number of prints to fi nalize the perfect exposure time and contrast.
Just remember, make only one adjustment at a time. If you modify both time and contrast
and you notice a change you may not know which adjustment caused it to occur. Be very
patient and don’t be afraid to use a lot of paper and chemicals. The perfect print is worth it.
The last and really subtle process that I use I call the Darkroom Dance. Make small
changes in developing time (no more than 15 to 30 seconds) with equally small exposure
times (fractions of seconds). As an example, increase the developing time 30 seconds to get
a smidgen of contrast while taking off a half-second of exposure time to compensate for the
effect the developer has on the highlights. The opposite can be done to decrease the contrast.
I know that I admonished you not to make two changes at once but these are subtle
and only done when you are near the perfect print.