| Please see my new How To Make Photographs (Pictorial Version) First, do not forget to switch on the red light in the dark room. You need: a.) An enlarger b.) Non-exposed photo-papers The enlarger is basically a struture which is very similar to a projector. There is a light bulb on top of it, and you can insert the negatives in the middle of it. Thus, light shines through the negatives and images (of what you have on the negative) will be projected below onto a piece of photo-paper below the negatives. (You can't see the image imprinted yet because there is a developing process for bringing out the images on the paper.) You may move the light bulb up and down in order to change the size of the projected image. The above process is called Exposure. The time of exposure is usually between 5 to 20 seconds, it depends on whether your negative is thin (underexposed) or thick (overexposed). If your negative is thin, don't expose for too long (5 to 10 seconds), and if it is thick, don't worry to expose it for a longer time (10 to 20 seconds). One more thing, MAKE SURE THAT THE PHOTO-PAPER IS NOT EXPOSED BEFOREHAND. That means your photo-paper is always put inside a dark plastic bag which comes together when you buy the paper before they are purposely exposed for producing photographs. After Exposure, you have to develop the photo-paper in order to bring out the images on them, in order words, you have to change them from photo-paper to photographs. The developing process requires the following liquid chemicals: a.) Developer b.) Stop Bath c.) Fixer All of them are toxic, especially the Stop Bath, so handle them with extreme care. 1. Put the photo-papers into the Developer. You will realize that the images quickly emerge after 4 to 6 seconds. DO NOT TOUCH THE IMAGES ON THE PHOTO-PAPER. Beware that when you place them in the Developer for too long, they will become too dark (overly developed), so carefully pick them out of the Developer when you think that the images are suitably developed. 2. Next, put the photo-papers into the Stop Bath for 15 seconds. 3. Finally, put the photo-papers into the Fixer for about one minute. After that, you may turn off the red light and turn on the regular light. The images are fixed onto the photo paper, and they have become photographs. Wash the photographs gently in cool water for ten minutes. MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE CHEMICALS ARE WASHED AWAY. Then place it somewhere and it dry. Well, that's how the photographs are done. Back |
HOW TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHS? |