Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Notices

Go Back   Film and Darkroom User > Site Forums > Introductions

  ***   Click here for the FADU 2015/2014 Yearbooks   ***

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #11  
Old 26th October 2012, 01:54 PM
ymgandy ymgandy is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Gods country, West Yorkshire
Posts: 291
Default

Welcome John, enjoy the dark.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 26th October 2012, 09:12 PM
jonmorrow jonmorrow is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 5
Default

Thanks very much everybody, what a welcome!

More good news for me is that I have fixed the enlarger - the connector at the rear of the 1A fuse unit on the transformer was bust (but not the fuse itself). So I have replaced that and fitted a new 100W bulb and I now have light!. A 50mm lens came with the enlarger so I have bought a Schneider Componon-S 100mm from Second Hand Darkroom Supplies which should be here next week along with everything else.

I am planning my first wet print towards the end of the week using 0Magenta and 0 Yellow and I will see what happens. More than likely I will get very impatient and go straight into a rubbish print of a real negative, but somehow the rubbishness of the print will be very much offset by the fact that I will have a piece of my own work in my hands. I hope.

After that I am back to work on Friday so I will have no access to my toys for a month

One question: can you keep the safe light on the whole time in the dark room or are there bits of the process that need complete dark, as you do with developing the negatives? Perhaps a more pertinent question is: can you recommend a good book I can take with me to work so I can study? I won't have much internet access so I don't expect to be able to spend much time reading through forums etc when I am away but I will have time to read analogue information sources...

Cheers all, Jon.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 26th October 2012, 09:58 PM
Bill's Avatar
Bill Bill is offline
Moderator & Keeper of the Calendar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Barrow - in - Furness
Posts: 1,803
Default

Yes you cam keep the safelight on as long as you are using material designed for it, for instance Ilford MG paper is safe under light brown lighting. The time is not infinite as safelight is only a relative term. You can test to see how long it is safe for.

As for books there are 3 that immediately spring to mind.

Creative Black and White photography by Les McLean, a FADU member.

John Blakemore's Black and White Photography Workshop by John Blakemore.

Way Beyond Monochrome by Ralph Lambrecht and Chris Woodhouse.

The last one may be a bit advanced for a total beginner but is an excellent book. Not cheap though.

There is also the Ansel Adams series of three volumes, The Camera, The Negative and The Print.

All are available from Amazon or may be in your local library. If not available they may be able to order from another one for you if you have time.

Bill
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 26th October 2012, 09:58 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Daventry, Northants
Posts: 8,968
Default

If you are printing Jon, a safe darkroom light can do no harm left on when processing prints. Just don't leave spare paper exposed to the safelight unnecessarily i.e. just use the one sheet at a time. Do not have the whole box exposed on a bench

You can turn on the room light after the print has been in the fix for at least half of the fixing time but I'd only turn on the roomlight after the full fix time. It is probably only another minute to wait

I'd recommend two books: Les Mclean's Creative B&W Photography and Tim Rudman's The Photographer's Maste Printing Course.
The former covers both film and print processing and the latter covers printing as the title suggests but is probably the "last word" on printing

Have a good read

Mike
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 27th October 2012, 10:55 AM
CambsIan's Avatar
CambsIan CambsIan is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 1,326
Default

Hi Jon,

Welcome to the forum and the darkroom.

My only suggestion for a book or two, has already been mentioned, the local Library. A great place to find a selection ( for free ) and if you find one that is just up your street and you really fancy, you can always buy that one.

Ian
__________________
Learn to live, live to learn
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 27th October 2012, 11:29 AM
jonmorrow jonmorrow is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 5
Default

I just ordered the Les McLean and the Way Beyond Monochrome, I am hoping one of them will arrive before I have to go offshore.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 1st November 2012, 04:13 PM
jonmorrow jonmorrow is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 5
Default

Well, both books arrived, but the paper and the chemical did not (ordered more than a week ago from a reputable supplier NOT firstcall I should say), so I will not now get the chance to produce a print until I get back from work at the start of December. I am slightly gutted, but I suppose I have a chance to read up more before I do the first print. I do like to learn from my own mistakes though, when given the chance...
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 1st November 2012, 06:18 PM
MartyNL's Avatar
MartyNL MartyNL is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: based in The Netherlands
Posts: 3,341
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jonmorrow View Post
Well, both books arrived, but the paper and the chemical did not (ordered more than a week ago from a reputable supplier NOT firstcall I should say), so I will not now get the chance to produce a print until I get back from work at the start of December. I am slightly gutted, but I suppose I have a chance to read up more before I do the first print. I do like to learn from my own mistakes though, when given the chance...
Shame about the photo products but enjoy your books!
__________________
MartyNL

“Reaching a creative state of mind thru positive action
is considered preferable to waiting for inspiration.”
- Minor White, 1950
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 8th November 2012, 07:34 PM
jonmorrow jonmorrow is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 5
Default

Well, I am most of the way through Les's book and it is very good. I am most impressed with the split contrast method, I would like to give that a shot when I get home.

I was starting to think that printing would be fairly easy to handle but when I got to the worked example of the sand dunes in death valley I realised that I don't even know how much it is that I don't know. I have never done dodging or burning, even in photoshop, so at this point it would be really good to actually see someone else do it. Otherwise I am going to be slow getting the hang of it. Do you think that sort of stuff is on YouTube?

I have a couple of questions:
1. When do you start planning the work that you need to do on the print? Do you do that from a contact sheet or would you make a bigger print first?
2. If a bigger print is the starting point for the plan (is that a pilot print?) do you make it the same size as your intended final print? I have only ordered Ilford multigrade 8x10 so that is all I can do right now, though I suppose I could cut it in quarters...

Thanks guys

Jon
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 8th November 2012, 08:10 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Daventry, Northants
Posts: 8,968
Default

Jon You can even buy a Jobo Varioformat easel that allows four 4x5s from a 8x10. Once you have done one 4x5 you cover it and can do another with no fear of light getting to the covered one.

Durst does a metal easel that does the same thing. I think it is called a Durst Comask. The Durst gives borders as well so can double up as an 8x10 easel or a two 5x8 print easel.

The Jobo does borderless prints

Mike
Reply With Quote
Reply
Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Hello from Liverpool UK paddy Introductions 16 14th July 2011 12:35 PM
Hi From Liverpool UK SparkUK Introductions 12 4th February 2011 01:56 PM
Liverpool toffeezebra Great Britain 4 11th December 2010 08:14 PM


All times are GMT. The time now is 11:08 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.