Black and White Photography

A negative’s surface must be free of dust, dirt, grit, and other debris to guarantee
the best possible prints. Dust or other small particles on the negative block light
from passing through, creating white marks on the print.
There are several good cleaning methods to avoid dirty negatives. Dry film in
a clean, dust-free environment (sometimes difficult to find in school and other
gang darkrooms); place film in negative protectors as soon as it’s dry (don’t leave
it for days in the school or other darkroom); and keep the protectors in a safe
place (a binder or a box that closes completely and keeps dust out).
You almost always have to clean your negatives, no matter how careful you’ve
been. Use a soft, wide brush to wipe loose dust off the surface. Keep the brush clean
and use it with care, however, or it may mark or scratch the negative. Storing the
brush in a plastic sandwich bag between uses is a good way to keep it clean.
Squirting air from a simple rubber bulb squeeze blower is another way to remove
loose dust. Compressed air is a more expensive but usually more effective
tool. Be careful not to shake the can before use and hold it upright; otherwise it
may emit liquid propellant that you will have to clean off the negative. Several
short bursts will more effectively dislodge dust than a single long blast.
Seriously dirty negatives may require more than air to get them clean, especially
if the dirt or grit is stuck in the emulsion. Before taking extreme measures,
first make a print to see if any marks show; some marks that are visible on the
film may not appear in the print. If they do appear, you can use a film cleaning
solution and a soft cloth, such as a chamois cloth or lens tissue. Make sure the
cloth is clean (again, store it in a plastic sandwich bag between uses) and follow
the packaged instructions. Most important of all, wipe the film very gently. You
must be very careful when rewashing or using film cleaner; wet film is soft and
very easily scratched or damaged.
You can always rewash and dry the negative, too. Lay the film in a small tray
or place it in a processing tank and wash it gently with running water. Then dunk
the film in a diluted solution of wetting agent for 1 minute and hang it to dry.
7. Turn off the room lights.
8. Turn on the enlarger. Usually you do this using a focus switch on the enlarging
timer. You should see a projected image on the easel, but it may be
out of focus and/or dim.
9. Open the aperture of the enlarging lens to its largest f-stop to project a
bright enough light to see the image clearly.
10. Set the image size by moving the enlarger head up or down on its rail,
as needed. The projected image becomes larger as you move the head up
the rail and smaller as you move it down. You also will need to adjust the