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Techniques
This page is intended to be a resource of information about
techniques used in black & white silver process photography.
There are, however, many different ways of doing things. The
techniques described below work for me, but I don't claim that
they are the only way or even the best way. I've found it best
not to believe anything I read concerning photography as gospel,
but rather to use information as a starting point to find what
works best for me.
So, if you find this information useful, that's great. If you
know a better way of doing something, I'd love to hear about
it, but only if you've actually done it. Comments and suggestions
are welcome.
The Zone System and Black & White
Photography
The zone system is a method which is very useful for gaining
more control over the appearance of the final print. It can
be simple or complex, according to your taste. Using the Zone
System, the photographer can decide before taking the picture
what the final print will look like.
Keep in mind however that mastering the zone system will not
guarantee great photographs. They will be correctly exposed
and as printable as possible, but that's it. All the rest: an
interesting subject, strong composition, captivating light,
avoiding stupid blunders, etc., is up to you.
The zone system consists of performing some simple tests with
your equipment and materials, and establishing consistent procedures
in processing.
Once your tests are done, you can work with confidence in the
field with a clear idea of how the print will look. With practice,
as you think less about exposure/development and more about
the image itself, your work is likely to improve dramatically.
Rather than write out a description of the theory behind the
zone system which many have written elsewhere, I will recommend
the following books:
"The Zone VI Workshop" by Fred Picker. The simplest,
clearest description of the zone system I've seen. Unfortunately
out of print, but copies are often available used on amazon
and ebay.
"The Negative" by Ansel Adams. Clear and comprehensive
by the guy who 'wrote the book'. A must-have for any serious
photographer's library.
"The New Zone System Manual" by White, Zakia and Lorenz.
For the control freak in us; the methods described leave nothing
to chance, and you'll spend a lot of time running tests.
There are as many variations of the zone system as there are
practitioners, but they all have one thing in common; process
control. Even the simplest version depends on consistency in
equipment, materials and processes to produce predictable results.
Equipment:
I use and recommend a view camera and a hand-held spotmeter.
One of the big advantages of a view camera for the zone system
is the ability to develop each negative individually. The zone
system can also be used with roll film cameras, but it's a little
less flexible because the entire roll must be developed the
same.
A spotmeter is indispensable to me. With it I can check small
areas of the scene and make sure they will be properly rendered
in the print. I highly recommend one modified by Zone VI, which
will give accurate readings regardless of the color of the subject,
and also makes the use of filter factors unnecessary, since
it is modified to read what the film's response to color will
be.
Many photographers use built-in meters, hand-held incident
meters, etc. This is fine but less predictable. There are also
many fine workers who use no meter at all, having learned to
judge the brightness range by eye.
Darkroom with Enlarger:
There's no substitute for having your own enlarger. If you're
working in a group darkroom and sharing an enlarger, good luck…I've
been there and feel for you. You can still use the zone system,
but you'll have the added variable of other people using the
same equipment, and may have to be a little more careful.
Materials: I find it much easier
to stick with one film/developer and one paper/developer. For
establishing zone system tests it's critical. Every film is
a little different, as is every paper and every developer. The
differences are large enough to throw your tests out of whack.
I use Tri-X developed in HC-110 and Oriental Seagull Grade 2
developed in Zone VI Print Developer as my baseline standards.
I admit to a certain amount of experimenting with other materials.
Also, materials come and go. The new Tri-X is not the same as
the old; new tests were required.
Process Control: Here is where
most problems occur with many would-be zone system users. Small
changes in these variables can invalidate your tests and the
zone system won't work. You either give up and go back to hoping
the picture 'comes out', or you keep working to isolate and
solve problems and achieve control over the medium.
Camera / Meter: Different shutters
may work differently, apertures may work differently, and meters
may not agree. Choose one set of field equipment to use as your
baseline. Later you can compare the results from other equipment
and find out if any adjustments are necessary.
Film and Print Development:
The amount of development affects the contrast of the negative/print.
More development = more contrast. The amount of development
is influenced by four factors:
1) Time (length of time in the developer). More time = more
development.
2) Temperature. Higher temperature = more development.
3) Dilution. Developer stock solutions are typically diluted
with water to make a working solution. A more concentrated working
solution is referred to as a lower dilution (less water). A
lower dilution = more development.
4) Agitation. The amount of agitation of the film/paper in the
developer solution during development has a significant effect.
More agitation = more development.
Each of these four variables must be controlled. The easiest
(but not cheapest) way to control time and temperature is with
a Zone VI developing timer. This device has a temperature sensor
probe which monitors the temperature of the developer, and adjusts
the time reading to compensate for variations in temperature.
The more traditional way is to use a thermometer to measure
the temperature of the developer, and then use a time/temperature
chart to calculate the correct developing time.
A good trick to keep your developer at the desired temp. is
to place your developing tray/tank in a tray of water at the
desired temp. This acts as a water jacket and helps keep the
temperature where you want it.
One very handy aspect of the compensating timer is I can shorten
or lengthen the actual developing time at will by using a warmer
or cooler developer. If I'm only developing a few 4x5 negatives,
I might mix the developer warmer to speed the process. If I
have a lot of prints to develop at once, I can mix it cooler,
which will take longer and result in better consistency from
print to print.
Mix your working solutions carefully to ensure that the dilution
is consistent from batch to batch.
Agitation: Establish an agitation method and post it on the
wall so you don't forget. The important thing is to do it the
same way each time.
Safelights: My experience has
been that your safelight is probably not safe, especially if
you're using variable contrast paper. Even a tiny amount of
paper fog can ruin your whole process. Test your safelights
using the test posted on the Kodak web site.
Working Film Speed: The film speed
(aka ASA or ISO) rating on the film box is a guideline only.
You need to determine your actual working film speed for your
meter, camera, developer etc. See the recommended books for
'how-to'.
Developing Time Test: Follow the
procedures in one of the books and determine your developing
times for N, N+1 and N-1. Part of this test is determining your
standard print time.
Using the Zone System: There are
two methods I use:
One-step method: I use this if
I'm in a big hurry, the light is about to go away, or whatever.
I learned it from Fred Picker's Newsletters and used it exclusively
for a few years. It works pretty well.
To use the one-step method, all you do is place the high value
on zone VIII, and develop for N or whatever seems best. Fred
used to expose another negative placing the high value on VI
½ and then developing that negative to N+1 ½.
That's it. You then take care of any contrast adjustments in
the printing process.
The main idea behind this method is to keep the high values
from 'blocking' by keeping them on zone VIII, and that the vast
majority of scenes have only a 5 stop brightness range. For
more information, see the Zone VI Newsletters.
I stopped using this as my primary method because the proofs
don't indicate what the final print will look like. Quite often
the proofs will look very light, especially with low contrast
scenes. It may produce better negatives because underexposure
is avoided; all areas of the negative have plenty of density.
Two-step method: This takes more
time in the field, but in my opinion is more useful, mainly
because the proof (when properly exposed - see Proofs) will
look much more like the final print. This is the most common
method as originally used by Adams.
To use the two-step method, think 'expose for the low values,
develop for the high values'. Find the darkest area you insist
on showing clear detail in the print. Anything darker than this
area will have almost no density in the negative and thus will
print pure black or close to it. With a spotmeter, place this
darkest textured area on zone III.
Now, check the high values and see where they fall. Visualize
the final print and decide where you want these high values.
If you like where they fell, develop for N. If they'll be too
dark, develop for N+, etc.
The "Proper Proof": I
find it very useful to make my proofs with exactly the same
exposure and development every time. Check the Picker book for
details. A well exposed and developed negative will look great
on a proper proof, and beg to be printed. A bad negative will
show its true colors.
I certainly don't mean that a negative with problems in exposure
or development should not be printed; far from it. If you like
it, try and print it. A negative which looks good on a proper
proof will be easier to print (probably).
The main benefit of the proper proof is it serves as a quality
control check on your process. The best testing methods won't
keep things from changing over time. I continually monitor my
proofs and make adjustments in the development of the next batch
of film.
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