photo by n.vreeland
exposure
time. can i be in a romantic mood and make a harsh-looking
print? well, like everyone else, i put my feelings aside and go to
work… this is why i need to know in advance what i'm going to
print. and of course, i'm talking about printing someone else's
images, so i prepare myself mentally before. the biggest
hurdle is that i don't get to see the original scene first hand.
so, theoretically, i make it up, from some random visual
memory i may have of a similar scene. and after setting
everything up in the darkroom, it's time for a first guess. that
first guess dictates how you see the image as a whole, you cannot
un-see it. it's like when i'm asked to match the
contact sheet, the artist has already seen it, and if i want to
propose another look, it will take a lot of convincing. anyway,
test strips are useless, the best option is to guess very close the
first time, or you can spend your day trying to figure it out. and
i did spend days and months and years to figure it out so i don't
have to anymore. now i look at a neg and i know -close enough
anyway- how to expose. and during that first exposure i look
closely at the image projected on the paper, so i can get a feel of
the amount of light reaching the paper in a given length of
time. if it feels off during that first exposure, i simply cut the
time short, or add more at the end. this is just to save time, i
skip steps, this is part of my job. time and materials used making a
print play a big part in the process. it is more efficient to have
time to make an extra final print at the end of the day, than to
waste it on too much testing. confidence in the craft. and part of
testing also includes image size, any cropping, and -on a difficult
print- practice for dodging and burning. the most common mistake is
to overprint, to be tempted to change the contrast when the exposure
time alone could solve the problem. all this brings us to the last
-sometimes also first, but typically second or third- test print.
now
the fun begins.
there
are two ways of printing: vertical and horizontal. horizontal
printing works for prints up to 30x40 in., larger than that is all
vertical. on the horizontal position the light falls as if affected
by gravity, like water, so i print pretending i am directing water in
different containers. first i have to explain that the best burning
tools in my darkroom are my hands. i can make any shape with my
hands, i can change the shape to let the light through at will. to
do this i guess one could practice at a sink with the faucet turned
on. in any case, exposure time is when every movement i make has to
be reproduced exactly several times, as many times as it takes to
make a final print, or several identical ones. before turning on my
enlarger light i take a deep breath, close my eyes, the printing map
flashes in my mind, the rest is all dictated by the amount of time i
gave myself. a length of time i can manage, anywhere between 6 and
600 seconds... it's all about practice, it's about printing
everyday, it's about not having to think about tech stuff, to go
beyond the mechanics and understanding the overall meaning of the
image. i take mental notes, i write down what i might forget... for
example, if i use 3 filters with a different time for each, i write
down those 3 basic exposures, i may write down my burning. as long
as i keep track of every move i make. if i miss anything i just
throw away the paper and start again. no need to dip it in developer
if i know i forgot a dodge or a burn. i let the action flow, move
forward. there is no stopping in the middle. i ground my feet, or
stand on my toes, or one leg. it doesn't matter, whatever i feel
like doing goes, until i find the right position for the right print.
i position the neg not the right way, but whichever way will fit my
movements, maybe it be sideways or up-side down, i just have to be
comfortable with the position. syncopated music works best to
accompany my efforts, but a simple metronome would do really. as
long as i don't lose the tempo. on prints up to 20x24 in. i keep
going, meaning if i have to make 15 copies i make them in a row: box
of paper open, one sheet on the easel, one in the developer, another
in the fix. timing is everything. i plan my exposure so i have time
to put a print in the stop while an exposure is finishing, just
enough time to rock the hypo tray... timing is everything...
vertical
printing is a bit different, exposure times are longer, the set-up
takes longer -it takes a long time to position a large piece of paper
on the wall with magnets- and only one print at a time gets made.
vertical printing feels like a movie theatre, and i make shadows in
front of the lens, sometimes with my hands, other times with cards
and things. but there is one thing i always have in mind, it's the
elegance of the exposure time. if i don't make that process a step
beyond light reaching paper i would have lost interest a long time
ago. yes, i know, it's about the final print. but the process
matters to me, an exposure can be as elegant as a mathematical proof,
reduced to its basic elements. a simple solution shows the full
control of the medium. as i do my test print i weed out all
unnecessary technical excess and let the light do its thing. i see
myself as just redirecting the path. the final print happens when i
take myself out of the equation at the right time. i trust the
machines -enlargers- and the materials -paper, chemicals- because
they provide me with the consistence i need to play. but i never
take them for granted, even though if something goes wrong it's
usually my fault. and the best part is when the person i print for
looks at the print and says “yes. that's it, you got it”. until
then, all i have is just an effort at best, with obscure code words
like 46 for light, or 52 for white, 13 for camera, etc...