8x10" B&W Silver Gelatin Printing Speedrun! - Large Format Friday

Nothing like chilly, drab Winter weather to get you back into the darkroom to make some prints! This time around, I'm not printing on anything fancy, just some inexpensive Ilford MG IV RC B&W Glossy paper. It prints very nicely, processes quickly, and in the time in takes to wash one fiber print, you can print off the better part of a portfolio!
Did you know you can purchase one of the prints made here today? You can check them out at:
marrash.com/prints/
Darkroom space courtesy of ‪@MidwestPhoto‬
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Questions? Send me an email: [e-mail]
Content by Mat Marrash: www.matmarrash.com
#largeformat #filmphotography #ilford #darkroom
00:00 Darkroom Setup
03:04 VC Printing Variables
06:25 1st Print
08:48 2nd Print
12:32 3rd Print
15:09 4th Print
18:29 Wrap-Up

[@ChristopherMay]

2022 goal: gotta get the darkroom set up to actually start doing some printing instead of just developing. Love your results and it looks like such a relaxing, enjoyable way to spend an hour or two. Great stuff as always, Mat.

[@Dwarvenchef]

Outstanding work,

[@jimwlouavl]

Excellent demo of dodging and burning. There’s a beauty to that process. Please add your “fing tripod” t-shirt as merch. Priceless.

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Jim! A long time ago I added a shirt via a merch link, but I may have to bring back a revamped version. The previous shirts weren't great quality.

[@travelingtriathlete446]

I really liked that first moody foggy lake/pond print

[@suecrewstudio8994]

I Love it Mat... nice technique...

[@ahasver07]

WOW

[@GeirBakkenVestfold]

Nice video to watch before I go to my small darkroom 🙂

[@MichaelLloyd]

I really enjoyed this one Mat... but I enjoy all of them so there's that :o)

[@anthonycollingridge970]

Hi Matt another great & informative video. Prints 3 & 4 are wonderful and moody. Print 4 would look great toned on fibre paper I think.

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Anthony! It wasn't until I was editing this that I realized print #3 was already shown being printed on fiber early in 2021. This proves my large format habits are very cyclical!

[@brineb58]

This inspires me to want to t=get my darkroom up and running for printing , I have for years did the develop analog. scan and share digitally!!!

[@ptrlstn51]

Graet Video.

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks! B&W printing is so much fun and every time I make a video like this it reminds me I need to print more often!

[@michaellong9526]

Hi Matt, the latest version of Ilford MG RC tones just as well as fiber based. Love the channel

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Michael! I was also surprised that this newer RC emulsion exposes almost identically to the Fiber based paper. Ilford is knocking it out of the park lately!

[@Foxglove963]

@@MatMarrash When you use RC paper you run the risk of the image becoming unstable when exposed to sunlight, RC papers are notoriously non-archival. To achieve full archivality, tone the print in selenium. That'll add somewhat to D-max also. You can use not just one, but use several Ilford filters when exposing your neg.

[@thomastuorto9929]

Great vid. I'll have to check your list one day to see if you have some from the beginning/beginer vids. I developed a roll or 2 of 35mm B&W back in the early 80's. If my old self remembers, the negative went up in the enlarger so I was a little surprised to see yours go rite on top of the paper. I am guessing you shot 8"x10". Forgive my ignorence on this subject.

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Ted thanks for the comment and yes I'm an 8x10" shooter, hence the contact print. Haven't had access to an 8x10" enlarger in years, but those would make for some BIG enlargements. Cheers!

[@BobOgden1]

This is excellent. It follows on from the question I asked last week re multigrade and definitely filled in some gaps

[@MatMarrash]

Your question was well timed and printing during the Winter months is always good practice!

[@BobOgden1]

@@MatMarrash 😜 not quite winter here in Western Australia. Parts of the state hit 51C (124F) last week

[@Dikaiosune02]

I really enjoy videos like this. It gets me back in the darkroom to give it another try. I have been printing with the intrepid enlarger for only a few months. It was good to be reminded of the little variables like lens, f-stop and the often forgotten about, height. I have a few questions for someone new to printing my own negatives. (1) could we get some more detail and guidelines in how we assess a print before we adjust dodging / burning / contrast / split toning. This is especially difficult because I am not used to assessing a wet print. When it dries it gets darker. Is this something someone gets used to. I am slowly getting the hang of it, but I would appreciate a bit more detail in why you change contrast / exposure. (i.e. Would it be possible to hold comparison prints side by side a little longer? Looking at different area, comparing the tones of specific areas. Comparing assessing prints while wet / dry.) (2) Is there a common methodology to taking notes so that we can revisit a print at a later printing session. Thank you.

[@jimnorman3653]

Why RC paper, Matt? Some people proof on RC and then do final prints on fiber-based, but I've always preferred to do all work on fiber, since that's where I'll do my finished prints. I've found a different look between the RC and fiber papers even with the Ilford Multigrade, which is what I use. I'd appreciate your thoughts.

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Jim thanks for the question. These particular prints were ones that were purchased as RC, otherwise I prefer to print Fiber. Over the last few years, Ilford has really stepped up their consistency between RC and Fiber emulsions to the point where I can confidently proof on RC, then translate that exposure to Fiber. The biggest difference now is the broader dynamic range and toning possibilities. Cheers!

[@fredlada1634]

Hey Matt, another good video for darkroom printing ! i just want to ask what do you use to scan ? Do you scan your negatives and your prints as well ?

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Fred thanks for the comment and question! I use an Epson V700 setup for all negatives and prints up to 8x10". Scanning RC prints is far easier than scanning negatives, but some of the trickier negatives need a lot of work to get just right. Cheers!

[@fredlada1634]

@@MatMarrashAlright thanks for the info Matt ! I actually find it odd you say scanning prints is easier than negatives, i would have thought of the contrary… Ive been wondering for quite some time whats your method, the epson v700 has a great scan quality indeed, im most impressed by the rendering of the prints, looks very neat. I may ask another question if that’s not too troublesome, but how much DPI are you able to scan for your prints and negatives ? Since you are dedicated to printing maybe you dont really care much as its just for youtube..

[@ChoppersModelworks]

One aspect of printing with an enlarger is when and why to change the F stop up or down on the enlarger lens. Being your light is generally fixed one usually just varies exposure time. So, when does one stop down or open the lens aperture other than for coverage?

[@MatMarrash]

Since we're not worried about depth of field, you're right that our only concern in contact printing is exposure time. I tend to start at least one to two stops down from wide open on the lens to give me a somewhat controllable base exposure time; this is usually 10-12 seconds. If I need to do something for a significantly longer or shorter time I'll opt for adjusting the f-stop instead of the timer. Personally I'm not a big fan of 30+ sec. exposures under the enlarger.

[@giannidigirolamo8868]

You shouldn’t analyze wet prints. Dry down effect is always behind the corner. Anyway amazing shots