Processes, equipment and good practices for image printing in a traditional b&w darkroom
An example of image manipulation in analog photography, involving interventions on a preliminary copy that is then re-photographed and reprinted. This technique allows you to insert or remove anything from the image. The only limit is the photographer’s imagination and skill.
This is a developer that you can easily make at home. It is very versatile, has a long shelf life in concentrated form and is easy to use. Its formula uses dilutions of 1:25, 1:50, 1: 100, and up to 1: 200 in water. It is a great option for developing black and white films…
Complete and detailed tutorial for you to produce a magnetic stirrer. It is an invaluable aid for preparing solutions in analog photography, such as developers and fixers. Assembly is very simple and uses low cost components.
Tutorial shows you how to spot retouch black and white photos either by chemical reduction, or by depositing pigments to darken small areas. Procedure can be used for fault correction or creatively as photograph interventions. Example shows how to enhance catchlights.
Article shows how you can change the perspective of an enlargement by tilting the easel in the analog photo lab
This video-complete tutorial presents a photo retouching technique that aims to lighten up areas of a photograph using a Potassium Ferricyanide reducer.
Full description of the method for retouching black and white photographic negatives. The technique described is the same as that used from the beginning of silver gelatin emulsions. Very effective for smoothing and correcting, especially portraits.
Calculator for easy assessment of photographic formula’s cost. You enter quantities, dilution, packaging and price and get right away how much one liter of that working solution costs. Very convenient to compare different formulas, purchased ready to use or homemade, and decide what suits you best in financial terms.
Find a compact set of chemical reagents, 8 in total, that will allow you to develop film and print B&W photographies. With instructions about mixing, using and cost considerations. A nice starting point if you are interested in setting up a photography darkroom and make your own chemicals.
If you consider adding some chemistry to your photography, but are uncertain about the difficulties in setting up a darkroom in terms of time, work and money… then this post is for you. The idea is exactly to reflect upon ways and alternatives to leave for a while the digital. I say “for a while”…
A simple and nevertheless very important point in darkroom practice is keeping control of time for baths and processes. For a long time I used the “triple timer” and it it never failed. It works till today. But the electronics embedded on it falls very short when compared even with an entry price smartphone, and there is…