Free course · 7 steps · Several weeks, one technique per roll
Black and white mastery
Control tone and contrast from exposure through development, and finish with a properly processed fibre print.
For anyone who has completed "Develop your first black and white roll" and wants more control. The last step assumes you can already make a darkroom print.
What you need
- A light meter, ideally with spot metering, or a grey card
- Developing tank, reels, thermometer and timer
- Developer, stop bath and fixer
- A second developer for stand or two-bath work, such as Rodinal or Diafine
- Non-hardening fixer and a washing aid, for the fibre print
Safety
Official hazard classifications for the chemicals this course uses. Read the chemicals pages for the details.
| Chemical | Hazards |
|---|---|
| MetolWarning | Harmful if swallowed.; May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.; May cause an allergic skin reaction.; Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. |
| HydroquinoneDanger | Suspected of causing cancer.; Suspected of causing genetic defects.; Harmful if swallowed.; Causes serious eye damage.; May cause an allergic skin reaction.; Very toxic to aquatic life. |
| Borax (disodium tetraborate decahydrate)Danger | May damage fertility. May damage the unborn child. |
| Ammonium thiosulfate | Not classified as hazardous |
Classifications from the European Chemicals Agency (official EU classification where one exists, otherwise the one agreed by REACH registrants or most often notified). Read the safety data sheet that comes with your chemicals, and dispose of them in line with local regulations.
Dispose of used chemistry according to the manufacturer's safety data sheet and your local council and water company rules.
Steps
1Place tones with the Zone System
The Zone System divides the range from black to white into zones, each one stop apart, so you can decide where a tone will land before you shoot. Its core idea is to expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights.
Do this now
Meter the darkest area where you want detail and place it at Zone III as the guide describes, then meter your brightest important area and see which zone it falls in. If you have no spot meter, use one of the alternatives the guide lists.
Checkpoint: You can now place a shadow tone on a chosen zone and judge where your highlights will fall.
2Read the contrast of a scene
Dynamic range is the span between the darkest and brightest parts of a scene that your film can hold with detail. Colour negative has the widest range, black and white negative is wide and can be adjusted in development, and slide film is the narrowest.
Do this now
Meter the shadows and highlights of a few scenes in different light and count the stops between them. For each, decide what you would preserve if the range was more than your film can hold.
Checkpoint: You can now judge whether a scene fits your film and decide what to preserve when it does not.
3Push a roll
Pushing means rating film faster than its box speed and extending development to compensate. It raises contrast and grain, and it cannot bring back shadow detail that was never recorded.
Do this now
Shoot a whole roll at one pushed rating, mark the roll, and plan your development with the push and pull tool, checking the maker's published pushed time where one exists. Wear gloves and keep the room ventilated while you process, then compare the result with a normally developed roll.
Checkpoint: You have developed a pushed roll and can describe what pushing does to contrast and shadows.
4Pull a roll
Pulling is the opposite of pushing: you give the film extra exposure and shorten development to lower contrast. It is mainly a contrast control for harsh light, and it makes already flat scenes flatter.
Do this now
Shoot a roll in high-contrast light at a lower rating than box speed, mark the roll, and plan a shortened development with the push and pull tool. Wear gloves and ventilate as you process, then compare the highlights with a normally developed roll.
Checkpoint: You have developed a pulled roll and can say when pulling helps and when it does not.
5Try stand development
Stand development leaves film in highly diluted developer with little or no agitation, so the highlights exhaust their developer while the shadows keep developing. It compensates for high contrast, but the results are less predictable and tend to look grainier.
Do this now
Follow the guide on a test roll with a developer it recommends for stand work, tapping the tank to dislodge bubbles and then leaving it undisturbed. Do not use a solvent fine-grain developer, and try the semi-stand variation if you see streaks. Wear gloves and keep the room ventilated.
Checkpoint: You can now run a stand or semi-stand development and recognise bromide drag.
6Try two-bath development
Two-bath development soaks the film in a developing agent, then moves it to an alkaline activator with no rinse between. Highlights use up their share of developer and stop, while the shadows finish, which compresses a contrasty scene.
Do this now
If you are new to it, start with a commercial two-bath developer rather than mixing your own, and never rinse between the baths. Read the guide's safety box first: metol, hydroquinone and borax each need gloves, ventilation and care, and the guide asks for eye protection when mixing.
Checkpoint: You can now process a roll in a two-bath developer without rinsing between the baths.
7Process a fibre print for permanence
Fibre paper is the archival standard only when it is developed fully, fixed in two baths, washed well and stored properly. A washing aid cuts the washing time and helps permanence.
Do this now
Process one fibre print by the guide's archival workflow: full development, two baths of non-hardening fixer, a washing aid and a long wash. Handle the wet print by its corners, wear gloves, ventilate the room, and test a white margin for residual fixer with a ready-made test. Dry it face down on a screen and store it interleaved in acid-free materials.
Checkpoint: You have a fibre print processed, washed and dried for permanence, and you know how to store it.