darkroom

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

Jul

2015

LOOK, FEEL, PRESENCE & NUMBERS

Numbers can not quantify a feeling. . .

A fine photograph has A LOOK; A FEEL; A PRESENCE; there are qualities that cannot be measured or codified. They are seen and felt, yet have no tangible attributes. . . some things are impossible to put into words. You can run tests, plot curves, generate computer models, but the emotional response, if any, to a photograph is an experience and not a quantifiable known.

In the process of making the fine photograph there are subtle adjustments that the photographer literally pours into the image. These fine adjustments may actually not even be perceivable to the viewer, but they make or break the finished image.

In the creative process of making a finished print, there are no hard and fast rules. There are photographs that take on a completely different atmosphere than may have been seen or felt at the time the film was exposed. These are those “happy little accidents” as the painter Bob Ross would say. You may follow one direction you believe will make the image speak when in the field, which is totally abandoned in the darkroom at the time of printing. You make your best estimate as to what you believe you will eventually end up with, but you will not absolutely KNOW for sure what a film, paper, developer combination is really doing until you make a real photograph. It is all about that feeling. Do not allow yourself to get locked into any preconception. Allow your creativity to guide you. Do not get hung up on numbers or any hard and fast rules.

I keep coming back to the same point; you can not calculate feeling. There are some things that just exist and are not possible to be explained by a mathematical expression. . . they are emotional expressions. . . emotional responses. . . subject to any number of personal preferences of the individual. . . these preferences are the product of what make each person an individual. . . you cannot measure these things. . . they are subjective. Think about it. . . can art really be created and expressed by numbers???

It is about personal taste. . . Ford or Chevy. . . Coke or Pepsi. . . red or blue. . . one size does not fit all. What you may find perfectly acceptable in a film developer combination may not suit my taste at all. My father used to say, “that is why they paint cars different colors.”

Keep in mind that any hard rules or numbers are only a starting point. . . only a suggestion. Creativity comes from reaching far beyond hard figures and rules. The creative spark reveals the inner feeling by stirring the imagination with creativity.

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

Nov

2014

NELFPC. . . 2014 EVENT VIDEO

We are so proud to have been invited to attend this really exciting and motivating NELFPC photography event. Tim did a great job shooting and editing this video. Watch and you will see only a snippet of what transpired during this long weekend saturated in fine art photography.

Thanks to the New England Large Format Photography Collective!

JB & Susan

Jun

2014

LED LIGHTING

We have finally started to transition into the 21st century. I have been doing research into LED lighting for our darkroom and workroom for some time. Not because I really care that much about the power use. . . I am more concerned about the useless heat generated by incandescent lighting. In case anyone has never investigated this, your standard filament-type lamp produces more infrared heat than visible light. We live in Texas and every bit of heat generated inside has to be pumped out with the A/C system. Need I say, I really don’t care for hot weather, nor a hot house.

I have been intrigued by LED lighting and I have been following the technology for some time. Up until recently LED lighting has been very expensive and not all that great as a replacement for the old reliable standard incandescent light bulb. Cost not being factored in, there was still an issue of the color of the LED lighting and something completely new to me. . . CRI (Color Rendering Index). When you are working with photographs, CRI becomes a very important consideration as well as color temperature.

Most everyone is familiar with color temperature. Measured in degrees Kelvin, light is either warm or cold in appearance. The standard incandescent lamp has a color temperature of somewhere between 2700K to maybe 3000K for some halogen lamps. We have always used standard reflector flood lamps which inherently have a color temperature of 2700K. LED lighting now is available with color temperatures that range from 2700K to 5000K. This was an easy choice for us. . . what I wanted was something that matches what I have always used, so 2700K is the logical choice.

Seems that the newest specification for LED lighting is the appearance of CRI. You will find very few lamp manufacturers that will specify the CRI. CRI is a measure of how well a light source reveals colors. The sun has a CRI of 100. The very least you can expect anywhere near true color is a CRI of no less than 84 or so. Most incandescent lamps have a CRI of about 93 to 94. Many LED lamps have a CRI of about 80. . . not that great.

There is one more specification that is important and that is the lumens a lamp produces. This is simply the amount of light created for the watts of electricity used. The higher the number, the more light output.

That is a lot of information, but let it suffice to say that things have finally caught up with what I might call the Heat : Color : CRI : lumens : $$$ ratio, and it is finally time to seriously look into LED lighting. We found a suitable replacement for the lighting in our workroom and proceeded to test the LEDs against the old incandescent lamps. I first replaced random lamps among twelve 45W reflector lamps that light our work area. Once on, I could not detect any difference in the light color, coverage or quality. I looked at color under each light and saw no perceivable difference. I had one more test. . . take a digital photo of the room and see if the camera could see any color difference. We both looked at the photo and could not tell where the LED lamps were compared to the others. The biggest difference we saw in the workroom was the blue of the light coming in the window from outside. So far, so good! Next we lived with the new light for a few days. Did the color comparison several times. Took more digital photos, both with the Panasonic digital cameras and with the iPhone camera. Still, even the cameras were not showing any difference. That was it!

Next. . . the darkroom. We have had two fluorescent fixtures in the darkroom for as long as we have been here. I hate those greenie-weenie light things know as fluorescent. I have wanted to install track lighting above the sink for years, but did not want to put up with the heat. We installed a track with four fixtures and 65W equivalent LED lamps. . . what a difference! We also installed two, three-lamp fixtures for general room lighting. We next repeated the tests with the cameras and there is not a detectable difference in the color of the light. We did several visual color comparisons and there just wasn’t any discernible difference between the incandescent and the LED lamps. That was pretty much all that I needed to see. . . fixed!

I know the question will come up as to what manufacturer and which lamps we selected. We chose the Feit Electric R20, 45/8W, 450 lumen and BR30, 65/13W, 750 lumen LED lamps. These are reflector lamps with a 110 degree beam angle and a CRI of 93+.

One of the most noticeable things about the LED lighting is the absence of searing heat. The lamps themselves do get warm, but there is none of that burning IR heat that will even warm a black object on the table top. I also need to add that these LED lamps are dimmable and do work with every dimmer we have tried them with here.

45W R20 Lamp

45W R20 Specs

65W BR30 Specs

65W BR30 Lamp

Feit Electric CRI

Test Photo: Darkroom with mixed incandescent and LED light

Test Photo: Workroom with mixed incandescent and LED light

If you are looking to upgrade to LED lighting, these seem to be about the best at this time. I am sure that as the technology matures, you will see even better performance and pricing. It is like most all high-tech items today. . . you have to choose a point, then jump on the band wagon. Tomorrow there will be a whole new ball game. At least we have chosen to start now. We have taken the leap into LED lighting. We’ll see how well these hold up. . . the manufacturer claims their lamps have a 22 year life!

JB

May

2014

A DAY FOR CHOOSING

Every time I head into the darkroom I learn something new. I learn another way of thinking, working, creating or just being a photographer. Everyone knows that the first thrill in photography is just being there. You are out in some visually exciting environment, suffering from optical overload. You know that the vast majority of the film you expose will never be printed, but still you shoot away. I cannot count the number of times that the one I really had hopes for really flops when printed, and the one that was just a wild guess is a keeper. That is why you shoot. . . even if you are not really confident the results will be worthy of the film. You just never know, but if you do not make the exposure, you are guaranteed to have nothing.

Once you have all of the film processed and proofed, then begins the arduous task of selecting what you want to print. This is always a tedious and mostly unforgiving chore. Making a finished print is time consuming. I would say that either of us will put in ten to twelve hours in a typical printing session. And, generally we will produce, on a good day, four finished prints. Some days maybe less. That is why it is very important that the negative chosen needs to be well thought out, and you need to have some amount of confidence and a plan before you begin.

I don’t want to go into the darkroom and start haphazardly printing. I want to have some organization and a good idea of what I am going to be doing before I begin. Nothing is more frustrating than floundering around without a good starting point. It is bad for the head, it wastes time and materials. I would rather not print a day, spend that time getting prepared and then print the next day. I find that creativity is fleeting and if I am not in the mood, don’t even go there. Find something else to do till your mindset is correct.

The process of negative selection begins by studying the proofs. We have worked up a sheet that we fill in with interesting photographs we would like to print. We call this sheet “MISC NEGATIVES SELECTED FOR PRINTING” and it is little more than a group of boxes to fill in with negative numbers, film size and notes. I ginned this up using a word processor years ago and we run off multiple copies and keep them on a clipboard in the darkroom.

As I said before, I keep refining my creative process. I have learned one thing that is even interesting to me. I have found that I print much better, have much greater success that is, if I concentrate on one particular type of photograph in a printing session. For me, at least, if I am printing say wood and leaves and having a good day, it is not a good idea to switch to printing running water or snow. It just doesn’t work well for me.

So, I have begun grouping my selected negatives into those that are of like content. An example would be; on our last trip we were in Yosemite NP, Zion NP and Arches NP. I did a lot of wood details in both Yosemite and Zion, so I have grouped all of the similar subject negatives onto one sheet. This way, I will only print those negatives in one, or several consecutive printing sessions. I have quite a few snow and ice negatives from Yosemite and Arches. Those will be grouped and printed in another session.

This may sound strange, but for me at least, I find that I print better when I get into one sequence of thought and keep the subject matter similar. It just works better for me. . . maybe it would work for you also?

Finding something worth exposing a sheet of film to is one thing. . . the next step is selecting the very best of your film for the finished print. Anything you can do to help will be a great asset to your art.

JB

Apr

2014

TCC EXPOSURE CLUB TALK “THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY”

We would like to thank the Tarrant County College Exposure Club for inviting us back again this year to talk about the Art of Photography.

Great turnout. . . thanks everyone!

JB & SUSAN

Jan

2014

ARE YOU USING CLOTHESPINS?

There are some things that seem to never change, or are never improved upon. I have used the lowly, common wooden clothespin forever to hang sheet film to dry. I have a bunch of them strung up on picture framing wire with springs at one end to keep the wire taut. I had never given much thought to the fact that the common wooden clothespin sticks to the corner of the film and usually splinters a little wood onto the film when you remove it. Just a fact of life and I have always lived with it. I try to clip the very edge of the film and it has never been much of a problem. . . it is more of an annoyance.

There are times that things just happen unexpectedly. I was walking through a store several years ago and saw something I had not seen before. . . bamboo clothespins! Didn’t think much of it, but I did examine them closely and noticed the bamboo looked like a good material for a clothespin since it was not as porous as the wood I was used to seeing. I ended up purchasing a package and replaced one of my film lines with them.

I was amazed at how well they worked. They held the wet film just like what I had been using. . . they did stick, but not as bad. . . and. . . they did not splinter. I immediately replaced all of the clothespins on my drying line and have been well pleased with the result.

You never know what you will discover if you take the time to look around. If you are one that uses the old wooden clothespin to hang your film, you might want to look into getting some bamboo. They work great for me!

JB

Dec

2013

A NEW ILFORD MULTIGRADE FIBRE BASE FAMILY

More good news about Ilford traditional products.

PRESS ROOM STORY

BORN, ESTABLISHED, DEVELOPED! … A NEW ILFORD MULTIGRADE FIBRE BASE FAMILY
4th December 2013

BORN, ESTABLISHED, DEVELOPED! … A NEW ILFORD MULTIGRADE FIBRE BASE FAMILY
ILFORD PHOTO announce a new range of variable contrast Baryta Fibre Base papers, a completely new and improved MULTIGRADE FB and a new COOLTONE FB paper to complement the existing MULTIGRADE FB WARMTONE.

For 20 years the best selling ILFORD MULTIGRADE IV FB paper has been the product of choice for creative photographers and printers the world over. BORN following extensive R&D, significant improvements have been made to the product that is now renamed ILFORD MULTIGRADE FB CLASSIC. The new paper is available in Glossy and Matt surfaces and offers sharper images, improved maximum density and shorter exposure times. The new MULTIGRADE FB CLASSIC has also been developed to better respond to traditional toning techniques than the product it replaces.

More info here: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/pressroom/article.asp?n=174
and here: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/products/producttype.asp?n=5&t=Photographic+Papers

DESIGNING & BUILDING AN LED VC ENLARGER HEAD.”

We are so proud to have been invited to attend this really exciting and motivating NELFPC photography event. Tim did a great job shooting and editing this video. Watch and you will see only a snippet of what transpired during this long weekend saturated in fine art photography.

Thanks to the New England Large Format Photography Collective!

JB & Susan

We would like to thank the Tarrant County College Exposure Club for inviting us back again this year to talk about the Art of Photography.

Great turnout. . . thanks everyone!

JB & SUSAN

More good news about Ilford traditional products.

PRESS ROOM STORY

BORN, ESTABLISHED, DEVELOPED! … A NEW ILFORD MULTIGRADE FIBRE BASE FAMILY 4th December 2013

BORN, ESTABLISHED, DEVELOPED! … A NEW ILFORD MULTIGRADE FIBRE BASE FAMILY ILFORD PHOTO announce a new range of variable contrast Baryta Fibre Base papers, a completely new and improved MULTIGRADE FB and a new COOLTONE FB paper to complement the existing MULTIGRADE FB WARMTONE.

More info here: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/pressroom/article.asp?n=174 and here: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/products/producttype.asp?n=5&t=Photographic+Papers

BORN, ESTABLISHED, DEVELOPED! … A NEW ILFORD MULTIGRADE FIBRE BASE FAMILY
4th December 2013

BORN, ESTABLISHED, DEVELOPED! … A NEW ILFORD MULTIGRADE FIBRE BASE FAMILY
ILFORD PHOTO announce a new range of variable contrast Baryta Fibre Base papers, a completely new and improved MULTIGRADE FB and a new COOLTONE FB paper to complement the existing MULTIGRADE FB WARMTONE.

More info here: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/pressroom/article.asp?n=174
and here: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/products/producttype.asp?n=5&t=Photographic+Papers