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| Contact sheets |
The
humble contact print is a very powerful tool when creating an
enlarged photograph. It passes
on a wealth of information in its imperfect way. It is not just a
positive record (proof) of all the images on the film but a starting
point for the perfect print.
Not
everyone agrees that a contact print of your processed film is
needed. Instead, they like to work straight from the negative. I do
not have a problem with this approach except on a practical level
you need a light source to view them. I use the contact print not
only as a reference for all my negatives but as an indicator as to
which images are going to be more of a challenge to print. It is not
always possible to see this when looking at the negative.
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Making a contact print using a sheet of
glass to keep the negatives flat and in
contact with the paper. |
It
is not a case of one, (the negative) or the other, (the contact
print) but both together. By using them in conjunction you have all
the information you need about the image you are going to print
leading to a more judicious use of your time in the darkroom and a
greater likely hood of the first proof print being closer to what you
had in mind as the final print. A couple of tweaks to the next print
may fulfil your vision.
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| 35mm contact printer |
Contact
printing does not require an enlarger or any special equipment. A
darkened room, a frosted light bulb suspended from the ceiling and a
sheet
of glass to keep the negative[s] in contact with the paper and
flat. Edward Weston used this simple method for his prints. During
the timed exposure he would dodge the image where necessary. Once
this time had elapsed, he would burn in where he thought it was
needed. This method can be a bit uncertain, as you cannot always
see where you need to make the adjustments unlike that of the image
projected by the enlarger. A number of large format photographers
still use contact printing as a way of making their final print from
their negatives.
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120 format contact sheet.
This indicates that the negatives on
left sides are overexposed.
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When
contact printing I use my enlarger set to white light, with the lens
fully open. The projected light is greater in size than the 8 x 10
paper I'm contact printing with. For 35mm film I use a contact frame
and for 120 format and above a pane of glass with a ground edge, so I
do not cut my fingers.
There
are varying opinions on whether you should set white light, use grade
one or your preferred printing grade. I have always used white light
with multigrade and varitone papers and yes it works very well. You
get a full range of tones.
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The enlarged image shows that this negative
would enlarge without adjustment.
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Remember a contact print in its simplest
form is a work in progress not the finish article. I have found that
some of my negatives print better with white light than they do
graded. At one time I used to produce all my enlargements with white
light and was very happy with the out come. With experience came
sophistication and now I use graded and split graded printing methods
to get the best out of the negative.
You
should do what you feel is best creatively for your negatives and not
let others dissuade you from that path.
