5 Next steps to a Successful Gelatin Silver Print

I trust that you have already read the text 5 First Steps to a Successful Gelatin Silver Print? In that post I told in short the five first stages to print a gelatin silver print which I usually follow and teach to my students. We ended up at the stage when we had exposed the first test strip – the print with stripes exposed with 3 or 5 second intervals. Now we continue by placing this test print in the chemicals.

6. Chemistry baths

After finishing your test strip with stripes, place it first in the developer, then stop bath, and the in the fix following the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the chemicals you’re using. Notice, that the time in the chemicals may vary according to the paper type. RC (Resin Coated) papers require typically less time in the chemicals than FB (Fiber Based) papers, which tend to suck the chemicals deeper in their fibers.

Check the selection of chemicals for instance from web stores like Fotoimpex or Makodirect or your local analogue photography specialised stores (always nice to support the local stores). These times below are recommended with Ilford chemicals (Multigrade developer, Ilfostop and Rapid or Hypam Fixer) and with FB paper.

Developer 2 min

Stop 30s

Fixer 1 min if dilution is 1+4 OR 1+1min if dilution is 1+9 (I use always 1+9 and two baths with FB papers, and I keep the paper in chemicals for 2+2min to ensure the fixation)

For the RC paper, the times are shorter:

Developer 1 min

Stop 10 s

Fixer 30s (dilution 1+4) (I usually recommend 1 minute fixation to ensure that my students don’t take the print out too quickly)

The chemistry should be 20 degrees Celsius temperature, (or at most one degree up or down). The results change if the temperature varies a lot and in less than 16 degrees the developing stops almost completely (tried it).

When using photography chemicals I stress always to my students the importance of safety. The chemicals are harmful or even toxic and any exposure to them, either by air or skin (not to mention by digesting), must be avoided. Some of the chemicals like toners and reducers may cause serious effects and even death if handled wrong.

The normal stuff like developer, stop or fix aren’t this dangerous, but even with those exposure may cause damage, especially in the long run. Do not lean above the chemical trays while working and while breathing in. The fumes are the strongest just above the trays. (I’ve developed three autoimmune diseases during the past 22 years and I’m very much aware of the fact that during the first 10 darkroom working years I worked in poorly ventilated environments and without most of the safety equipment.) I will write a separate text about photography chemical safety hazards later on.

7. Assessing the results

When you’ve moved the print in the first wash, let it rinse for a while before picking it up. Assess the print in a good light; daylight or other white light so you’re able to get all the information available from it.

Now according to your test strip (stripe print), you’re able to approximate the exposure time your next print requires. Pay attention to the dark end: in which stripe you find the first deep black? How about the light end: which is the stripe where the white is still white?

If the overall impression is greyish, you’ll need more contrast (which means adding the Grade value or in the enlargers with colour head add the Magenta and lower the Yellow). On the other hand, if the dark end goes all black and “stuck” without any details in the shadows, and the light end goes all white, you may want to lower your contrasts.

If there are two stripes which both look good, choose the lighter one. In the bigger picture the impression will be slightly darker than in the stripe print.

8. First real test print

Set in the timer the amount of seconds you decided to use after assessing the stripe print. Changing the contrast filters effects also in the outcome. So if you decided to change your contrasts after the first stripe print, I recommend to make another test with the new contrast values. At this point it seems dull but in the end saves your time and papers.

Make the first real test print always of the whole picture and on the whole paper. Don’t use anymore the thin paper strips, if you’ve made the stripes on one. From the whole image it’s way easier to assess, what kind of exposures the print will need. I usually make also the stripe print on whole paper as later on it’s handy when deciding the amount of burnings or dodgings the print needs.

After developing your first actual test print, assess it again in the daylight or strong enough white light.

Now you may decide, what kind of burning or dodging your print requires. In this help usually only three things: printing, printing, and some more printing. When gaining more and more experience, it gets easier to see from the test print, what kind of work it needs to become perfect.

This is also the most difficult part of gelatin silver process to teach in any other way than in person. As all the prints are different, and the process, materials and outcomes vary by person, there aren’t easy general advises to share.

Of course I can say: “If the print is flat, add the contrasts”, but the problem is that you need at first to be able to see, what it means that the print is flat. Or even if you see that yes, it’s a bit grey and flat, how much would it be wise to add contrasts. Fortunately there are steps you may take to make it easier.

First of all, you’ll have to train printing. More practice brings you the knowhow.

You may also see other people’s prints, preferably the real ones in exhibits. Unfortunately in the digital images many nuances of gelatin silver prints are lost. Watch the prints closely and try to decipher how they’ve been done. Be analytic: is the print light or dark? Is it contrasty? What kind of paper was used? Is it toned? How are the greys? Are there details in the dark end? etc. If the artist is a living one, don’t hesitate to send email and ask about their process. Most darkroom printing artists love it if you’re interested in their work.

If you truly want to develop as a printer, I warmly recommend to get an experienced mentor, for whom you’re able to show your prints from time to time. Gelatin silver printing is a craft, and requires craft(wo)manship which can be mastered, but that mastery comes way easier if you’ve got a guide who’s able to open your eyes to the strengths and weaknesses in your prints.

9. Burning and Dodging

Burnings and dodgings are the most creative and in my opinion the most fun and rewarding part of the printing process. With those you may affect a lot in the outcome of your print. In the ideal of the fine art printing practice those extra burnings are dodgings are done so skillfully, that the viewer doesn’t really notice them.

The idea is to make a print which is powerful and extremely spectacular but so that an ordinary viewer cannot really tell why and with which methods. I will be writing more texts about dodgings and burnings in the future.

10. Washing the print

During the developing process the print sucks in itself chemicals. If those are not washed away, they will react with each others and the surroundings and turn the print yellow after some time. Efficient and long enough washing is the key in making a print which lasts even for the future generations.

The requirements for washing depend on the paper used. RC papers require typically less washing than FB papers as they don’t suck the chemicals in so deep in their fibers. For RC papers is recommended (depending on the manufacturer) washing from 2 to 10 minutes.

Ilford recommends for RC papers two minutes washing and states that “When it is important to obtain a print in the shortest possible time, vigorously wash ILFORD resin coated papers for 30 seconds in running water. Prolonged immersion in water can cause edge penetration and print curl with resin coated papers: for this reason, avoid wet times longer than 15 minutes.” Usually the washing is recommended to be done in the same temperature as the chemistry baths, 20 degrees Celsius.

Fiber based papers require longer washing in at least two different stages. Apart from that some washing aid (HCA = Hypo Clearing Agent or ready Washaid) is strongly recommended. There are two excellent articles (This link to the first and This link to the second) from Martin Reed posted on Film and Darkroom User Forum UK, which show clearly the importance of using the Washing aid solution. Also, archival washing machine is recommended as there the prints wash separately. Note that if you load the archival washer too full, the washing is not that effective.

With Ilford Washaid the recommendation is First wash 5min + Washaid 10min + Second wash 20min. Note that the Washaid stage needs continuing agitation, so you cannot just dip the papers in for 10 minutes and do something else. Typically, I use larger tray and put several prints in the Washaid/Hypo so that the emulsion sides are facing each other. I wash in the final stage for longer than 20 minutes even when using Washaid. My usual final wash time is about one hour.

By my experience, if you don’t use Hypo, you should use three different washing stages in total of at least two hours.

One way of seeing if your washing was adequate is the toning phase. Especially the brown toners (sulphide or sepia) stick in the spots where there are chemical residues. They appear as small darker spots in your print either on the emulsion side or on the backside. I’ve never had spots like that when using Hypo, but sometimes even after three hour washing with no Hypo. That’s why I nowadays use that always to ensure the longevity of my prints.

After you’ve washed the print it’s time to move on to final stages like reducing and tonings. I’ll write separate texts about reducing and tonings later on.