How-To

Sep

2020

DUST. . . Still A Four Letter Word!

Simco F10 Top Gun

If you shoot film, you know that dust is one of your biggest enemies. It gets into everything and is nothing but a nuisance. I have written before about controlling dust around your camera and film holders, see these articles; “DUST. . . A Four Letter Word!” and “Wax on. . . Wax Off.”

There is another Dust battle you have to deal with when handling and printing the finished negatives that requires as much, if not more attention to the problem. Static attracts dust to the film like a magnet. You can eliminate or greatly reduce the dust on the negative using compressed air, but there is even more you can do. If you use an ionizing device you can greatly reduce the static charge, which helps in removing dust and helps keep it away.

Dust is not only a problem with film, it is also a big problem in manufacturing. Ever notice how clean your new phone or TV is when you take it out of the box the first time? There are numerous commercial devices used in the manufacturing process to help control the static charge that attracts dust. These devices are on the expensive side, since they are specialized tools designed for commercial use. The good news is, since they are used so much, they appear on the used market at much more tolerable prices.

We have two Simco F10 Top Gun Static Neutralizing Blow Off Guns. (I know, get your mind out of the gutter, this is what the manufacture calls the device. . . see photos.) We installed one in the darkroom years ago. It worked so well, we added another in our work room where we mount, mat and frame. This model has been replaced, but you can find them on eBay. The unit is simple to use. All you need is a source of air (a compressor) and a standard grounded electrical outlet. They do work well.

One problem with the Simco unit is the hose and electrical umbilical. It is long, about 10 feet and difficult to handle. I solved that by building a spring-loaded retractor attached to the ceiling. This keeps the umbilical out of the way and the device easily accessible when needed.

As I said, you will need a compressor with a regulator to furnish air to the Simco unit. I keep the system pressure at about 40psi and you will need to add a filter to your air source. We have a compressor in the garage which has a filter on its outlet. Air is piped in via piping in the attic, then there is another filter at each Simco unit. You do not want water or oil in your air lines.

We use the Simco Top Gun units every time we print or mount and frame prints. They have become an integral part of the way we work. Anything you can do to eliminate dust will help you in keeping print spotting to a minimum. These units are also great for helping eliminate dust when mounting and framing.

Also worth mentioning is the Chapman ionizing antistatic brush. I am not sure if they are still made, but Zone VI, Kodak and others sold these at one time. We have a Chapman model and use it from time to time. The unit has a soft camel hair brush attached to a high voltage supply via a long cord. This is a good alternative if you do not want to have to use a compressor as with the Simco unit. We both used the Chapman brush until we found the Simco units. The ionizing brush works well, but nothing beats having compressed air combined with an ionizer.

Just remember; DUST IS A FOUR LETTER WORD!

Sep

2020

PENTAX DIGITAL METER SCALE MODIFICATION

I have been going through and updating this blog site and I have found several entries I have never posted. This is a project that was completed way back in 2007. Enjoy this blast from the past!

So, I know that I really should spend more time talking about photography, but it is so much easier to talk about equipment and modifications. . . so. . . here we go again. I know I have said several times before that little around here has not been modified in some way. I have to say that my Pentax Digital Spot Meter is about my number one tool when photographing. Maybe I should say it is my only tool that has a battery. No wonder Paul Horowitz chose it to modify for Zone VI. I like everything about it, except the Zone Dial. Now don’t get me wrong here, the old Zone VI Zone Dial was plenty useable. It was just that the label was not that durable and though we had purchased replacement Zone scales, I wanted something that was more rugged. So, this is how it all started. I just wanted to make a better label. And, another complaint I had was that part of the Zone Scale was covered by the meter barrel.

What I wanted was a more durable scale, and the ability to see the entire scale from Zone I to Zone X against the EV numbers on the dial. I had an idea about the scale and I thought I might open up the barrel of the meter a little. Turns out the scale was not that difficult, but in order to open up the barrel on the meter required I machine an entire new part.

First I needed to design a new meter scale and see how it would fit. The nice thing about doing your own modifications is you can design for the way you think. I set off first laying out a Zone Dial that I liked. I wanted a few symbols to jog my memory without clutter. I wanted to see ten full stops. It would include markers for N as well as N+1 ½ and N-1 ½, so I would not have to do any counting of Zones or EV numbers, just dial up whatever you want with little thought or counting. I also added a marker for Zone III to remind me of deep shadows and one at Zone IV for lighter shadows. Of course I added my name, website and copyright and there it was. I did the artwork in TurboCad and laid out the spacing to match the EV dial on the meter. I printed out a paper model and proceeded to check for fit and functionality.

Next I needed to rework the rear part of the meter barrel. I first thought I could modify the original, but it became obvious that if I were to cut away metal on the factory part, I would then have to strip the original anodize and re-plate. That usually does not work too well, so I opted to just make an entire new ring. This wasn’t that hard to do. The lens barrel is easily removed and the rear part that I needed to modify was simple machining. All I had to do was measure the original and make the replacement, adding my modification. I turned out the new part and made several test fits to make sure everything worked as planned. Once I was satisfied with the new ring, it was just a matter of some black anodize and assembly. I should note that we have four of these meters and I modified all of them at the same time.

I ordered some light sensitive, adhesive backed, aluminum that is mostly used for trophies and name plaques. I have used this material for panels on prototype devices before. This would serve as my new meter dial. I printed out a negative on clear film and this was used to expose the metal plate. After development, I had my dials ready to be cut to size. All that was left at this point was positioning the dials onto my new, opened up, meter barrel and one more project was done.

This was another one of those projects that was a little more involved than originally anticipated, but turned out to be well worth the effort. I did the modifications in 2007 and our meters have seen a lot of use since. My slightly encoded Zone Dial has worked very well, allowing me to work quickly and hopefully with fewer mistakes. Like I have said before, I like to keep things as simple as possible when working. Too much technical chatter gets in the way of creativity. I would rather do the technical work in the shop so I can get on with making my art without too much distraction.

Sep

2020

CUSTOM PANO PRINTING EASELS

Custom modified 5.5 x 14 & 8 x 20 printing easels

Seems the more you do the more you need to do. Or, maybe more accurately, the more you do unique things, the more custom hardware you need. Either way, seems there is always some project that needs to be addressed.

Susan started working in the pano format exclusively about 11 years ago. She shoots only 4×10 and 8×20 film. This means she enlarges her 4×10 negatives to mostly 5 1/2 x 14 or 8 x 20. She cuts 11 x 14 and 16 x 20 paper in half when she prints. Not much of anything exceptional there, except you need some sort of non-standard printing easel when making such prints. For years now she has been using a modified 16 x 20 Saunders Speed Easel and an adjustable easel for 5 1/2 x 14. Thing is, these easels are very large and the way our 8×10 enlarger is setup, you have limited baseboard area. What she wanted was a custom easel for the 8 x 20 for sure and something similar to her modified 16 x 20 using an 11 x 14 Speed Easel.

This is not that difficult of a machining project. . . just requires a little thought, some metal and the magic ingredient. . . time! Oh, and a couple of spare Saunders Speed Easels to perform a modification upon. We did find the easels on eBay, and I had ordered the material. . . finally I found the time.

For the 8×20 easel the idea was to cut down the hold-down border to the correct size, then cut the base to match. This would make a custom 8 x 20 Speed Easel. The actual re-fabrication was not too difficult. It took more time measuring to make sure things worked out to the right print border size, since this is a cut once type of project. I machined a new cross bar for the hold-down, made sure it was a good fit and drilled and tapped the ends. Next I cut off the unneeded portion of the stock hold-down, drilled the side bars and assembled the new 8×20 border hold-down. It all fit just about right.

Next I needed to cut off the unneeded portion of the base of the easel. I carefully measured and marked the needed cut. The bandsaw did the rest. A little dressing with a large flat file and the new base was almost done. Since the larger Speed Easel has a locking mechanism to keep it closed, I needed to add a relief in the base to clear the latch. That required a little more bandsaw work, followed by some finishing up in the vertical mill and all was well.

Once everything was test fitted, all that was left was a little painting. Since all of the easel is steel, it is a good idea to discourage rust. I lightly sanded the newly fabricated border hold-down and gave is a luxurious coat of self-etching flat black primer. . . done. The base was a little different. I really didn’t want to repaint the whole thing and finding paint that matched the Saunders yellow was not really an option either. I decided to mask off the end where I had removed the excess base about one inch inward and only paint that portion with the black primer. That way I would get the bare edge of the exposed metal covered and it would not look that bad.

All that was left now was to wait for paint to dry and then assemble. I did have to remove the anti-skid rubber feet from the cutoff piece of the base and glue them to the new 8 x 20 easel. That was it. . . all done. . . ready to use.

For the 5 1/2 x 14 easel modification, I took a much simpler approach. Since the original 11 x 14 easel was small, there was no problem using it on the enlarger base. So, no need to cut the entire easel down to a smaller size. All I really needed to do was machine a new cross bar to cut the easel size in half. I also worried that if I did cut the easel down that the border bar assembly would not have enough weight to hold the paper flat.

I cut a new cross bar from a length of 0.25″ square steel bar and machined up a couple of bracket pieces from aluminum to hold it in place. A little drilling and tapping and six #4-40 truss head socket cap screws and all was ready for some finish work. The new divider bar, along with the brackets were cleaned and given a coat of flat black self-etching primer.

I know this is not a project for the average person to attempt with only a few hand tools. This is not complicated, but does require a degree of precision and tools suited to the task. There are those times you have to build what you need. This is one of those things I do to relax and unwind. I offer this little project as an example of what can be done. If you decide to modify your easel, do proceed with caution.

JB

Sep

2020

EXHAUSTION; OR, IS THIS STILL GOOD?

Fixer does not soon become “exhausted” in the sense that it can’t dissolve more silver salts. Instead, the trouble is with silver/sulphur complexes that build up as the hypo is used. They can’t be washed out of paper. One of Alfred Stieglitz’s sins was that in spite of excellent training in photographic sciences at the Berlin Technische Hochschule under the great Wilhelim Vogle (whose discoveries made orthochromatic and panchromatic film possible), Stieglitz told the young Ansel Adams that a gallon of fixer is good for thousands of prints. He thought that Kodak’s advice to change the hypo frequently was just corporate greed-anxiety to make big profits selling more dirt-cheap hypo. No doubt that’s why some Stieglitz prints are turning funny colors.*

* Photo Techniques Magazine, “Advanced B&W Printing” 2002, “Photo 303, The Pratt Institute Handouts” by David Vestal, p.40

Nothing lasts forever. And, this is even more true when it comes to photographic chemistry. The question is, how long does the chemistry used in the darkroom last once mixed and what is the exhaustion rate? I firmly believe that trying to milk photographic chemistry for every last little bit is a recipe for disaster. Think of it this way. You have invested a lot of time and money by the time you get into the darkroom. Is it really worth it to try and save a few dollars by pushing your luck with chemistry that may not be up to par? Honestly, the least expensive item you use in the photographic process is the chemistry and water. Why scrimp, and risk disaster?

We calculate the exhaustion rates of all chemical formulas we use. It is very important to know the capacity of the film developers you use. If you try and stretch the chemistry beyond its useful capacity you will ruin your film. Same thing happens with the fixer. Printing paper is the same, except if you make a mistake you can always start over. But with film there is no do-over.

We very closely watch the capacities of the chemistry we use. The basic rule in our darkroom is to assure that we seldom go beyond 50-60% capacity. Film developers are used one-shot, making sure to use an adequate volume of chemistry for the number of square inches of film being developed. Film fixer is ran to 50-60% capacity then discarded. The same criteria is used when printing. Paper developer is used to maybe 60-70% capacity then discarded. Paper fixer is never used more than 60% of capacity.

In our darkroom there are few chemicals that are not discarded after a darkroom session. The only fixer we keep is the rapid fix used for film and it is discarded at 50-60% capacity. The only other chemistry we keep is Selenium Toner. All chemistry is labeled with the date it was mixed. Those that are kept for reuse are marked with the number of sheets of film or paper it has seen.

There is no need to run the risk and facing the consequences of exhausted chemistry when it comes to your photography. As said before, the chemistry is the least expensive item you will use in the whole photographic process, from film to the finished print. It is not worth the possible disaster that scrimping can cause. It is important to know the capacities of every formula used and never run any to full exhaustion. Nor is it a good practice to keep mixed solutions too long. Some formulas deteriorate rapidly once mixed. Know your chemistry and use it wisely!

Aug

2018

PRE-SOAK FILM; YES/NO

Here is another one of those subjects that seem to come up and usually divides those that participate in the discussion into two distinct camps. Do you pre-soak your film, or not? For me, there is no other choice when processing sheet film. I process in trays, multiple sheets, using the shuffle method. I have done this for as long as I have been using sheet film. In fact, I have always pre-soaked film, even back in the days I processed 35mm and roll film in a tank. 

A pre-soak is absolutely necessary when using the shuffle method in trays. If you drop a pile of sheet film into the developer dry, you will end up with a pile of film all welded together. Each sheet has to be placed into the pre-soak tray, one at a time, and allowed to sit for a few seconds to insure each is adequately wet before adding the next. Once I have all of the film in the pre-soak, I begin to shuffle, start the timer and continue for a minimum of three minutes. The stack is then lifted out of the tray, allowed to drain, then it is off to the developer.

As a friend has said on numerous occasions, he believes not pre-soaking is only a manufacturer’s way of trying to speed up the process for those that do not want to add an extra step. Pre-soak not only keeps sheet film from sticking together, I believe it allows for more even development, since the emulsion is already wet and prepared to better and more uniformly absorb the chemistry.

I have never seen any ill effect from pre-soak and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone that asks. Though, I am sure there are others that will tell you all about how it is not what should be done. One thing you will notice is the pre-soak water will have some color to it when you turn on the lights. This is simply dye in the film emulsion, and depending on the film, ranges from light blue, to a nice bright green.

 So, pre-soak or not. . . this one is up to you, but if you ask me I would say definitely yes.   

JB

Feb

2018

IS A PYRO FILM DEVELOPER RIGHT FOR YOU?

The first time I used pyrogallol was unforgettable. During lunchtime on a hot summer day in 1970, I left work and climbed a hill nearby to expose some test negatives. That evening, I tray processed the 4×5 Plus-X in Kodak D-1, a classic version of “ABC Pyro.” When I turned on the light, what I saw made my heart pound. The negatives were beautiful: tones were spectacularly differentiated throughout the density range, especially in the highlights. And what sharpness! I knew I’d finally found my developer.*
-John Wimberly-

I believe that an artist is never satisfied. As photographers, we all started somewhere. For me it began many years ago; more than I care to count. I can remember when it was a thrill, almost magic, to just get something from the camera to a finished print. My early attempts now do not excite me that much but they were where I started and I cannot deny my vision and skills have changed over the years. My wife and I have continued to hone our photographic vision and skills and we continue to evolve. The journey through creativity is never ending.

So, what does this all have to do with developers? Film, camera, lenses, chemicals and process are all only a means to the end product; the finished print. Each item alone may or may not be of major significance, but everything plays a roll all the way to the end. For many years we used Kodak HC-110 film developer. I fine tuned the developing times and even had my own dilution that I called Dilution JBH. We have hundreds of LF and ULF negatives processed in HC-110. This is about the best film developer you can use if you are just starting out. I am not a practitioner of the film of the month club nor the developer of the month club either. I believe you choose carefully, then spend your time wringing everything you possibly can from your choices. But, as I say, an artist is never satisfied. There is always that little something more.

This drive for continually progressing forward is what led me to begin exploring Pyro developers. I did a lot of research. We both did a lot of real-world testing, using numerous Pyro film formulas. This quest turned into several years of experimentation, but we both feel we learned a lot and did find that little something extra. We both agree the effort was well worth the time we invested.

Pyro film developers are different. Though the difference is very subtle and really cannot be fully appreciated unless you have some experience with the more traditional developers. I would never recommend that a newcomer to film photography start with a Pyro developer. You need to refine your skills first with a non-staining developer, so you will see the minute differences a Pyro developer creates.

JB

* “PyroTechnics Plus: Formulating a New Developer” by John Wimberly, Photo Techniques Magazine, March/April 2003, p.34-37

Jul

2016

8X10 LED VC ENLARGER HEAD

There are always those projects that you really want to undertake. But there is sometimes hesitation due to doubt as to the feasibility, or maybe the availability of the needed technology at the time to make the idea reality. Here is one of those projects that has been in the pipe, yet on the back burner, for quite some time. There were doubts as to whether this one would work. What the heck am I talking about. . . OH. . . that?

We finally committed to doing the research and development of an LED VC head for the 8×10 enlarger. This one took some time for research, design and testing, but it is finally a reality. Want to read about what it took to build a working 8×10 LED VC enlarger head?

Look in the Articles Area of our web site for the story or, here is the direct link to the PDF ”

DESIGNING & BUILDING AN LED VC ENLARGER HEAD.”

Jul

2015

UPDATE TO FORMULAS

We have just updated the FORMULAS area here on the jbhphoto.com BLOG (click the link at top of the page). What you will see is mostly cosmetic with a few corrections here and there. The formatting of the older area was made of screen grabs of notes and was not that well organized. Hopefully it is now a little more tidy.

Very little changes in the realm of the wet darkroom and film photography. There are no fads. . . no here today, gone tomorrow. . . no high-tech gadgets. . . no amazing updates. Traditional film photography is a craft you learn; fine tune; then use. The bottom line is the finished fine print. Traditional film photography is very old fashion and grounded in down-to-earth proven techniques, that once learned are the backbone of the art form. Bottom line; not a lot to stand in line or camp on the street to be the first for some new-fangled gadget or upgrade. Once you master the technique, there are no excuses not to produce finished work. Film photography is a craft; you learn it; then you use it; for the rest of your life; and you pass on what you have learned.

In our Formulas area you will find the mixtures we use. Nothing very special about anything we do, and it would be a good assumption you will see little new there. Take what you can make work for you; leave anything else for the next interested photographer.

JB

Jun

2015

THOMAS DUPLEX SAFELIGHT & SOX

Had an interesting discussion the other day with a group of photographers about the Thomas Duplex Super-Safelight. This is one of the best safelights you can own. They are bright, powerful and will fog your paper before you can say Look Out! Honestly, these things are designed to light a very large darkroom, I would say, far beyond the size that most of us are accustomed to having the privilege of owning. They come with several glass-mounted filters that are designed for different darkroom uses, but there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what filters to use and how this all works.

So, let’s begin by trying to better understand just how the Thomas Duplex Super-Safelight works. This is really an ingenious device that uses technology designed for something completely different. If you have ever looked inside of the unit you will see a strange looking glass lamp. This is the heart of the Super-Safelight. . . a Low Pressure Sodium lamp. . . designated in the industry as an SOX lamp. Without getting into a lot of very technical talk, this SOX lamp is an extremely bright light producing device. . . you get a lot of light per watt of electricity used. But there is a trade-off. . . the spectral output of the lamp is extremely narrow. In the simplest terms, there is a lot of light, but it is just one color. How this narrowband light is generated and the details of the lamp itself are way too complicated for this discussion. For the photographer, how to use the lamp is much more important. You do not need to know how to build a car from a block of metal to drive it. If you are really. . . really. . . really. . . interested in the technical stuff, here is a LINK. Also an Internet search will turn up even more technical info.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Low Pressure Sodium Lamp

What we photographers are really interested in is the spectral output of the lamp. The SOX lamp produces a virtually monochromatic light, averaging about 589.3nm wavelength. I know, more of that technical talk. What is important to know is that this wavelength of light from the SOX lamp is outside the main spectral sensitivity of B&W printing papers. This is what makes the Super-Safelight unique.

So, roughly speaking, we can say that graded papers are mostly blue sensitive, and VC papers are mostly sensitive to blue and green light. Again, roughly speaking, graded papers are mostly sensitive to about 450-500nm wavelengths. While VC papers are roughly most sensitive to about 400-570nm wavelengths.

Now with a rudimentary understanding of the SOX lamp spectral output, it becomes obvious that it is well suited for use in a photographic safelight. The thing is, these lamps put out so much light that they are a danger to photographic printing papers. If you look at the spectrum, you will also notice there are other wavelengths in the blue and near green that can cause fog. A proper cutoff filter will remove them.

Spectral output of SOX Lamp

Even with the greatest spectral output beyond the main sensitivity range of the papers, if you expose the paper to too much light you will get fog. You have to attenuate the SOX lamp output even further. I have made my own filters for my Thomas Duplex Super-Safelight and it is not that difficult, nor is it expensive. I have another post on this BLOG that deals with the proper cutoff filter and using ND filters to tame down the light output. You will find the post titled, “THOMAS DUPLEX SUPER SAFELIGHT FILTERS” contains the details of how to make your own B&W filters.

You will also note in this previous post that I have replaced the lamp in the Super-Safelight we use. The stock unit comes with a 35 watt (SOX35) lamp, which in reality is way too much light for the small darkroom. The thing is just way too bright for our darkroom which is 9 1/2 x 16 feet. Realize that there is no practical way to electrically dim the lamp. So, I did what I usually do with most everything around here; I looked to modify how it works.

Doing a little research I found that the smallest SOX lamp available was 18watts (SOX18). That is what I wanted; less wattage; less light! If you choose to do this, keep in mind that the ballast and capacitor are specific to the lamp. If you want to change the lamp wattage, you have to purchase the appropriate ballast and capacitor. If you are not comfortable working with electricity, please ask for help, or do not attempt this. But, if you decided to move to the lower power lamp, there isn’t much to it. You simply swap out the ballast, the capacitor and the lamp.

SOX Magnetic Ballast & Capacitor

Using the SOX18 lamp will greatly decrease the light output of the Super-Safelight. This coupled with the use of the proper cutoff filter and ND filters will allow you to tame the light output to a manageable level in the smaller darkroom.

NOTE: One more thing; the stock Thomas Duplex Super-Safelight uses the older magnetic ballast and external capacitor. This is what I used and this was near 20 years ago. Now you can purchase an electronic version of the ballast but I have absolutely no experience with them, so you are on your own there.

Now you know how the Thomas Duplex Super-Safelight works, and hopefully how to best use it in your darkroom. Do Not Forget to TEST to be sure your safelight is SAFE!

JB

May

2015

OVER 25 YEARS OF MPD & STILL GOING

Seems everyone has their favorite method for exposing and developing film. You do shoot film, don’t you? If not, you should! But I digress for sure. . . There are as many ways of working with film as there are opinions. . . maybe more. None are better or worse than any other, if they work; if they give you the results you insist on within your own vision, then you are already there. But, in this day and age there are a lot of people coming into photography and just now discovering film and the traditional darkroom. In the beginning film is a mystery and requires some time to begin to master. Of course, the most important thing is that you shoot film and make finished photographs. How you get there is a very personal thing and you need to choose what works best for you. But, you have to start somewhere.

For me, I prefer simplicity when I am out making photographs. I do not want to get bogged down with a lot of complexity. I struggled with film exposure and development, like I would speculate that most everyone has when they first start out trying to understand film photography. It was way back in the mid 1970’s when I realized I could process and print my own photographs. This was a big deal for me. It started a lifetime involvement with photography and the wet darkroom.

I stumbled around, trying this and that looking for that magic technique that would give me a negative that would print what I saw in my mind’s eye in the finished print. I read everything I could find on the subject. I even toyed with the idea of becoming a strict Zone System practitioner. Thing was, everything I looked into was just way too complicated. There had to be a simpler way. . . at least, that is what I thought.

Somewhere in the 1980’s I discovered Fred Picker and his “Zone VI Workshop” book. This was exactly what I was looking for. It made sense and contained a simple approach that I found worked! Having found someone that was also into simplicity, I subscribed to the Zone VI Newsletter. I remember really getting excited when I discovered the latest issue in the mailbox. Plenty of opinion and advice that really made sense. To this day I still have my complete set of these newsletters. About 25 years ago when I seriously decided to start working with large format photography, I read the entire set again. . . three times. . . every issue, #1 through #83.

I had experimented previously with what Fred called MPD (Maximum Printable Density) back in my early days in photography. I had very good results, but I drifted away from the darkroom for a while to concentrate on a career. When I moved back into photography after a brief hiatus, I dove right into large format. I needed to relearn my darkroom skills, at least to the point where I had left off and establish a sound working technique.

MPD is such a simple approach to exposing film that most think it will not work. It is deceptively simple for sure! I did some experimenting to get back into the groove and continue my experiments with simplicity. I found that MPD was just what it claims to be. . . SIMPLE. . . and well-suited for any film format! I am a big fan of ‘simple’ for sure. As with anything, it is ludicrous to use something that does not work. Why make it worse on yourself. I approached MPD with the idea, that as long as it works, I will use it.

It is funny how there are things that just seem to fit you and continue to do so. It has been over 25 years now and I still use MPD. Why? Because it works! My wife uses it and she is sold on the idea of simplicity also. If you have seen any of our original prints from LF negatives, you have seen film exposed using MPD.

Oh, guess I forgot to mention exactly how simple MPD is in practical use. Here goes, don’t blink; 1. Find your subject, compose as you wish. Not much new there. But, here it comes. 2. Meter the area you wish to render as a Zone VIII. White painted wall, snow, sand. . . whatever you wish to print as finely textured white (Zone VIII). Meter that area. 3. Open up three stops, or place the reading on Zone VIII if your meter has a Zone Dial. 4. Set your exposure and expose the film.

It is actually even easier than that;

1. Meter

2. Place VIII

3. Expose. . . DONE!

Now, don’t believe this is a haphazard way of working. First, you must do your film testing. You need to establish your working EI (Exposure Index) and your normal (N) developing time. You need to establish a proper proofing regiment. Your proper proofs are your control. They tell you just how you are doing with film exposure and developing. Study your proper proofs and make fine adjustments on the fly. Thing is, once you find a starting point, things get much easier. You do not have to engage in never-ending testing. Test once. . . find that starting point. As Fred Picker said, “Get one foot on a rock.” Then you use your proper proofs for fine tuning and a constant check on how you are doing. Simple!

Are you interested in making really good negatives? Want to understand proper proofing, personal film speed and developing times? How about getting started using MPD? Interested in getting the technical stuff behind you?

I was asked how to use MPD and what testing was necessary years ago. I wrote “THE FILM EXPOSURE WORK BOOK” specifically for those interested in learning where to start. This 44 page book is now available for download in e-book format from our online store. You will learn how to establish your working EI. Determine your N and N+1 1/2 developing times. Proper Proofing is covered and much more. You will also get a printable 12 page Work Sheet to record your testing results.

Is MPD right for you? If you are just starting out with film, it just might be if you are interested in a simple, reliable method for making the best possible negatives. Fred Picker had a large rubber stamp that said TRY IT. He used it to answer letters people wrote to him asking questions. You will only know if you TRY IT. It has worked well here for over 25 years!