In Photography, How Is A Test Print Made And What Is Its Purpose?

September 20, 2009

Filed under: Art — Tags: Made, Photography, Print, Purpose, Test, What — admin @ 6:30 am

Also, any good photography sites that have instructions and directions to developing and printing negatives would be very helpful! Thanks!

Even if you have a darkroom at home, you might find taking a class in photography at a local community college will answer these questions and more.
Developing film is an exact procedure and to get it right, having someone around to help you the first time is rather important.
Printing, while similar in that you will be using chemicals to develop the paper, uses different techniques for exposing the paper, including doing “test strips” and deciding how much time is needed for each exposure on the #00 and #5 filters in order to get the contrast and good mid-tones on all your prints. This latter chore can take many weeks and nearly a hundred hours before you know you have it right.

Comment by fhotoace — September 20, 2009 @ 8:43 am
Test prints allow you to gauge how long a specific negative needs to be exposed to obtain the right contrast for your image. It often takes several tests strips to find the right balance.

Comment by Photo Girl — September 20, 2009 @ 11:56 am