This is a summary of problems that occur over and over throughout the darkroom courses I run.
Camera technique
Most of you are ignoring the shutter speed when photographing
in low light. When photographing in low light ( any light for
that matter)
Never handhold anything less than 1/30 and check that your shutter speed is always quicker than 1/ (lens focal length in mm)
lens focal length slowest shutter speed
18 1/30
28 1/30
50 1/60
135 1/125
200 1/250
Otherwise USE A TRIPOD !!!!!!
If slow shutter speeds are used with the camera on a tripod, watch subject movements, people & animals moving, plants swaying in the breeze etc.
Check that the depth of field is adequate for your purpose. Refer to hyperfocal focussing.
Darkroom
In the darkroom, all students are having problems printing because most of you are not being methodical in your approach to a print.
Remember
o Test Exposure on the highlights.
o Set shadow density using contrast with the filters.
o Adjust anything else using dodging & burning.
Learn the above and make this your first approach. When this is firmly embedded in your darkroom practice, then you can experiment breaking the rules on difficult negatives.
An excellent intermediate to advanced book on printing is " Elements of B&W printing" by Carson Graves RRP $70-00. At a simpler level are darkroom manuals put out by manufacturers such as Patterson, Ilford, and Kodak. There is a Kodak workshop series on numerous topics. I have only read (and own) the Kodak "Advanced B&W Photography" book. Those same manufacturers publish a lot of free literature on darkroom technique and product information. They also all have good web site's. For a look into what you can do in the darkroom to jazz up a poor negative, read Eddie Ephraums " Creative Elements." The ACT library service has a good collection of photography books as do the art school and the various schools of photography around town.
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Joseph A. Cali |
