Tír Na HiFi

Fran wrote:
I have found the only way to go on printing those kind of shots is via split grade printing.


Fran

Please explain Fran.

OK.

so you know normal DR printing - do your test strip, arrive at an enlarger time you think is right, and you might start off with a grade 2 or 3 filter and then adjust for the right contrast for the neg or scene?

With split grade, essentially you print the blacks (grade 5) and the whites (grade 0 or 00) separately. So you do a test strip for say, the blacks and pick a time when the blacks just start to appear. Then you need another time for the whites - this time you first expose the whole test strip for the chosen grade 5 time and then do a test strip for grade 00.

You end up with 2 exposure times - one for grade 5 and one for grade 00 - in practice it makes it easier to print a neg with whites 2 or 3 stops higher than mid grey - eg your windows in the cathedral roof. Careful printing with just one grade will get you the same result, but IME only with very savvy dodging and burning usually with masks.

Google Gene Nocon on youtube - he was the guy who came up with it first I think. sounds more complicated than it really is.

Are you back DR printing Fergus?


Fran

Fran wrote:OK.

so you know normal DR printing - do your test strip, arrive at an enlarger time you think is right, and you might start off with a grade 2 or 3 filter and then adjust for the right contrast for the neg or scene?

With split grade, essentially you print the blacks (grade 5) and the whites (grade 0 or 00) separately. So you do a test strip for say, the blacks and pick a time when the blacks just start to appear. Then you need another time for the whites - this time you first expose the whole test strip for the chosen grade 5 time and then do a test strip for grade 00.

You end up with 2 exposure times - one for grade 5 and one for grade 00 - in practice it makes it easier to print a neg with whites 2 or 3 stops higher than mid grey - eg your windows in the cathedral roof. Careful printing with just one grade will get you the same result, but IME only with very savvy dodging and burning usually with masks.

Google Gene Nocon on youtube - he was the guy who came up with it first I think. sounds more complicated than it really is.


Fran

Thank you for that Fran. I understand the concept but I would need to see it done in the DR. I certainly will check out Gene Nocon on youtube.

Fran wrote:
Are you back DR printing Fergus?

Fran

Unfortunately not Fran and I would be a bit away from that stage at the moment. I have taken a long sabbatical from my photography and tbh I never fully embraced digital. However, I was asked to do a major scan of family photos so that digital copies could be distributed easily. This project coupled with this thread and not least a few conversations with Adrian here rekindled my appetite so as an intermittent break from scanning those family shots I am scanning some of my favourite prints and going through the full process and posting here for the lark. I hope that this will eventually lead to photographic field trips which is something that I do miss.

Fran wrote: Google Gene Nocon on youtube

I did just that Fran and found him very interesting to listen to indeed.

I've been enjoying the B&W pictures Fergus I love the tactile quality.
Keep these little surprises coming.