As I wrote in my previous piece - "Square Trees" it was time to gain better control of my final prints in the darkroom . Most film users agree it's far better when you are starting out to use one film/developer combination and one paper/paper developer combination in the darkroom . i.e. be consistent . This is easy enough to grasp and I had done it early on . Your methods too need to be consistent.
While my methods when it came to developing film were very consistent in the darkroom I was using a lot of trial and error . This meant (a) I was wasting a lot of paper and (b) I wasn't really in full control and was achieving results I liked by luck rather than design . My plan was to use Bruce Robbins methods laid out in his blog .
Put simply Bruce starts with highlights . You select this area in the photo (negative is thickest ) and using test strips find a balanced exposure time which leaves the highlights bright but not blown out . This is done at a lowish grade (2) . Once this exposure time has been established your attention goes to the darkest area (clearest part of the negative ) . You DON'T change the exposure time from now on - just establish the correct grade (contrast ) to achieve on the one hand "maximum black " in the shadows while on the other preserving shadow detail . Once you know the time and grade you can use a full sheet and achieve a full range print with the least amount of paper wasted . simple eh ?
I have been using a Gossen Luna Pro with a Lab attachment to read the contrast range of the negative. I can do this with the neg in the enlarger. I take a reading from the baseboard. This tells me what filter I need to use. The ideal contrast range for grade #2 paper is 4. If the contrast range of the neg is 3 then I use a #3 grade filter or paper. I also use the meter to know where my whites and my blacks fall with the given exposure. Many times I can get a perfect print with one shot.
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Good luck with this Hugh. I'll be interested to see how you get on!
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