The other day I was printing a bunch of proof sheets I was behind on and am now fully caught up on year to date activity. To be honest it’s fairly mundane work.  Once you set the proper enlarger height and aperture on the lens it’s pretty much automatic.  Anyway I was thinking about other more interesting things like a couple of stereo projects I am in the middle of trying to get done, like having a custom made turntable made after sourcing all the parts mostly from overseas cottage industry operations.  It’s all finally coming together here in Pennsylvania where a true artisan is making a 120-pound Pennsylvania slate plinth that the turntable will reside in and my two tone arms will be connected to (I know it’s crazy … one for stereo and one for mono cartridges!).  And that got me thinking about black and white film photography and my vinyl record and tube electronics obsession.

Guess what. I don’t own a cd player, don’t listen to streaming music on my computer, and don’t use solid-state electronics. Gee what a surprise … black and white film and darkroom printing along with listening to great records on a tube based system. Truth is I also own fountain pens. There is something about the whole black and white analog process that is special – from making the image, to the production process, and of course experiencing the final result. Yesterday, at my Photo Chat Get Together one of the fine photographer’s in the group brought a new albumen contact print he had made from an 8X10 negative. The process dates back to the 1850s and the results were stunning! As with other wet printing processes the final image is quite special. You can really see into the print because there is a real sense of depth.  And of course when you view a contact print made from an 8X10 negative that’s a whole other world all together.

I think about some of the greats … Adams, Weston(s), Strand, Cartier-Bresson, Smith … I could go on and on … and then I think of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Davis, Coltrane, Mingus, Monk, the Beatles. I started making pictures when I was around ten years old when my parents gave me a Brownie. Two years latter I put together my first stereo, and my passion for images and music has stayed strong for over fifty years.  But the common denominator for me is how I participate in and with photography and music. To me vinyl is like film … black and white in particular. And even more so than film, vinyl was almost on its deathbed when people finally realized that there was just so much more to it than digital. Kind of like film vs. digital. Now cds are almost extinct and more turntables are being manufactured today than ever before!  But like using film and making traditional wet prints, listening to my favorite vinyl records through tube electronics is the ultimate listening experience. Warm, lush, and if done right very dynamic. Yes, the whole audio thing as enjoyed by me can be a pain (e.g., using the right tubes, making sure the record is squeaky clean, being careful not to damage the stylus on the cartridge). But when I sit down and listen to a good pressing of a Beethoven piano concerto or Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, turn the lights low and see the tubes glowing it’s sublime. Just like looking at that albumen contact print.

Recently I met a new friend for coffee (I actually had hot chocolate) and among other things we talked about photography. He used film years ago and still had an old Pentax K1000 sitting around somewhere. Now he was using a new Nikon digital model. What was interesting was his notion that in comparing film vs. digital and all that goes into producing the final result … a print … that the whole analog approach is very much like a ritual. After our get together I began thinking about this more, and after some cogitation I think he’s right!

Compared to the “digital workflow”, the analog process and the black and white analog process in particular really are ritual … a meaningful system of rites.  When you think about it there are many steps, some more mechanical and some that are truly creative but cannot occur without those mechanical steps. But there is something else that is so important … craft … and just as important, there’s a pride that accompanies one’s craft.

The many necessary steps, the creativity and the craft … the ritual of black and white analog photography takes place take over a period of time. Loading film into your camera, locating the subject and taking a meter reading, setting the proper exposure, framing the subject, eventually developing the film and proofing the negatives, examining proof sheets and hopefully finding a keeper or two, then after multiple tries determining the formula to make the best print you can, watching the image of that print emerge in the developer and finally completing all the final steps necessary to ensure the print will become a permanent statement of your vision.

At this point you realize you have made the best print you can of the image you first saw in your mind’s eye. The final result truly expresses your innermost feelings.  And now the ritual of black and white analog photography is complete.

If you are serious about your approach, there are two significant benefits of using a film camera. One is that using a film camera forces you to slow down rather than machine gunning off twenty exposures of the same subject just because you can.  The second benefit, and related to first, is that using a film camera makes your really concentrate on making every frame count, if only because you have a limited amount of exposures at your disposal.  In my opinion, a much better approach than firing off 500 shots during an afternoon.

But here’s the real kicker … combined with the above … if your your heart and mind’s eye are truly open to all the possibilities, using a slow and deliberative approach to “seeing” what’s out there really lets you experience life in a way you don’t normally do.

Think about it. You’re running around during your daily activity, too busy to take notice of what you’re missing. Or you’re stuck inside somewhere, then you go home to other responsibilities or you crash.

Instead of taking your free time and squandering it with missed opportunities, pick up your camera and load it with film.  Now you can think about the discovery awaiting you and get out there! And when you do, you’re going take a deep breath, slow down, and take in your surroundings and those that inhabit them as a meaningful and essential part of the photographic process.  And most importantly you’re going to experience life.

So here are my final thoughts (I really hope this is true!) on this paper. I have been working through the 300 sheets of Fomabrom Variant III VC FB 8×10 I had recently purchased. Thankfully all seems well vs. the Arista EDU Ultra. The two papers really do look the same and if there are any differences they must be very subtle and/or my older eyes can’t detect them.

My final stash of Arista had no issues until the paper slid into the selenium toner … then the emulsion started peeling from the edges per usual. Oh well … Freestyle continues to sell both papers for $99.95, so it’s a no brainer for me as to which one to purchase. Of course you can get the Arista from B&H with free shipping.  This could be important to you, as the shipping from Freestyle is not what I consider inexpensive.

All in all, this has truly been a weird experience. Maybe one of the Zombies I have photographed in Asbury Park placed a curse on my darkroom and my experience is an isolated circumstance. Thankfully even with the edge peeling I have never lost a print. In any case I have found these papers to be just wonderful and they make printing a real joy.

Be grateful we have materials like this to enrich our photographic lives. I am!

Unless you have been hiding under a rock in the photographic world, you have no doubt heard about the great street photographer Vivian Meir, who’s vast amount of previously unknown work in the form of a massive treasure trove of processed negatives and slides and undeveloped rolls of film was discovered by accident 2007.  I think about this from time to time. What if John Maloof had not discovered her life’s work, and what if he didn’t dedicate himself to the herculean task of ensuring that her artistic legacy would be known?  While there were some times Meir was interested in getting her work seen, by and large she appears not to have cared. It seems that is what mattered is that she absolutely loved to photograph.

This has made me think of all the other world class photographers are out there making important images that will most likely never be seen by most of us, or get the rightful recognition they deserve. This reality was driven home when I attended PAX earlier this year. I saw some truly world class work that most will never know about, made by ultra dedicated photographers. They work primarily because of their passion and a rage to do what they love. Unlike much of what is published or shown at galleries today, and of course the incredible amount of junk uploaded to Flickr, there is true art being made everyday by incredibly dedicated photographers. Some are working at their full time jobs and eke out time on weekends, in the early mornings or during lunchtime. Others are retired and now have the time to devote to what they have always loved. Some post their work on personal websites, self-publish work for friends and family, or are completely content to display their work privately on their own walls.

I’m somewhat saddened knowing how many great images must be out there that I will never have the opportunity to see. But I am heartened and inspired just knowing they exist.

It might seem obvious to list a step that says go out and make pictures, but for many it is almost counterintuitive.  That’s because they choose to concentrate on buying and selling gear, have too much gear and become paralyzed, or they are incessant testers and film and or developer changers (which necessitates more testing).

Now that you have determined your proper film speed and film development times, and know how to make a proper proof you have to get out there and make photographs. That’s right. Don’t worry, the camera(s) and lens(s) you have are good enough to make great pictures.  They key is your own ideas, vision and creativity. If you are stuck, think of a project and start working on it. Be open to all that is around you and don’t feel that you have to travel to “interesting” or exotic places in order to think of photographing. I have discussed all of this before, but it bears repeating!

I added something to the name of this step … make sure your exposures are correct. When I was younger, my exposures were often incorrect. The results were not what I wanted, or the negatives required herculean measures to extract a good print. I heard about the Zone System and then read Ansel Adam’s book The Negative.  I couldn’t get it but mercifully found Fred Picker’s Zone System Workshop. Everything soon fell into place and all was well in my photographic world.  If you don’t own this book, it’s worth tracking down.

Key point going forward – if you don’t make correct exposures when you are in the field you have wasted your time with all your testing. The first thing on the road to exposure success is to understand that your meter is dumb and sees the world in grey – 18% grey to be exact.  That’s Zone V in the Zone System.  In the Zone VI Workshop Picker uses the example of making pictures of white and black horses using the recommended meter readings for each one.  Looking at the results, both horses are grey.  Once I saw this it all clicked.  Simple and brilliant!  The point is that aiming at your subject and relying on what your meter says may get you acceptable results but not the fidelity you are seeking in your final print. 

Most Zone System guys will tell you to expose for the shadows, placing your shadow area on Zone III.  In a slight variant Bruce Barnbaum recommends placing shadows at Zone IV for greater shadow detail. 

An alternative and easy method is to hold a grey card (Zone V) in front of you, take a meter reading of it and set you shutter speed and aperture accordingly. Everything in the scene will fall into place.

My method is to do one of two things. When I am in a fast moving situation such as when making candid photographs, I take a reading of the palm of my hand, making sure there are now shadows falling upon it and open up one stop to Zone VI from what the meter says (Zone V), because Caucasian skin is Zone VI.  Then I keep making pictures without checking the light until it changes. Fast and easy and no need to carry a grey card! If I am making a photograph of a non-moving subject, e.g., a building, or landscape scene, I take a reading of the brightest portion of what I am photographing, open up three stops to Zone VIII and make the photograph. Also fast and easy, and the heart of Fred Picker’s Maximum Printable Density (MPD) user-friendly variation of the Zone System. Note for all serious Zone System photographers: I only use Normal development times and don’t worry about making exposures for Plus and Minus development. I agree with Picker that changes in paper contrasts obviate this, but for others this may be a useful procedure.

Once you have done your testing, and feel confident in your ability to make good exposures you are on your way. A simple reading of the palm of your hand/grey card or use Picker’s MPD system depending on the situation takes much less time and thought, allowing you to concentrate more on the picture itself. It certainly works that way for me!

Unfortunately, many photographers treat the Zone System as a religion that takes serious and ongoing study to unlock its many mysteries. There have been weeklong workshops focused exclusively on the intricacies of the Zone System and for many it became akin to cult worship.  The point of the Zone System is to make sense of sensitometry and apply it in order to make properly exposed negatives that developed correctly enable expressive prints. Nothing more; nothing less! The key is to find an easy and understandable way to incorporate its principles in support of your work.

Now that we have got all this out of the way, go out and make some damn good pictures!