Accurate Exposures With Harman Direct Positive Paper - Part 2

[@davefaulkner6302]

You can speed this process up if you have a view camera by taking step wedge photos. For example, set up for a 2 second shot at your target ISO, say 2. Pull out the dark slide a third of the way and take two one-second shots. Then pull the dark slide out by another third and take a one second shot. Remove the dark slide and take another one second shot. Now you have shots at 4, 2 and 1 seconds on the same photo, covering ISOs 1 (4 seconds), 2 (2 seconds) and 4 (1 second). You can then develop and compare 3 ISOs on the same shot.

[@howardmaryon-davis666]

Great videos, Joe, thank you. Your point about UV and spectral sensitivity is illuminating, (no pun intended) as is your advice to be consistent in exposure and processing. I shoot mostly in my studio, and I also have my darkroom there so I can shoot and process one at a time very easily. I will do a video on still life photography using this paper and hope it is as helpful as your videos are.

[@darianmartyniuk]

Great videos Joe, thanks so much. An in depth video like this discussing potential issues with pinhole cameras and Ilford Harman DP paper would be great!

[@mae5e]

Thanks Joe, wonderful insights!!

[@davidpresnell1734]

Try adding clean marbles to the container to take up the space and lift the developer to remove the air. I keep 5 lbs of the marbles for this purpose. I also wonder if a blue filter might give give a more accurate reading. I have several used for printing photos.

[@EFD620G]

Great series,learned allot. Now i know why my exposures keep changing....Thanks.

[@andyvan5692]

Joe, I think there is one way out of this iso/asa cunundrum, an old trick for metering, esp. tungsten light, put a gelatin filter (UV/IR)- in this case, in front of the meters' bulb/sensor, this allows through ONLY the frequencies you want to meter.

[@DavidLuchaLibre]

hey joe - what if any reciprocity factor have you experienced with very long exposures? thanks again - great series on this paper - amazing resource!

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I haven’t seen significant reciprocity issues in the kinds of light I shoot in. Keep in mind that the paper is not red sensitive, so some subjects will under-expose based on color pallets, which might look like reciprocity failure but isn’t.

[@raphaelnoz8321]

Nice videos Joe. Regarding the metering of faces (particularly with this paper), I wonder if it would be helpful to close the diffuser bulb and read toward the camera? Thoughts? (incident reading- isn't that what it's called?)

[@dougrobbins6171]

Joe, This is my first try at paper negatives. I am a pinholer. Pretty good at exposing film. With this paper I am only getting blown out whites but borders seem exposed well. I have been working all weekend trying to get an exposure and I am not even close. My pinole is F176 and I am calculating with reprocity effect as I would with film. Guessing I am over exposing? Meter reading is like 1/8 at 5.6 ISO 6? HELP

[@seencere7284]

great video, very useful

[@jonneville2287]

Thank you for the very instructive video. I was aware of this paper some years ago, but had forgotten about it. I am thinking of using it with the cyanotype process. Scan the 4x5" DP print, enlarge to 8x10 digital negative, then direct print the cyanotype to watercolour paper. Do you have any thoughts on this, or would it be too much trouble vs exposing regular 4x5 film?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

It’d be better to just use regular paper negatives and invert them in Photoshop, if you’re going to make digital negatives for cyanotype.

[@noname_nocontent]

Another wonderful video - thanks very much. I have a general question about metering (one of photography's most controversial topics, in my opinion. There are so many different methods in use and they can't all be right [even allowing for different tastes in lighting] - i reckon that for the most part we are saved by film lattitude). Like you, i meter +1 for caucasian skin and -1 for black skin. I do this, not because of the spectral sensitivity of the medium but because of the difference in reflectance of the different skin tones. So I don't use the zone 5 reading of the meter as correct even when shooting pan-chromatic film. First I adjust for the reflectance and then I make further adjustments to account for any other aesthetic aims i might have (eg I might want to place the skin in a higher or lower zone). From what you say, I should also be adjusting for the spectral sensitivity of direct positive paper. Is that correct?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Yes, to the extent that photographic light meters are designed to work with a panchromatic spectrum, while photo paper like Harman DPP exhibit mainly UV, blue & some green sensitivity, some correction should be made. My method is based on iterative testing of the paper in various lighting conditions, while correlating those light values to a meter reading. It's not necessarily scientifically accurate, but relies on consistency and past experience: If I set my meter to an ISO of "X" and meter the subject using a certain method, I should expect to get these results with this paper, based on past experience.

[@TheScienceofPhotography]

Joe, thank you for making these videos. I have an idea that I haven't had the chance to test yet, but would like to hear your thoughts. What if we were to put a blue filter in front of the light meter before taking a reading? Since color filters allow their own color through and reduce the effect of the complimentary color the meter should only be reading from the UV/Violet/Blue/Green end of the spectrum and no longer reading the entire spectrum of light. Of course the light coming through would be less so there would need to be an initial adjustment, but this might allow you to meter any scene in any season and produce a more consistent result since you're only metering the wavelengths of light that you care about. Thoughts?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Yes, I have considered this. You would need to employ a deep blue filter of some standard density and color, for the sake of consistency. It would help alter the meter's spectral sensitivity to more closely match that of the paper. I have not taken the time to do this, but would be interested in seeing someone try it.

[@pepeg.luthier566]

Or Orange color?

[@fridayeveningsundercard1187]

I feel like this is obvious, but when you say to change ISO and keep everything else, you mean to change the whole exposure based on that ISO change, right? Meaning, if you were at ISO 6, Shutter 1/4th, and aperture 5.6, if that's underexposed, you'd "change" the ISO to 3, which would bump shutter to 1/2, and keep aperture the same, right? Just making sure I understand what you're saying, it seems like a standard exposure calculation, but I'm just making sure.

[@davidlr97]

I wonder -- if the paper only responds to blue & UV light, would you get a more consistent year-round metering by spot metering through a blue filter? EDIT: Just realised someone else has already suggested that idea :P

[@eksund1900]

Late as usual, but what if using an UV filter on the lens?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I wouldn't advise a UV filter with any paper medium, since much of paper's sensitivity lies in the near-UV range.

[@Burasta]

Could you filter the light meter to match the light the paper is sensitive to?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Yes, in theory - if you had a filter that matched the emulsion's spectral response.

[@shawnshawn3107]

Please help! I loaded Harman DP with glossy side facing lens/facing out. I developed in super monobath and nothing came out. The paper was completely white after bath and wash. I even put the paper both sides under my cellphone light just to get anything to come up and nothing. I redeveloped and re-washed at 80 degrees which was 5 degrees more than recommended. Still no image. I saw some black residue that was easily rubbed off with my thumbs. I’m assuming they’re from my previous bnw developments. Can you tell me anything about what I’m doing wrong here?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Try with standard develop, stop, fix. I've never used Harman with a monobath. Rate the paper at ISO 3-6 for daylight exposures. It's slower in winter, less UV in scene.

[@shawnshawn3107]

Am I supposed to load the paper glossy side to be exposed, also am I doing something wrong by loading paper under safe light? I hate to ask so many questions but I’ve read the material in the box as well as on the ilford website and there’s no information on this. You seem to be one of the very few people with experience using this paper.

[@julianhart3608]

Hi Joe. Super video, very interesting thankyou. Have you ever tested the effect of pre-flashing on this paper?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Yes, I do preflash and it helps with shadow detail and to reduce excessive contrast in sunny landscape conditions with harsh shadows. But I've found it requires about half of the preflash I'd use with paper negatives.

[@harrygronk1163]

why not develope under a safe light in a dark room,? you can watch it develope.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Of course, that's an obvious choice if you have a darkroom available. But many people want to experiment with these materials who don't have a readily available darkroom. Also, direct positive paper lends itself to this kind of processing, since a second printing step isn't required.

[@harrygronk1163]

Hi, I still have a darkroom, wet photography is my thing and has been for many years. Of cause one has as a digital camera, which was bought nearly ten yeras ago now. I am far too old to learn about Photoshop, I can get by dodging away in the darkroom. Big trouble these days is getting hold of the chemistry. I used to use 'Iford Perceptol' all the time. Now I just use junk that give me hard negs,. The best way for you to test your paper's ASA/DIN: Some years ago I made a contact printer in which I use a correctly exposed neg and a strip of photo paper. The machine has six light tight doors, I use the enlargers timed light source, first you guess a starting point, open the fist door and turn on the enlarger for a second, moving on adding a second as you go, (close the door behind you). Develope the strip in the normal way, you can then chose the best exposure time.. This is quick and vey easy, I'm sure this could be adapted for use without a darkroom.. I live in Scotland so one can't show you all my tricks. .... The camera I use when out and about is a Rolliflex 2.8E, I have many others to choose from, however, this camera is very forgiving, I even use its meter sometimes..