Struggling to get correct exposure while printing

[tecboy]

I had a hard time to get the right exposure after 5 sec increment testing and printing. It took me a very long time and wasting a lot of papers to find out what I did wrong. I just found out that my photo is brighter on one side and darker on the other side. It threw me off and always gets underexposure every time I printed photographs. That was frustrating. I have to buy more papers and hopefully I'll get it right the next time.

 

[timor]

Hi.
Not every expensive, good for learning paper you can get here:
Traditional Black-and-White Photo Papers - Photography
Just lately they added assortment of superb Berger papers, but Elite as VC and Eagle as FB are good for beginning. My assumption is, that it is Foma paper.
Back to your problem; I think you gonna have to check your enlarger for position of the bulb, it looks like it is off center and gives unequal illumination.
As for easing task of estimating exposure maybe some exposure meter would be in order ? I started using this:
Ilford EM10 Exposure Monitor 1470279 B&H Photo Video
Once calibrated for specific paper is not bad, instead of making wildly long test strips it let me pin point the exposure to 5 seconds. Other stuff, like RH Designs is rather more costly, way better, serious machine, but lots of mula.
Home
First check your bulb.

 

[tecboy]

Thanks, I'll do that!

 

[amolitor]

You may also be having trouble with contrast grades.

You should make several identical prints at various contrast grades to see what's really happening. My printing was a nightmare before I did that. I'd change grades and then have to completely redo the exposure time calibration.

Also, spend more time evaluating the negatives, so that your test areas (10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds) actually span the right parts of the image, light to dark, up and down. Don't expose the sky for 10 seconds, then the land for 20 seconds, that's no good. Rotate 90 degrees so there's a strip of land and sky at 10 seconds, and another strip of land and sky at 20 seconds.

You can make your test areas diagonal if you need to, there's no law! They don't all have to be the same size, either! Sit and think for a few minutes about how your test can give you the best information,for this negative, before you start.

 

[gsgary]

Use test strips, cut 2" strips cover with black card with just about 1" projecting and expose to light through the most important part of the negative, now alter your timer 2 seconds move black card another inch and expose keep repeating and altering exposure 2 seconds when finished you can check your test strip and decide which exposure you like best. I find grade 5 works well, Yellow 0, Magenta 170

 

[amolitor]

As an alternative view:

I never use test strips, always whole sheets of paper. I find test strips maddening, and I can't "see" the final image at all from them. Your mileage may vary.


I am not a fanatic zone system guy at all. I can spent up to two hours printing a negative, but that's all I have in me. I simply cannot bring myself to care enough to go any deeper than that. That said, I print quickly and pretty well. I'm just no Ansel Adams, and have no pretentions in that direction. Here's how I do it, roughly:

---


I start with grade 2, unless I have examined the negative and decided that it will definitely want either more or less contrast. As with test strips, I can't "see" the final image if the contrast grade isn't close.

Then I do my test sequence, one with pretty far spacings of time. This gives me the ballpark. Then I do a second one with quite fine graduations of time to get closer.

Now I evaluate this second test for: contrast, dust.

Clean the negative again if there's visible stuff to be cleaned. Adjust contrast grade to suit (this is where knowing what will happen when you change contrast grades and leave the exposure alone is necessary -- do the blacks get blacker? The whites whiter? Both?) and re-do the fine gradation test.

Now I have a pretty good idea of both contrast grade and exposure. I've used three sheets of paper, assuming all went well. I can generally begin making actual prints, now. I will generally make one now with my selected contrast grade and exposure, with a rough guess at what the burning and dodging schedule might be. This could be a final print, if I get extremely lucky but probably will not be.

This print gets examined quite closely. I re-check for dust, re-check contrast and exposure. I think more closely about burning and dodging. I consciously remind myself of dry-down effects.

I may make some minor adjustments to contrast grade (+ or - half a grade, at most) and exposures, and I am thinking through my burn/dodge schedule thoroughly.

At this point I begin making serious attempts at a final print. Everything except obvious blunders at this point is probably a candidate for a final print, at this point. I don't EXPECT the early attempts to be finals, but they might be after drying down and careful consideration.

 

[Compaq]

Amolitor's steps are what I (try) to follow as well, although I'm starting to feel confident using only strips and not whole papers.

I choose my contrast grade to get my midtones well-separated, and then expose for those midtones. This will be my work print. If my highlights are blown on the work print, I start planning burning-in procedures. If my shadows are too dark, I plan dodging procedures. Planning these procedures become easier with experience, but mapping on the actual work print makes an easy overview.

I can highly recomment Tim Rudman's "The Photographer's Master Printing Course". He explains the process very nicely, provides many examples and demonstrative photographs. He also ventures into explaining other techniques, such as pre-flashing, printing from different negatives (e.g. manipulating images by having the sky from one negative and the foreground from another), bleaching, toning and spotting, with more. In this book, you are introduced to all the techniques you need to make your prints the way you want. I have only had time to try some of them.

Remember, your thrash can is your learning bin!

 

[vintagesnaps]

Seems like if you were able to adjust the bulb in the enlarger to get even light onto your easel that might have taken care of your difficulties.

I usually do the test strips of 5 sec. increments, then do a strip of whatever length of time I determine from that (say 7 or 8 sec.). Unless I don't get anything accurate with the first test (such as all of the exposures looking too light or too dark).

If it looks good and I feel pretty sure I've got an accurate time determined I'll go ahead and use an entire sheet of paper. If I'm not able to see enough of the image from the test strips I'll maybe do a wider strip or use a half piece of paper when necessary - it just depends on any particular negative. Then I'll see if it looks like I need to burn a corner or area of the print, or dodge some detail out of the darker part of the negative, etc. - I like to play with the dodgette set I got at a camera swap so any excuse to dodge...

There used to be a local camera shop whose owner since retired and went out of business several years ago where I'd go in for advice along with my film often enough. He told me once that supposedly f8 and 11 sec. (or f11 and 8 sec.) can be a good starting point for the exposure time, and I've found that actually works as often as not.