Processing Black and White photos

1.)Materials necessary to process black and white film:

• Lighttight film-processing tank that accepts the size of

film you are planning to process

• Darkroom graduate or a 16-oz (473 mL) measuring cup

• Darkroom thermometer

• Several quart jars or bottles (glass, stainless steel, or

plastic) for the processing solutions

•To mix solutions you need a stirring paddle

• Soft viscose sponge

• Darkroom timer or a clock

• Scissors

• Bottle or magazine opener if you are processing film in

size135 magazines

• Protective gloves to prevent skin contact with chemicals

• Spring-type clothespins for hanging processed film to

dry

To make prints, you’ll need this equipment:

• Safelight, such as a KODAK Darkroom Lamp with a

KODAK OC Safelight Filter (light amber)

• Printing frame or enlarger

• 8 x 10-inch piece of heavy cardboard

• Four photographic processing trays a little larger than

the largest prints you plan to make (or shallow pans or

dishes made of glass, plastic, china, or stainless steel)

• Print squeegee or soft viscose sponge

2.)Chemicals

3.)Processing Your Proof Sheet

a.) Take the exposed paper from the printing frame or

enlarger easel and slide it completely into the developer,

emulsion side down. Then turn the paper over, and

agitate by rocking the tray gently throughout the

development time (1 minute for POLYCONTRAST IV

RC Paper in DEKTOL Developer). Tip up first one side,

then the adjacent side.

b.) Take the paper out of the developer and let it drain for

5 seconds. Then immerse it in the stop-bath solution for

at least 10 seconds, agitating thoroughly as in Step 1.

c.) Remove the paper from the stop bath, drain it for

2 seconds, and slip it into the fixer. Agitate frequently

for 2 minutes. You can turn on the room lights after

about 30 seconds. (If you have more than one print in

the tray, keep them separated.) Do not overfix.

d.) Transfer your print to the wash tray. Wash for 4 minutes

in gently running water at a temperature between 50 and

85°F (10 and 30°C). Avoid overwashing.

e.) Use a soft viscose sponge or a soft rubber squeegee to

remove excess water from the print surfaces. Dry the

print on a flat surface at room temperature with good air

circulation. You can speed drying by blowing warm air

from a portable hair dryer onto the print. Make sure that

the temperature of the air is below 190°F (88°C).

4.) Picture of of the equipment necessary to process film and chemicals

Definitions-

1. Contact sheet: A contact sheet is a positive print of all the negative images from one film, made by a contact printing process so that all the images are the same size as the negative.

2. Agitation: It is a process in which the air bubbles that usually occur when dry film is immersed in a solution can be removed without harmful effects in the predevelopment water rinse.

3. Enlarger: Is a specialized transparency projector used to produce photographic prints from film or glass negatives. All enlargers consist of a light source, normally an incandescent light bulb, a holder for the negative or transparency, and a specialized lens for projection

4. Developer: Is a chemical that makes the latent image on the film or print visible.

5. Stop Bath: An acidic bath that is used after the developer to stop development and reduce fixer contamination.

6. Fixer: A chemical solution used for the conversion of unused silver halides to a soluble silver so that the image remains stable and unalterable when exposed to light.