How to manipulate contrast when contact printing?

[Samriel]

I'm quite new to LF and to film/analog photography in general. For the last several months I've been shooting 8x10, but I often end up with prints that are too contrasty for my taste as I'm shooting mostly portraiture. The negatives do not seem as contrasty as the final print.
As I'm still in my early learning stages, I've only been using Fujifilm Neopan ACROS 100 film and Fujifilm Tone WP (Grade 3 - only grade available) RC contact printing paper, so I could get used to the process. I develop in Dektol (1:2) for one minute at 20 degree Celsius.
Is there an option of lowering the contrast without changing the paper? Maybe using another developer like Selectol Soft? I do have access to other papers (multigrade of lower grade papers), although they are all enlarging papers. Except the difference in light sensitivity, what other differences are there between contact printing papers and enlarging papers?

Any help or advice is sincerely appreciated!

Vlad

[IanG]

You can use Soft working developers like ID-3 & Kodak D165, they will drop contrast by nearly a grade, also flashing can help to.

Those two developers are equivalent to Adaptol & Selectol Soft.

Ian

[Michael Alpert]

Vlad,

I only have basic advice for you, and I hope it helps. Using Selectol will lower contrast. Also, try using a minimum of agitation, perhaps just a bit of movement every thirty seconds. The real answer, however, is to use a lower grade of fixed-grade paper, or to use variable-contrast enlarging paper with your enlarger as your light source. The commonly available VC fiber-based papers are actually much better than some old-timers here would like to admit. You might think about doing whatever it takes (i.e., using enlarging paper) to arrive at a satisfying print; after that, you can refine your materials and practices knowing the level of quality that you have established as a starting point.

[Peter De Smidt]

If you really want to use that paper, you should tailor your exposure/development of the negative such that it gives you the results you want. You can change contrast a bit with paper developers/water bath, but you will run the danger of getting weak blacks.

There a couple of ways of doing this.

#1) Rate the film at exposure index (EI) 64. Expose a standard subject. Now develop the film 20% less than you have been doing. Contact print it in a normal way, using an exposure that'll give you a good black. Judge the print. If there's not enough shadow detail, expose more. If the lighter tones are too dark, develop more. If the lighter tones are too bright, develop less.

#2 Point the camera at an evenly toned and lit black or dark grey surface. Make sure the camera is focused on infinity. Meter the surface and place the surface at Zone I (i.e. close down four stops from the meter reading) with the EI set at 50. Now open up 1/3 stop on the aperture. Expose. Repeat twice more. You now have sheets representing Zone I at EIs 50, 64, 80, and 100.

Develop these sheets for 20% less than you have been. Examine your negatives. If you have a densitometer, look for the sheet that about 1.5 above film base plus fog. Otherwise, look for the sheet and which there's a definite difference between the film base and the expose area. Which ever sheet that is will give you your EI. My guess is that'll it'll be either 64 or 80.

Now find a light gray surface. Expose a sheet at your determined EI such that the surface falls on Zone VIII, i.e. meter the surface and open up three stops. Develop this for the same time you developed the sheets earlier.

Contact print this in the following way. Do a test strip to find the exposure such that it gives you the first true black through the clear film edge. Place an opaque card over half of the frame. Expose for the determined time. Develop the print. You want the part of the print not covered by the opaque card to be slightly darker than the part covered by the card. If you can't tell the difference between the two areas, try again developing for 20% less. If the area is too dark, try developing 5-10
% more.

Hope this helps.

[Richard M. Coda]

I would second the move to fiber-based VC papers. RC papers don't last very long compared to fiber-based.

I use enlarging papers for contact prints (4x5, 8x10 and 11x14) all the time. I know there is Lodima, but my jury is still out on that one.

[Peter De Smidt]

Oops. That should've read: "If you have a densitometer, look for the sheet that gives about .15 above film base plus fog."

I agree with the others, though. I'd use a fiber-based enlarging paper. The negatives are the longer processing times and the need to dry mount them. But you gain a longer lasting print with a better surface.

[Samriel]

Thanks for all the advice. Gives me some ideas what to try next.

I think I'll first try using some Selectol Soft(D165), but I'll definitively try some enlarging fiber papers soon. Do you have any recommendations (preferably from Ilford, as the rest is hard to get here)? Also, what does the "VC" stand for?

[Richard M. Coda]

VC - Variable Contrast.

Ilford make two VC papers, MG (Multigrade) in cold tone and warm tone. Depends what you like. You can also develop the warmtone paper in a cold tone developer (Ethol LPD, which you can use from cold to warm depending on dilution).

Oriental also makes warm and cold tone VC papers.

I prefer Oriental for cold, and Ilford for warm. Be warned, Ilford WT has serious dry down issues IMHO.

[Peter De Smidt]

I like Ilford Multigrade Fiber paper.

[Turner Reich]

I hadn't thought of it until just now, but could one use split grade printing with contact printing? I don't see any reason that it shouldn't but I haven't tried it.

[Richard M. Coda]

I hadn't thought of it until just now, but could one use split grade printing with contact printing? I don't see any reason that it shouldn't but I haven't tried it.

Easy... change the filters while you are burning/dodging. I do it when it is required. Or, even just to give the blacks a boost (today's papers' blacks are not like the old papers' blacks) add a few seconds at G5 at the end. Doesn't affect the midtones or highlights much, if at all. Mind you, this is for 8x10 and up... I don't think it's practical with 4x5s unless your day job is a surgeon or something like that, or the image has easy and clearly defined areas that need help.

[John Bowen]

You might try Neutol W/A or Amidol print developers and use a water bath. Check out the Azo forum for details on water bath development. I contact print on Azo and it works like a charm.

Good luck,

[Allen in Montreal]

There are some good suggestions here, I do not know the paper you are printing on, but if you wish to decrease the contrast you may also try split development of the paper. One tray of Dektol, one tray of Selectol Soft. Split the time between the two and loose a 1/2 grade or so. this works well on papers such as older Agfa, I am completely guessing as to how the Fuji contact paper would react, but it may be worth an attempt.

[John Powers]

[QUOTE=Samriel;474764]....but I'll definitively try some enlarging fiber papers soon. Do you have any recommendations (preferably from Ilford, as the rest is hard to get here)? ...QUOTE]

Ilford bought the Kentmere line of products and may also sell these in your area. In what country and city do you live? I enlarge 8x10 and contact print 7x17 on Kentmere Fineprint (VCFB) variable contrast fiber based paper. I also use split grade printing when needed for enlarging and contact printing. If you are an APUG subscriber you can view the split grade filter arangement on my Durst 138 converted to 8x10 coldlight http://www.apug.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=31228&cat=all&ppuser=2308

John

[SAShruby]

I like Ilford Multigrade Fiber paper.

Me too. I print on them exclusively.
Either Split Grade printing [95%] or using Multigrade Filters [5%].


Richard,
Good tip with G5 filter. I will try this one.

[ghost]

Easy... change the filters while you are burning/dodging. I do it when it is required. Or, even just to give the blacks a boost (today's papers' blacks are not like the old papers' blacks) add a few seconds at G5 at the end. Doesn't affect the midtones or highlights much, if at all. Mind you, this is for 8x10 and up... I don't think it's practical with 4x5s unless your day job is a surgeon or something like that, or the image has easy and clearly defined areas that need help.

I have also felt this way about the blacks with MG WT before...thanks for the tip about using the G5 to bump them up...