I have wanted to put an article together about this subject for a while as I have had many people on social media asking me about the methods that I use to produce prints.The print that features in this blog was made with the superb Leica M10 Monochrom during my recent trip to the Scottish Highlands. Before I get into the details, let me start by giving you a little background about what inspired me to start producing prints.

I have always had an interest in photography, but it wasn’t until roughly 7 years ago that my interest developed into a real passion. It was upon discovering the photography of Ansel Adams by accident in a local bookstore. I was with my eldest son as he was looking through the children’s section for a book to spend his birthday vouchers on. While he was carefully making his choice, I picked up a copy of ‘The Portfolios of Ansel Adams’ and flicked through the pages. It was a surreal moment, turning each page and being so inspired by the images that greeted me. I had a profound realisation, that no matter how long it took me, I wanted to produce images that would provide others with the same feeling of inspiration that the images within the pages of that book were giving me. Even if it took me a lifetime.

I love going out with my camera, planning trips and spending time outdoors. From very early on in my photography, it was the act of producing a print that really excited me. It was the excitement of creating something that I could physically hold, a culmination of all my efforts and pre-visualisation of the image that has driven me since that day in the bookshop.

It all started by purchasing an A3 printer. This was nothing more than the kind you would see in an office environment. It wasn’t a dedicated photo printer and many of the early prints that I produced were on very cheap paper. The black and white images came out looking almost green. A far cry from the beautiful black and white images that I was aiming for, but It was a start and I was making prints of my images.

About a year later and after saving up some money, I purchased my first dedicated photo printer in the form of the Epson R3000. This was a bit of a revelation for me but also the start of a steep learning curve. I learnt about the need to calibrate my monitor, select the correct paper profiles and it was while before I was producing prints that reflected what I was seeing on screen.

Eventually I got to the point where I was fairly happy with my prints and even managed to sell a couple.

The R3000 is a superb printer and it served me well for a few years before I purchased the Epson P800. This is the printer that I currently use. I have developed a digital workflow that allows me to produce really nice inkjet prints using Hahnemuhle papers. The results are consistent and of a really high quality.

Having spent a lot of time looking at the work of Ansel Adams, I was always fascinated by the methods he used to produce prints in his darkroom. I have been to exhibitions of Ansel Adams, Don McCullen and many other well-known photographers who printed using these methods and was always blown away by the beauty of these prints. There was something really special, almost magical about the way that these prints were made. I loved how each was unique in nature and made with such care and passion. Even the slight flaws within these prints somehow added to their appeal. They seemed to exude that personal touch created by something handmade by being less than perfect. Having already shot film in various formats and being fortunate enough to have a spare room already set up and dedicated to my photography I decided to have a good clear out of all the junk that I had accumulated and set up a darkroom at home to have a go myself.

Once again it was another steep learning curve but eventually, I started to produce prints that I was happy with. Shortly after finishing my set up and after producing some of my first prints I had a bit of a lightbulb moment. “Could I combine the flexibility of digital photography, with the traditional method of producing silver gelatine prints?” If I could, this would allow me the flexibility to edit my photos to a point that matched my vision at the time of pressing the shutter and then print that image onto traditional silver gelatin photo paper.

I discovered that there was limited information about this technique online, but after combining all the knowledge that I could find on the subject, along with a little trial and error, I managed to produce my first hand made prints captured with my digital camera.

The digital negative.

The starting point for any of the silver gelatine prints that I produce, is to produce a digital negative of the image that can be used for contact printing. This involves inverting and flipping the original image and then making adjustments in Lightroom to produce a negative that is suitable for printing. I don’t really have a set series of adjustments that I make at this point as each image is different. It is usually a case of judging by eye. If I find that the negative is proving difficult to make a print with, I can return to the computer and make adjustments to the negative.

This is one of the big advantages of printing in this way as the negative can be manipulated to suit the desired result. It also makes it easier to use fixed contrast papers as the contrast of the negative can be adjusted to suit the paper.

When I am happy with the negative the next step is print it. I do this using digital transfer paper. I use Permajet paper as it allows me the option to buy it on a roll as well sheets in A4 or A3 sizes. Using a roll is the only way that I can print negatives big enough to produce 16”x20” prints. I haven’t seen sheets bigger than A3 so far. I assuming that this is due to the demand for this type of media being limited.

Once the negative has been printed, I will usually leave it to dry. It’s a fast-drying paper but seems to mark easily if used straight from the printer. Just to be cautious I let it rest overnight. Sometimes it may be a week or so before I have time to set up ready to print so any negatives that I print are stored in archival boxes or old paper boxes until they are required.

Test Strips.

The first thing that I need to do before anything else is to mix up the developer, stop bath and two fixer baths at the correct temperatures. Once this is complete the main lights go off and it’s time to enjoy the warm red glow of the safelight.

It’s a good idea to let children and partners know not to open the door at this point. The shout of Daddy! followed by the door swinging open while you have a packet of light sensitive paper open is not ideal and can be quite expensive.

Making and analysing test strips is probably the most important step in the whole print making process. For most of the prints that I produce at the moment, I use Ilford Warmtone Fibre paper. I allows me to use a split grade printing method to accurately control the contrast of the print, so I make two test strip exposures.
The first test strip is made using a grade 0 or 00 filter to determine the correct exposure for the highlights. Once I have completed the test strip, it gets a quick blast in the microwave to dry it off quickly. Prints can dry down darker than they appear when wet and highlights that look bright can end up looking flat and dull. It’s always a good idea to evaluate your test strips when dry. Especially when using fibre papers.

Once I’ve determined the correct exposure for my highlights, I need to produce a test strip to determine the contrast. This is done by exposing a whole test sheet at grade 0 or 00 for the time determined for the highlight areas of the print in the previous test and then switching to a grade 5 filter and following the same steps as you would for producing a normal test strip.

Once I am happy that I have the correct exposure times, I make a partial test print. This usually covers an area of the image that will highlight any exposure problems. This is usually using a full 5”x7” sheet or possibly 8”x10” if I am making a larger print. When I am happy with results, I make the first full size print. At this point I make a note of all the exposure times and filter grades that I am using in my notepad. I’ll also record the height of the enlarger head, lens aperture, paper type and developer. Forgetting to do this can result in having to complete the whole process again.

It can be quite easy to get caught up in the excitement of making the first full print of an image. That excitement, as I have found out, can mean a lot of wasted paper. It’s easy to get carried away making multiple copies of the same image, only to wake up the next day and find the prints you produced the night before are far less than perfect.

I find it best to make a print, hang it to dry and take a good look at it in daylight the next day. What seemed like a perfect print the night before will more than likely require a bit of work before you are completely happy with it. You may need to adjust the negative or it could just be some dodging and burning that is required.

I prefer to use techniques such as dodging and burning rather than manipulating the negative too much. Part of the appeal of producing traditional prints is that each print is hand made and unique. Using these techniques means that there will be subtle differences between each print ensuring that they remain a unique image.

I have been asked if I think that producing prints in this way is cheating and not in keeping with the traditional method of printing from a film negative. I agree that there is an increased level of skill required to produce prints from film, both at the moment of exposure and at the developing and printing stage. However, I want to produce the best prints that my skill level will allow me to. Utilising digital technology and combining it with traditional processes, allows me to produce prints that match the pre-visualised image I had in my mind at the moment I made the photograph.

The final print has always been what is of the highest importance to me. The techniques that I use to get to this point makes little difference to me. Others may have a different opinion but I think that even Mr Adams would have utilised everything available to him if it meant an improvement in the prints that he produced.

Subtle changes

When I get to the point where I am happy with a print, I will initially make three copies. These copies will allow for mistakes during toning, spotting or damage that has occurred to the print from careless handling during the development process. I will sometimes make a subtle change to exposure as you can see in the middle image below. I chose to increase the highlight exposure slightly in the print on the left. This allowed me to look carefully at both images after toning and make the final decision on which print instructions I will use when making further prints.

Toning, Washing and Flattening prints.

I take as much care as possible to ensure that each print that I make has been processed and washed to archival standards. I want anybody purchasing a print to be confident that it will look good for decades to come. Traditional darkroom prints should last for hundreds, if not thousands of years if properly processed and stored. I use a two-stage fixing process, tone prints using selenium to increase their permanence and wash them using an archival print washer.

Finished prints are then placed in a press that I made for this purpose and handled using gloves to avoid the transfer of contaminants from my hands. Knowing that prints I have made could survive long after I have passed away and possibly passed down through generations of a family is a nice thought. At the time of writing this I have received an order for a framed print which will be sent out next week. Knowing that this print will be enjoyed in someones home for many years to come, makes it worth the time an effort put into producing it.

A home made print flattening press. It’s basic, but it works.

Finishing touches.

Regardless of how careful I am, there is usually the inevitable spotting of small imperfections. Once this has been completed, I cut mounts for each print using archival materials only and frame using a simple matte black frame made from aluminium.

I sign the back of each print and add information such as subject, when it was printed and on what paper. If it is part of an edition, I will number the print. Each limited-edition print sold also comes with a certificate of authenticity.

The final framed image.

The final framed print. A simple and elegant high quality frame sets the image off nicely. (iPhone image)

A passion for printing.

I hope that you have enjoyed this insight into my passion for this print making process. I continue to explore and adapt this process so will update this blog if I feel that the information would benefit anybody. I’m an amateur photographer and make these prints in my spare time. Usually late at night when the kids have gone to bed and all day to day housework has been completed.

I find it hugely enjoyable to produce prints in this way. When producing inkjet prints, the process is little more than loading the paper into the printer and pressing print. Although very rewarding to see the finished print emerge from the printer, there is no substitute for the enjoyment of making a print by hand. The look of a traditional silver gelatin print is also, in my opinion unmatched by an inkjet print. This is a personal observation and I am by no means saying that one is better than the other. I feel that these prints represent my images in a way that I just can’t achieve with an inkjet printer and I place a higher personal value on these prints.

I’ll leave the comments section open for this blog and feel free to add any thoughts that you might have. The framed print featured in this blog will be available through my site to purchase very soon. I’ll also be adding a wider selection of framed prints very soon.

At the time of writing we are still very much in lockdown here in the U.K due to the current Covid-19 outbreak. If you are reading this I hope that you, your friends and your family stay safe and well. If you or anybody you know has been unfortunate enough to contract this horrible virus I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

Matt.