Making a Black and White print

Materials

• Enlarger
• Paper
• Filters
• Trays and chemicals for developing
• Dodging and burning tools
• Enlarger focus tool
• Easel

Chemicals

• Developer
• Acetic acid stop
• Fixer

Summary
Switch on the enlarger light. Place a masking easel, a flat metal plate with sliding arms on all four sides for cropping the image manually on the baseboard. Place a used piece of photographic print paper white side up on the easel. Switch on the enlarger light. Scale and focus the image. Create a border around the image by sliding the easel arms up to the edge of the image so it just overlaps. Switch off the enlarger light. Place a sheet of unused print paper emulsion side up on the easel. Close the top of the easel so that the arms are centered on the page. Select a filter if using variable contrast paper. Filters are usually placed inside a slot in the enlarger head and come in five grades, 1 being low-contrast and 5 being high-contrast. Place the filter in the filter holder and close securely. Set the aperture and timer using the test strip as a guide. Switch on the timer. Expose the print paper. Place it in the developer tray and proceed with processing.

1. Emulsion - A light sensitive coating on photographic film and paper. An emulsion is made up of silver halides and gelatin.
2. Aperture - the camera allows you to select the aperture over the available range and have the camera calculate the best shutter speed to expose the image correctly.
3. Masking easel - A darkroom device used to hold paper flat while exposing it to light from an enlarger. An easel creates a white border surrounding a print because its "arms" block light from striking the print paper's edges.
4. Exposure - the total amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic medium or during the process of taking a photograph.
5. Safe light - A filtered light thats used in a darkroom to allow you to see while handling light sensitive material.
6. Dodging - used in photography for a technique used during the printing process to manipulate the exposure of a selected area(s) on a photographic print, deviating from the rest of the image's exposure.
7. Burning - used in photography for a technique used during the printing process to manipulate the exposure of a selected area(s) on a photographic print, deviating from the rest of the image's exposure.