Show me your latest darkroom prints

[FujiLove]

Ilford MGIV FB

I love how you have photographed these. Also well done getting the fine black line around the edge so neat. I find it really tricky to get mine even and of uniform thickness.

 

[Melancholy]

Thank you FujiLove, I´m getting closer and closer to better wetprints for each print I make, and I´m pleased with the results too. I like the thin black frame around the print, both because it makes a fine border and to show that the pictures ain´t cropped. Using an easel makes it easier to get even and thin lines.

 

[AlTheKiller]

 

[Michael Krompaß]

RA4 Print, Portra 400, Hasselblad 500 cm, Olympic National Park



DR2 by smeitner300, on Flickr

I just had to register here to tell you how awesome your prints are!
I have never tried color-darkroom printing but i gather it´s quite intricate and your prints look just fabulous. Could you tell me how you get this kind of transparent black border on the edges of your prints? I also print my negatives in the darkroom but only black and white and i can only get a solid black border but yours looks so much better, kind of rough on the edges and as i said a bit transparent i just love it. I´d love to achieve a similar look!

 

[bence8810]

Could you tell me how you get this kind of transparent black border on the edges of your prints? I also print my negatives in the darkroom but only black and white and i can only get a solid black border but yours looks so much better, kind of rough on the edges and as i said a bit transparent i just love it. I´d love to achieve a similar look!

Hi,

I think what you are seeing as transparent might be the top two edges where the black border sort of turns and gives away to move of the image?
If so, it's due to the Medium Format film, the emulsion isn't 100% accurately applied on the film base and therefore you'll get what you see printed. Normally people cover off this area using the easel - however, I tend to also keep a border and saw this on my TMAX100 shots I shot on Medium Format.

Ben

 

[Michael Krompaß]

Hi,

I think what you are seeing as transparent might be the top two edges where the black border sort of turns and gives away to move of the image?
If so, it's due to the Medium Format film, the emulsion isn't 100% accurately applied on the film base and therefore you'll get what you see printed. Normally people cover off this area using the easel - however, I tend to also keep a border and saw this on my TMAX100 shots I shot on Medium Format.

Ben

Thanks for your reply and yes, thats what i mean, where the boarder is sort of inconsistent. But i´ve seen this on many 35mm shots as well so i think it´s not only down to the format. I always thought it was down to how you file your negative carrier but i don´t know.

 

[Michael Krompaß]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/danwoodphotography/7830836330/
I´d like my prints to look like this. This is one of Dan Wood´s shots.
He´s a welsh photographer i really like. Maybe he´s in this forum as well 😀

 

[bence8810]

It's been a while since I posted - I was on a 3 weeks holiday and was out of the darkroom completely. Now that I am back, hope I can pick the pace up once again.

Some frames from the trip, all 3 taken at Balatonfured, the artistic capital of the Balaton lake with lots of things happening all summer along.

All printed on Forte BN-4 5x7 waaaay expired fiber paper.

This firs was an art dealer, he was selling his paintings in a small shop and I had a short chat with him which led us to this photo. He is standing right at the entrance of his little art shop.

This second one is just beside the little harbor - a man looking out to the lake without having much else to do.

This last one is of a lady attending the toilets at the harbor. It is mostly a thing of a past that toilets are attended but you still find some like this. The lady looked like she was from a total different world, she was smoking behind the toilet's door and told me to be careful as me being there might alert her boss and she'll gets scolded for smoking on duty.

The interesting bit is that this was the last frame on the roll and it's only half a frame. It was a landscape shot but I printed only the half frame and therefore ended up with a portrait layout. On the right hand side if you look carefully you see where the emulsion ends...

All with my lucky 90M-D enlarger using a 75mm lens and at f16 between 10-20 seconds.

Ben

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

Ben, the links don't work... perhaps it's my firewall.

 

[bence8810]

Ben, the links don't work... perhaps it's my firewall.

Hi Ray.

Not sure - it's showing fine on my end.

Let's see if someone else has the same problem?
Ben

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

Hostess alighting Taxi. 9.30pm Geylang Lorong 13.

Captured on the Fujifilm Natura 24f1.9.
Trix 400 film pushed.
Darkroom printed. Split grade printing, Grade 0 at f8 for 8 Seconds, same for Grade 5.

 

[JoelW]

There is some awesome stuff in here recently! I've been trying for months to remember my password. And Username... Ha, well, here's some recent darkroom prints.

The first two are just screenshots, poor res.. But after waiting a long time to have some renovations and new windows installed, I've been able to set up the bathroom darkroom again. Look forward to posting some more

 

[bence8810]

Nice comeback for sure - I like the prints.
What did you do the the above one with the rough borders?

Please post more now that you have your darkroom 🙂
Cheers,

Ben

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

Nice comeback for sure - I like the prints.
What did you do the the above one with the rough borders?

Please post more now that you have your darkroom 🙂
Cheers,

Ben

Yes. Post more.
You're going to make me want a GR1, in addition to a darkroom.

 

[JoelW]

Thanks guys!

The rough border was something that kind of happened by accident a while ago. I cut some card to hold my paper down since the easel broke, and realised the rough edges worked as a kind of border. It's just another piece of 8x10 with a smaller area cut inside.

This is my second GR1, the first broke and was repaired in Japan, but since dies. This one is on its way out too, unfortunately. My favourite compact, ever.

 

[bence8810]

Old man in Tokyo's Nakano district wearing the typical Japanese carpenter's trousers.

He was very shy despite his rather tough looks and said he prefers to be photographed in clean clothes. I assured him he looked just perfect!

Film: Kodak Eastman DoubleX @400
Dev: Rodinal 1:50 11min 20Celsius
Paper: Forte BSP-0 (about grade 2) 18x24cm

Ben

 

[bence8810]

Another one before I hit the bed.
This is a 39x55cm print (20x24 paper roughly) of a friend getting ready for her wedding.
There were like 5 people working on her outfit and makeup and was pretty hard to get near.

Film: Kodak Eastman DoubleX @400
Dev: Rodinal 1:50 11min 20Celsius
Paper: Fuji AM Roll paper (110cmX20meters)
Some dodging on her face and burning on the kimono to pull her away from the background.

Didn't have a good way to scan it due to the size so it's just an iPhone shot while the print hanging on the wall. Light from behind sort of reflects on the print - it looks better in real life. Top left has no such bright patch as it seems on the iPhone shot.

Ben

 

[finguanzo]

My first darkroom session... Lots to learn..

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Took it yesterday with Crow Graphic, handheld with RF and VF. F8/125.
GP3 100 4x5. Developed later. Contact printed it this night. "Scanned" it with iPhone this morning.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

At the Kondiaronk Belvedere. by Kostya Fedot, on Flickr