The Darkroom Cookbook, Third Edition

510-Pyro has been published in the third edition of The Darkroom Cookbook, by Steve Anchell, thanks to editor, Mark Booth. I'm honored to have my formula included in this indispensable darkroom reference book.

Donald Denison

I'R Wigwam Burner - Dolores, CO

IR Barn - Egnar, CO

Film:Rollei IR 400
EI: 25
Filter:89B



Developer: 510-Pyro
Dilution: 1:1:00
Time: 12:00
Temp: 70F
Agitation: JOBO Rotary Processor

Introduction by Jay DeFehr

When I began my photographic education, I was fascinated by the lengthy and technical descriptions of equipment, materials and techniques that accompanied so many Black and white photographs. It was clear to me at the time that I would have to master not only the use of the equipment, materials and techniques of the medium, but also the science behind them, and the jargon used to describe them, if I was to produce anything I could be proud of.

Being slow witted, I was frustrated when I saw excellent work that didn't include these kinds of detailed descriptions, and surmised the photographers were guarding their secrets. Only much later (again, slow witted), after much study and practice did it begin to occur to me that the equipment, materials and techniques were only tools, and differed only superficially among photographers, and the photographers who produced the best work most consistently were typically the ones who wrote little or nothing about their tools. When pressed, these same photographers would disappoint many technophiles by revealing their very simple tools and working methods. Their equipment is most often not old enough to be vintage, or new enough to be state of the art, their techniques differ little from those recommended by the big manufacturers, and their materials are more often off-the-shelf than exotic.

510-Pyro is certainly an exotic developer, but I suspect Mr. Denison uses it because it's reliable, economical, it simplifies his process instead of complicating it, and because it works, and I am certain his work would be every bit as remarkable, regardless of the developer he used.

I am grateful to Mr. Denison for posting his images here, and I hope they inspire all visitors as much as they have inspired me. Enjoy!

Yellow Jacket

Yellow Jacket In Snow

Donkey

Used Boots For Sale

Above Image-

Film: Ilford Delta 400-120 (ISO 400)

Dilution: 1:100

Volume: 300ml

Time: 9:30

Temp: 68F

Agitation: Rotary (Jobo CPP2)

Scan: Negative

Combine Detail

Crop Duster

All Other Images:

Film: Delta 100 - 120 (ISO 100)
Dilution: 1:100
Volume: 300 ml
Time: 7:00
Temp: 70F
Agitation: Rotary (JOBO CPP-2)
Scan: Negative

Artist's bio

Donald Denison first became interested in photography at nine years of age and he has maintained an interest (passion) up to his current 72 years of age. The last twenty years have been dedicated to solely black & white photography with all processing and printing being done by himself. A huge bonfire will be built by his daughters when he expires and all conventional photography equipment and boxes of prints and negatives will keep the flame going for several days. That same bonfire will be used to process Mr. Denison.

Staining and tanning

What is the difference between staining and tanning?

There seems to be confusion among some photographers regarding the terms staining, and tanning, and the terms are often used interchangeably, probably because most staining developers are also tanning developers, and most tanning developers are also staining developers, but there are exceptions, and the two mechanisms perform very different, but highly complimentary functions in negative development.

Stain

Stain is the rock star of the staining/tanning duo, and gets most of the attention and press in the ultra-geeky photo community. The oxidation products of staining developers stain the film emulsion in proportion to exposure, meaning; more stain in the densest parts of the negative (highlights) than in the thinnest parts (shadows). The stain is useful because of its color as it relates to the spectral sensitivity of the printing paper. There are basically three sensitivity-types of printing papers: Graded silver papers, sensitive primarily to blue light, Variable Contrast papers, sensitive to Blue and Green light in various proportions, and Contact papers, which are sensitive to UV light. The effect of a stained negative on Graded silver papers, and Contact papers is essentially the same; to increase contrast. The effect of a stained negative on VC papers is more complicated, due to the Yellow Filter Effect of the stain image that creates an automatic split-filter effect with simultaneously reduced highlight contrast and increased shadow contrast.

A stained negative is a composite, composed of a silver image and a superimposed stain image that combine to create print density, and therein lays the magic! To achieve a given print density, less silver density is required, meaning less grain, because the stain has no grain. And since the stain density is added to the silver density, the total contrast potential of the negative is increased, meaning greater expansion potential, which is critical for long scale and self-masking UV contact printing processes. Stain density is also immune to the Callier Effect produced by condenser equipped enlargers, so stained negatives benefit all formats and printing processes.

Tanning

Tanning is the unsung hero of acutance. Tanning developers harden the emulsion in proportion to exposure, creating a relief image, and inhibiting the migration of the developer to the depths of the emulsion, and between areas of high and low densities, simultaneously reducing the appearance of grain and increasing apparent sharpness. Hardening is proportionally greater in the highlights than in the shadows, so shadow areas are developed to a greater depth in the emulsion, increasing emulsion speed by the compensating effect.

Synergy

Staining and tanning each deliver great advantages in film development, but in combination represent an almost magical set of characteristics that seem to defy conventional wisdom on the subject of developer formulation. It’s important to remember that conventional wisdom is based almost entirely on non-staining/tanning developer formulation, and very little has been written on the subject of staining/tanning developers over the last century, and much that has been written is ill informed or just plain nonsense, so when you’re told staining/tanning developers produce coarse grain, or give away emulsion speed to produce enhanced sharpness and tonality, so they’re only really good for large format contact printing, consider the mechanisms of staining and tanning and the benefits they confer to all formats.

Bella

This is my niece, Bella. I shot this last night, after dinner, with my XD-11/58mm f1.2.

Film: FP4+
Dilution: 1:100
Volume: 200ml
Time: 6:00
Temp: 70F
Agitation: Rotary
Scan: Neg

I haven't printed this image yet, but I had trouble with the contrast in the scan. I suspect it will print much better.

Frederic Harster

This lovely image was made by Frederic Harster, and is posted here with his permission.

Film: Tri-X
Format 35mm
Dilution: 1:100
Time: 8:00
Temp: 20C/68F
Agitation: Rotary

Thank you, Fred.

Frederic Harster Photos/ Neopan 400 test

Thank you Fred for sharing your data and images. Scanning is a subject about which I know very little and I appreciate the opportunity to learn from those more experienced than myself.

Data

Fuji Neopan 400

EI : 200
rotary process (CPE2+) @20°C
presoak : 5mn in distilled water
dev time : 8mn (1:100 - for 300ml total)
double fixing bath (4'/3')
wash in distilled water (20mn)

Negatives scanned

Efke 25

This is photo of my beautiful niece, Bella, at Lake Lowell a few summers back. I was using my wife's Elan 7e and one of those 28-200 zoom lenses, handheld.

Film: Efke 25
Format: 35mm
EI: 25
Dilution: 1:100
Time: 6:00
Temp: 70F
agitation: 0:10/1:00