I am relatively new to photography. I have been shooting mostly color slides but I would also like to try black & white. But whenever I get back my prints, the contrast doesn't seem close enough to what I see in commercial magazines and books. My guess is I need a custom lab which can do dodging and burning of the prints. Am I right?

-- joseph arenas (jarenas@janus.jnj.com), October 18, 1998

Answers

Yes, or even better, do it yourself. Ordinary labs just pump the negatives through a machine, and the prints drop out the other end. From these "proof" prints, you can decide what real prints you want to make, and how you want to alter the tones. The custom lab (or you) can then alter the contrast and exposure across the whole picture or selectvely. This requires, say, an hour of effort instead of a few seconds in a machine, so is more expensive but is the only route to quality.

-- Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com), October 18, 1998.

A few of my friends have been getting their BW film printed via machine and the results are almost always terrible. The biggest problem is that the prints are very flat and I suspect they do not replenish the developer often enough. You should expect a certain level of quality even from machine prints and if you are unhappy with the results you should bring them back and let them know. If they are a half decent lab they will do their best to make you happy.

-- Andy Laycock (agl@intergate.bc.ca), October 19, 1998.

Film processing often makes as much difference as printing technique, although a skilled printer can do wonders with an improperly processed negative. If you want to see the quality you see in commercial magazines and books you'll have to take your film to a black-and-white specialist or process and print it yourself. I'd vote for doing it yourself, as processing and printing balc-and-white proerly gets expensive if you pay someone else to do it, but it quite inexpensive to do yourself. Of course, you'll have to build a darkroom, but that isn't so bad if you're only printing your own

-- Darron Spohn (dspohn@clicknet.com), October 19, 1998.

I've worked with a number of beginners using B&W and getting commerical processing. IMHO and well as the others above, you have to do B&W your self to get quality results or else find some one who can give you quality results and PAY. Good B&W printing is hand work.

-- Gene Crumpler (nikonguy@emji.net), October 20, 1998.

i would go with what the others are saying as far as cost goes. it's very inexpensive to process your own film. chemicals and all can be as little as $10-15 to process quite a few rolls of film. then paper depending on size and amount $10-100. if you take a class at the local community college they may be able to provide the space and teach you how to do it yourself. it's pretty easy. you don't necessary have to build a darkroom if you can find one that is already built. i use a public darkroom and they even provide the chemicals to develop the paper. but the advantage of a lab to do everything is time. it takes some time to process your film and make your own prints. it can take lots of time. so you may want to wieght cost vs. time. for me it's easier to make time then it is to make cost.

-- e.a. (moschika@yahoo.com), October 21, 1998.

Response to black and white printing

I know exactly what you're experiencing! When I first tried my hand at black and white a few years ago I was totally disappointed with the results I got back from the lab. My first thought was, "Black and white sucks!" Little did I know I had a lot to learn. Listen to what the others are saying, "Do it yourself." It's a lot of fun and quite gratifying knowing you have full control over your images -- from capturing the image to putting it on paper the way you envisioned it. Don't allow the mess you got back from the ill-prepared lab discourage you from this worthwhile endeavor. These 1 hour labs just aren't equiped to do quality black and white prints and the poor undertrained souls working there wouldn't have a clue; they're just there for the $5.50/hour wage. Hardly an incentive to do good work. Anyhow, back onto a more positive note -- dive into black and white printing! You'll soon fall deeply in love with the outcomes. Trust me. :-)

Best of luck!

Respectfully, Leslie Ratliff

-- Leslie Ratliff (leslie@carteret.com), December 31, 1998.

I recently purchased a roll of b&w film but when i was about to develop it, the film had c-41 (standard color) developing written on it. This wonder film is a new trial film from Kodak, that may solve b&w contrast problems when printed at a regular old lab. The pictures are black and white, but they go through a c-41 and print with true b&w contrast. try it for yourself, you might like the results

-- Lara Rafton (Dweege@goplay.com), April 26, 1999.

Its a great feeling to have sucessfully enlarged a picture, you cannot expect this from a store enlargement. It is more fun doing it , and you are learning.

-- Mary Askey (muff @ uniserve.com), June 03, 1999.