(~ AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICE WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY PULLMAN, WASHINGTON

EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS IN COOPERATION WITH U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Revised October 1962 E. M. 1629

SHUTTER-BUGS

2nd Year 4-H Photography Project

Second Year Goal

To get more fun from photography by learning to develop print and enlarge your own pictures.

Here is What to Do

l. Organize a 4-H Photo Club. It's more fun - and less expensive - if two or more to together to set up and equip a darkroom.

2. If you have the space, plan a permanent darkroom. If not, plan to use a kitchen or other room that can be darkened and - nice but not necessary - has water.

3. Assemble your materials.

4. Keep a record of your expenses.

5. Learn to develop and print your pictures.

6. Keep up the photo album you started in your first-year proj~ct.

7. Plan to exhibit your best photographs.

8. Give at least one demonstration.

9. Have fun.

A Word to the Photo Club Leader

The second-year photography project is planned for 4-H boys and girls who have completed the first-year project. In the first year, club members learned the fundamentals of taking pictures with their box (fixed-focus, fixed-aperture) cameras. Now they are ready for more fun with their cameras - and to learn more about photography - by developing and printing their own pictures. E. M. 1629 Page 2

A plan of activity for the year's work is outlined on the following pages. Eight meetings are planned to give step-by- step procedures for organizing the dark­ room and learning the developing and printing processes. This outline only summmarizes what they'll be learning; it is not a textbook of photography. The club member must depend upon guidance from his leader, and reference materials on photography available from your photo dealer and the library.

In addition to the eight meetings planned in this outline, you'll want to devote meeting time to picture -taking excursions, visits to commercial darkrooms, demonstrations by club members, and preparation of a display of the clubs' activities.

To successfully complete the project, each club member must ( 1) give at least one demonstration, (2) keep a record of his expenses on the form on page 9 of the 4-H Record Book, (3) a record of his equipment on the forms on page 12 of this mimeograph, (4) maintain a photo album, and (5) display at least one photograph that he took, developed and printed.

One goal photo club members can shoot for is the opportunity to exhibit at the State 4-H Fair. The State Fair premium list sets forth the requirements for admission to the state contest. These requirements may be used as specifications for any local or county photo contest you may wish to hold. - 3 - MEETINGS 1 &: 2

THE DARKROOM

What to do at Your Club Meeting 1. Organize your club

2. Plan with your family where you will set up your darkroom. What to do at Home 1. Assemble the materials and equipment you'll need for the darkroom.

2. Shoot some pictures to develop when your darkroom is set up.

WHERE WILL WE PUT IT?

You have this choice: Build a permanent darkroom you can use any time, night or day; or, have a place you can convert into a darkroon when needed.

If you're lucky to have space for a permanent darkroom, get plans for building and equipping darkrooms from your photo dealer or the public library. Actually, any kitchen, bathroom, utility room, or closet can serve as a temporary dark- room. The main requirement is that it's completely dark. To test the- room for darkness, turn out all lights ani wait three or four minutes. If you can't see a sheet of plain white paper on the table in front of you - the room is dark enough.

WHAT DO WE NEED?

Here are the essentials for developing and printing your pictures:

1. Developer and Fixer - These are the chemicals that turn your exposed film into pictures. While you're learning, you can get by with the same solutions for developing your film and printing your pictures. Your photo dealer will recommend the chemicals to use and the amount of each to buy. E. M. 1629 Page 4

2. Three enamel or glass trays - You can buy photographic trays, or you can use baking dishes or enamel basins that are at least 5 by 7 inches in size. Caution: The containers should be used for photo­ graphy only- don't "borrow" containers from your Mother's kitchen that she will use again to prepare and serve food.

3. Thermometer ~ Special photographic thermometers are on the market, but any accurate Fahrenheit thermometer will do.

4. A glass measuring cup or graduate - This is to measure water in ounces for mixing your chemicals.

5. Bottles for storing solutions -Brown bottles, quart-size, in which certain household bleaches and disinfectants are sold, make dandy containers for photographic chemicals. Developers break down when exposed to light. Brown bottles keep out light and extend the life of your developer.

6. A Safelight - "Chrome" type film, such as verichrome, can be developed under a ruby colored safelight because "chrome" films are not sensitive to red. Your camera store has the right type of safelight. It's worth getting so you won't have to work in total darkness.

7. A Printing Frame or Box ----- See page 7 for de script ions of the frame and box. Then decide which to get for your darkroon.

8. Odds and Ends - You'll need a line and clothes pins to hang your film to dry after developing. Scissors are necessary to cut the negatives from the roll of film. To dry the prints, you'll find that a squeegee and blotting paper will come in handy.

In your 4-H Record Book (page 9) is a sheet you may use to record your expenses in ·equipping the darkroom and developing and printing your film. You '11 find on page 12.of this mimeograph an inventory sheet to help you keep track of your equipment and materials. These are important; they become part of your photography project record. - 5 - MEETINGS 3 & 4

DEVELOPING YOUR FILM What to do at Your Club Meeting 1. Develop a roll of your own film 2. Learn to distinguish between good and bad negatives. What to do at Home 1. Review what you learned in your first year photo project (Meeting 3) about how film is made. 2. Learn more about film and film development from books and magazines at the library and from your photo dealer. 3. Take more pictures so you '11 have another roll of film to develop at the next meeting.

TRAY OR TANK- TAKE YOUR CHOICE

There are two common methods to develop film at home:

1. Tray - Put the chemicals you use to develop the film in open trays. Hold the film at both ends to form the shape of a "U" with the base of the "U" dipping in the chemical solution. Raise and lower each hand in see-saw fashion, so the entire film is passed through the chemical. This must be done in the darkroom. Until you get the knack of it, you'll need the safelight to see what you are doing. The safelight can be used only when you develop "chrome" film, remember.

2. Tank - Load your film into a small, light-proof tank. The tank is built so the chemicals can be poured into, and out of, the tank. The film must be loaded into the tank in total dark- ness or under the safelight, but the rest of the development process can be done in a lighted room. The tank will cost you a few dollars, but is easier and more convenient to use than the trays. I II E. M. 1629 Page 6 CHEMISTRY DOES THE J OB

Two chemical solutions are needed to develop your film :

1. The Developer - Your photo dealer will rec ommend developer best suited to you and your film . Developer is packaged in small tins with simple directions for making the solution and other information you '11 need. The developer is a combinat ion of many chemicals which produce the image on your negative. Your reference books will give you the full story of this fascinating process.

2. The "Hypo" or F ix i ng Bath - This ~ too, is a combination of chemicals packaged for your convenient use. Your dealer w i ll t ell you which of the many available fixing solutions is best for you. "Hypo" stops the development and hardens the gelatin surface of the negative.

BRIEFLY, HERE vS HOW:

1. Take your film to the darkroom, close t h e door, turn out all lights but the safe­ light, unroll the film, and separate it from the protective red paper.

2. If you use the tray met hod of developing ...... a. Place three trays side - by- side with developer in the first, clear water in the second ~ and hypo in the third. b. Draw your film through the developing solution the length of time indicated by the directions on the package. c. Rinse the film by drawing it throu gh the clear water in the second tray. Rinse just enough to wash the developer off the film so as little developer as possible is carried into the hypo solution. d. Draw the film through the hypo solution. Fresh hypo completely fixes film in 10 minutes. 3. If you use the tank method of developing ...... a. Load your film into t he tank. b. Pour in the developing solution, agitate t he tank, and develop the required length of time. Then pour the solution back into the bottle in which you keep it. c. Pour clear water into the tank to rinse out the developing solution that remains. Pour the water into the sink. d. Finally, pour in the hypo and fix your film at least 10 minutes, agitating all the while. Pour the hypo back into the bottle for use another time. 4. Now that your film is developed, wash it in running water for at least 30 minutes to remove the chemicals used in the process. You may wash your film in any container that has a smooth inner surface. 5. Then hang the film to dry. Wipe the film l i ghtly with a soft cloth, chamois or flat sponge to remove the droplets of water. Droplets will show up on the printed picture if not removed. Warning: Handle negatives by the edges; don 't smudge negatives with fingerprint s .

WHAT ' S A GOOD NEGATIVE? If the image on your negative is clear and sharply defined, the film was correctly exposed by your camera and you developed it properly. Illustrations in the reference books will help you distinguish between well - and poorly-exposed and developed negatives. With practice y o u '11 be able to judge your own negatives and tell what went wrong if the negative is not first-class . - 7 - MEETINGS 5 & 6

PRINTING YOUR PICTURES

\Vhat to do at Your Club Meeting 1. Make prints of the negatives you developed 2 . Observe the difference when a single negative is printed on two or more print papers.

What to do at Horne 1. Learn about the various grades of print papers and purpose of each. 2. Take more pictures with your camera.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

There are two methods of printing our pictures. One is called "contact" printing; the other is enlarging. We '11 try our hand at contact printing first, and leave enlarging until we're more skilled and can afford more equipment.

When we place a negative on (in contact with) the emulsion side of a sheet of print paper, and pass light through the negative onto the paper, we produce a contact print. You can make contact prints with a "printing frame. " This is nothing more than two pieces of glass, framed to hold firmly together, between which the negative and print paper is placed.

Top Platten

Negative

Clear Glass ~~

Opal Glass ··Red (Safe) Light Exposing Lamps·

The frame is held up to a light to expose the paper the required number of seconds. A more convenient contact printer is a printing box like the one illustrated. The light for exposing the paper is inside the box. You can buy printing boxes, but why not build your own? E. M. 1629 Page 8

POINTERS ABOUT PAPER

There are dozens of photographic printing papers available from your camera dealers. Your club leader or your dealer will probably recommend that you learn printing using a "chloride"-type paper such as AZO or Velox. Papers are graded by numbers from 0 to 5. Dense negatives (more dark areas than light) require a #0 or #1 paper. Normal negatives (equal areas of dark and light) require #2 and #3 papers. Thin negatives (more light than dark areas) are printed on #4 or #5 papers.

The trick is to pick the paper number that will make the best possible print of your negative. It takes practice. Even the experienced try two or more paper numbers before they're satisfied with the print.

We'd suggest that you make your first prints with a #2 or #3 paper. Once you have the knack of printing with these papers, you can try your hand using the other numbers.

PRINTING THE PICTURE

Here is where you get the most fun from your work in the darkroom. There's nothing that beats the thrill of placing a sheet of print paper into the developer and watching a picture slowly appear.

The same chemicals you used to develop your film, can be used to print your pictures. Arrange your chemicals in trays in the same order for developing film: Developer in the first tray, clear water in the second, and hypo in the third.

THE TEST PRINT

The length of time necessary to expose the print paper to the light depends upon the negative. Dense negatives require more time than thin ones. Rather than waste an entire sheet of print paper if your first exposure is not right, we make at least two exposures of different time lengths on the same sheet. This is done by masking one end of the test paper by covering it with a piece of thin cardboard or similar material. The paper is exposed for, say, 10 seconds. The test paper is then turned end for end, and the part that was masked the first time is no-w exposed for a longer period of time, say, 20 seconds. After developing the test print (developing is explained below) and examining it in the light, you can quickly tell which end of the test sheet was given the best exposure, and this exposure is the one you'll use to make a good print of your negative. If a print is too dark, the length of exposure was too long. If a print is too light, the length of exposure was too short. Usually, you need to make only one or two test prints for each negative. Then you are ready to expose and develop your prints without bothering to test print. E. M. 1629 Page 9

DEVELOPING THE PRINT

The developer must be very close to the recommended temperature, and you must accurately time the length of development. Your print is properly developed if it brings out all the detail found in the negative. An underdeveloped print is muddy in appearance. If the print is developed too long it will turn black.

Take your print from the developing tray, rinse at least 30 seconds, arid then drop it into the hypo tray to fix to 10 to 15 minutes. When the prints have fixed, rinse them throughly in running water to wash away the chemicals. Unwashed prints will eventually fade.

DRYING THE PRINTS

Lay your prints flat on photo blotters or clean, water-absorbing cloth. Don't use blotters or cloth that will leave lint to dry on the print. If you want to give your prints a hard, or "glossy", finish, you '11 need to roll them, emulsion (picture) side down, on a highly polished "ferrotype tin. " As the prints dry, they peel away from the tin. - 10 - MEETINGS 7 & 8

ENLARGING YOUR PICTURES

What to do at Your Club Meeting Make enlargements from one or two of your best negatives. Ask an experienced person to help you make your first enlargements.

What to do at Home Learn all you can from books and bulletins about the techniques of enlarging.

YOU'RE LUCKY

If you have an enlarger, you ' re lucky. Enlargers and enlarging add dollars to the cost of the hobby, so many photo :fans can afford only contact printing. Your enlarger is more than a gadget. It'll bring out the artist in you if you use it properly. Every picture you are justly proud of is worth enlarging. As you make your picture bigger you can make it better by shading (dodging) unwanted parts, or by masking (cropping) them out entirely.

ANOTHER WAY TO PRINT PICTURES

Enlarging is just another way to print pictures. In contact printing, you remember we placed the print paper against the negative and got a picture the same size as the negative. Enlarging projects the image of your negative onto a sheet of print paper. The projected image is larger than the original negative.

ENLARGING PAPERS HIGHLY SENSITIVE

You'll need special print papers for enlarging. The light is concentrated in contact work, so the 11 speed 11 of the paper is not so important. In enlarging, the light passes through a small lens opening and is spread over a large sheet of paper, so the paper must be faster - more sensitive. There are different types of enlarging paper, each for a particular purpose. Your club leader or photo dealer can tell you which paper is best for you to use. E . M. 1629 Page 11

CROPPING ' N DODGING

Slip your negative into the enlarger, flip the switch, and examine the image that's projected onto the working surface in front of you. Make sure it's in sharp focus and that bits of lint and dust on the negative aren't spoiling the image. Now you are ready to turn your small negative into a big masterpiece. You may want to print the enlargement as is. More likely you'll want to CROP unwanted parts of the picture. CROPPING is done by masking a portion of the projected negative to improve the composition of the picture, or add emphasis to a particular part of it. Close down the lens of the enlarger to the best aperature (you'll find the best aperature by experimenting), then expose test strips to find the best exposure for your negative just as you did in contact printing.

When you' re ready to make the finished enlargement, put a full sheet of print paper beneath the mask, flip the switch, and expose the paper the number of seconds you've decided it needs. While the paper is being exposed you can further improve your finished enlargement by DODGING. With your hand, or a black paper disk on the end of a wire, you shade parts of the image. DODGING "holds back" portions of the image that aren't so important while the important elements of your picture are being fully exposed.

PRINTING YOUR ENLARGEMENT

Develop, rinse, fix, and wash your enlargement just as you did your contact prints. The procedure is the same, but your chemical trays and rinse tub must be large enough to handle your enlargement. Don't be discouraged if your first enlargement isn't up to snuff. Enlarging is a skill- an art -that takes lots of practice. E. M. 1629 Page 12 RECORD OF EQUIPMENT

An inventory of my equipment and supplies:

On Hand at On Hand at Item Beginning of Project Close of Project

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11/62 ca