Re: Pre-Flashing of Paper Negatives

I second this: great news & thanks for sharing!

I would like to learn about your enlarger setup (what kind of enlarger head: diffusion or condenser? light bulb power? head height?)

TIA,
Loris.

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Tom Miller
  To: pinhole-discussion@spitbite.org
  Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 7:35 PM
  Subject: RE: [pinhole-discussion] Pre-Flashing of Paper Negatives

  Your tests are exremely encouraging. Thank you for letting us know.

  Tom Miller
    -----Original Message-----
    From: owner-pinhole-discussion@spitbite.org [mailto:owner-pinhole-discussion@spitbite.org]On Behalf Of JVCABACUS@aol.com
    Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 10:52 AM
    To: pinhole-discussion@spitbite.org
    Subject: [pinhole-discussion] Pre-Flashing of Paper Negatives

    Dear All;

    Just a brief note to describe some experiments I've been making with pre-flashing paper negatives in the darkroom, prior to exposure in-camera.

    As background, I shoot primarily in the American Southwest. Scene brightness range can be very wide, and typically shadows get lost below the paper's sensitivity threshold. A typical camera exposure in bright sun is 1 minute, but the shadows are often paper white in the negative - no detail at all. To expose enough to get shadow detail would entail an exposure of 5-10 minutes, at which time the highlights would be blown out. I've also had little or no luck in dilute develoment of paper. It doesn't seem to respond like film does.

    Enter pre-flashing, an idea that popped into my head. I expose a paper neg for 1.5-2 seconds under grade 2 light from my enlarger, lens set to f/32, then load into the camera. A scene/camera combination that would normally expose for 1 minute in bright sun I expose for 30 seconds, or about half of normal exposure. Upon development in standard paper developer, I find amazing shadow detail, with highlights that aren't blown out!

    A contact print of this negative is hard to tell apart from a film negative's print.

    BTW, this same camera requires 1 minute exposure for Arista ortho lith film in bright daylight, then extended development to get somewhat normal contrast. Therefore, I find pre-flashing of paper negatives is cheaper, and delivers better results than, ortho lith film, and seems to increase the effective film speed of the paper.

    I recommend others try this out on their own, and report their results.

    ~Joe VanCleave

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Received on Mon Nov 15 14:31:01 2004