Why do my darkroom prints look blotchy or mottled, and should I change development time or exposure?
Asked 4/26/2017
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My darkroom prints have a hazy, psychedelic-looking mottled surface. I was told this may be because I’m only leaving the print in the developer for a few seconds, and that it should stay in for much longer. But if I leave it in longer, the print gets too dark. Should I dilute the developer more, stop down the enlarger aperture, or reduce the exposure time instead?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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It takes time for development to come to completion. If you pull the print out of the developer too quickly, you will get a blemished that is dappled, we call it blotchy. As a rule of thumb, print development time averages about 90 seconds. Some developers are more energetic yielding a developing time of 60 seconds. Others are sluggish with a developing time of 120 seconds. Time in solution is a variable based on temperature and chemical strength. I often told my students to plop the print into the developer upside-down and wait 90 seconds before turning them over for viewing. This way, they quickly got it, you must adjust the enlarger exposure time so that the prints develop up within the recommended time span = 60 to 120 seconds.
Originally by user44949. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user44949
9y ago
0
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This sounds like uneven or incomplete development. Darkroom prints should generally be developed to completion, not pulled early to control brightness. Typical print development time is about 60–120 seconds, often around 90 seconds, depending on the paper, developer, dilution, and temperature.
If the print gets too dark before that time, the problem is usually overexposure at the enlarger, not that development is too long. The fix is to reduce the print exposure: shorten the enlarger time, stop down/open up appropriately, or use a combination of both. A full stop changes exposure by a factor of two.
Assuming you’re already using the manufacturer’s recommended developer dilution, don’t try to solve this by underdeveloping. Keep development time consistent and within the recommended range, and adjust exposure so the print reaches the right density after full development.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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