The Paper Negative

[Jeff Canes]

I don’t want to mess round with long exposures, been playing with the dial on my light meter, at 2 iso seem to hand hold one would need very good light at less EV 16 that would let me shot f4 @ 1/60, on the tripod seem I would want to say with at less EV8 light to keep exposures under 4 minute are so that I can live with.

For the first 10 are so paper negative I used Foma paper shot it as if it was iso 6, got one good print, now I have some ilford with back printing so at less the paper will be loaded right, hope to try that soon.

Truthfully so far I am finding this 4x5 camera and process very cumbersome, time consuming and cumbersome (aka pain in the butt), those add up to frustration in my book

Also the lack of a good darkroom does not help; the only good part about mine is the build in chair

 

[mysteryscribe]

I have NO darkroom....

1. load and unload in a dark bag over a blacked out cardboard box.
2. Cut the paper in there, load it in the film holder...
3. shoot it...
4. unload it to a black taped over peanut butter jar with a home made light baffle...
5.develop it....

6. if I did it right I scan the paper negative...
7. If I did it wrong see step one.

TODAY i am experimenting with stobe light and paper negatives. The shots look terrific, but the light is only strong enough for a two foot seperation between the light and the subject. More light and I could do a portrait. probably wouldn't need to bounce with anything.

 

[JoeVanCleave]

This has been an interesting discussion. I've been working on calibrating my paper negative process to the use of a light meter and glass lens/shutter cameras. Up until recent, most of my paper negative work has been with pinhole cameras.

This thread: http://www.f295.org/DIYforum/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?b-bw/m-1158807481/ discusses some testing that I did, using my normal Arista RC grade 2 paper, with a Poloroid Land 800 camera.

The results tend to reveal that for my process flow, Arista RC grade 2 has an effective EI of around "2". And, as the tests reveal, there's little or no discernable reciprocity effect between shooting in bright daylight verses shaded daylight, or cloudy daylight.

I have found, through years of working with paper negatives, that the cost, handling and processing tends to be much more forgiving than with sheet film - even with ortho sheet film. Paper simply doesn't have the issues of scratches and residue/spots like transparent film.

I've also been enlarging my paper negatives. To do this, I open the enlarging lens all the way open; careful use of a grain magnifier will enable one to focus for the grain of the emulsion. Be sure the negative is placed emulsion side down in the carrier. I then keep the lens wide open for the test strip and subsequent full prints. Depending on the quality of your enlarging lens and the alignment of the enlarger itself, you may see some soft focus in the corners or edges of the print. The results are a bit softer than enlarging film, but the effect also tends to tame the inherent high contrast of my condensor enlarger, since the effect of back-lighting the emulsion through the paper backing acts like a diffusion light source.

 

[mysteryscribe]

I gave up on pinhole and went to all glass. I shoot paper now when I dont have to have a lot of negative with a lot of fine detail. It makes very good still life when I just want the objects not the dirt on them.

I scan all mine though dont print anything paper.

 

[mysteryscribe]

As you know I have been working with hot chemicals and my own mix. So today I tried straight up d72 clone. At first glance this seem to the be the dirty.

At straight development the the iso with just plain household bulbs seems to be iso.01 actually zero I think.

with the same developer yesterday outside in the sunlight I managed to rate the paper at iso5 and have it do well.

I have always been able to do iso 2 in the shade and under bulbs if I more than double the time in the bath. I'm going to try iso2 with bulb and double the time in the developer tomorrow, but I expect it to work. Maybe this year I will be able to set up a table of time and temp for paper negatives. That would be kinda neet the gurkin table lol...

Im going to switch to working pure dektol clones as no one want to mix developers. And the dektol clone is much more economical anyway.

 

[mysteryscribe]

Message for James...

Did you ever get your view camera made????

 

[JamesD]

No, no I haven't yet. I've still got the pieces, gotta get them jointed and glued together, then assemble the film holder, the lens board holder, lens board, etc etc. Also, the hardware may cause a slight problem for me.

However, this is something I've been giving a lot of thought, just today, in fact. I'm going to be needing it.

On the other hand, I've manufactured for myself a set of precicion-drilled pinholes (you may be hearing something more on that in the coming months), so I can start getting seriously back into pinhole photography. That's one of my tasks tomorrow. This weekend (half over already) is supposed to be a photography weekend.

So, there's some progress in some areas, and not enough in others. Just give me a little time, and I'll get on it.

 

[mysteryscribe]

Okay, I was going to send you a view camera so you would get back to shoot paper but if you are that close it wouldn't be worth it. It ain't much of a view camera anyway.

No matter how precise I am with a pin hole and how well it is exposed mine always look like crap to me. Give me glass on paper anytime. Take a look in the portrait section for a picture of me and my on loan graflex. It was a gift but I cant take it I'm too much into my junk cams. But i do love to shoot with it. I might keep it just a while longer.

 

[JamesD]

I wouldn't really say I'm close... Right now, it's a collection of straight pieces; I have to joint them, connect them, add the hardware; manufacture a bellows; design and construct (or otherwise acquire) film holders; find a tripod (mine's a bit flimsy); fashion a lensboard holder... the list goes on and on. I think I may begin with a bag instead of a bellows, though; should be easier to construct.... just layer black cloth in a tube with a circumfrence the same as the perimeter of the front and back.

Basically, I've got all the pieces to make the parts of the frame and standards. The rail and the rail connection pieces are lacking, but once I figure out a design for them, they shouldn't be too hard.

And, of course, I haven't tried my lens at all to make sure that it'll work. But, I may get that done this weekend.

So, there it is. I'm a procrastinator. At my projects' expense.

 

[mysteryscribe]

well if you want a poorly made but junctional view type (swings and tilts) camera let me kind. the lens aint much and it shoot 3x4 negs but I do have a couple of film holders I can send along. What it doesnt have is a functioning time setting it does bulb on both bulb and time I think. the lens is like f11 and max speed it 100 it isnt a great lens but it does work. You might need to clean it a bit lol. You can also remove it and mount your own lens on it. So let me know.

 

[mysteryscribe]

I think I can finally give some exposure advice on paper negatives that is workable. In my current writing project I discovered that the earliest exposure calculators were not mechanical but rather situational. Ie if the thing you are shooting it in the dark shade and the day is sunny the exposure would be. The calculate/guide would be a book almost of all possible situations.

I kept that in mind as I worked this out. If you shoot your paper outside in an average light and the iso is 2 then keep your meter set on two but if the light is from incandesant bulbs add one stop... if the light on your subject is bright sunshine subtract one stop from the meter reading. That seems to work just about every time. Anything in the shade is the meter reading it seems. It's just when the light is incandesant you need to add the stop. I found that rather interesting.