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 DARK PHOTO -This photo was probably made from an underexposed negative which was too thin or clear to make a good print. The bright window in the left corner of the room was likely responsible for the light meter thinking there was more light leading to setting the exposure to let in less light than was needed for the majority of the class setting. Little can be done to fix this after film processing. There is an intensifier chemical in the lab that helps a little, but the best solution is to redo the assignment. If the print MUST be made for yearbook or photojournalism then cut the enlarger light way back and do an ACCURATE test strip with processing in fresh developer for a full 90 seconds to get the best possible exposure.
 DIRT - CONTRAST - FOCUS - just about all you can do to mess up a print is here. It started with the bright background again causing the film to be thin. Film was not developed long enough which reduced contrast in the film leading to a LOW contrast print. Dirt spots are common in our old darkroom and require CAREFUL cleaning of the room and film before printing. Focus of the enlarger was also messed up on this photo.
 FOG - This happens a lot in a large darkroom. Students MUST keep their photo paper inside their paper packet with BOTH bags closed. Paper that is left out on the counter top or paper packets that have the flap left open will be struck by light like this causing FOG. The clue is the white boarder which should be clean white on good paper.
 FOCUS ERROR - This should not happen, but is another of the most common errors in our lab. The enlarger just was NOT in focus. To focus, be sure the enlarger is set to full brightness, then turn the focus knob up and down looking at the middle tones of gray to see when they get the sharpest. Then, turn the light down three or 4 clicks of the lens to darken the exposure and increase the sharpness of the enlarger.
 LOW CONTRAST - this probably started with a poorly processed roll of film. Contrast is effected by how long film is developed or by agitation of the film. In the print process contrast can be lost with an overexposed print that is yanked from the developer before the full 90 seconds is up. Lack of patience! To get good contrast a good test strip MUST be made with processing of 60 to 90 seconds in fresh developer with CONSTANT agitation
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This print is actually a test strip that was moved during printing. Moved enlargers, film or easels can blur a photo. There also is a large finger print in the upper left that comes from wet hands handling paper and touching the emulsion before exposure. Clean and dry hands and handling from the edge help cure this and as for the motion - be careful not to bump the enlarger or easel during exposure of the print.
BACKWARDS NEGATIVE - This is also a common mistake for new photo students. The film MUST go into the negative holder in the enlarger shinny side face UP or another way of saying that is DULL side DOWN (DD). This print may look fine, but the writing is backwards, a real clue things are backwards. There is also a minor problem with dust and a finger print in the lower right corner.
CARE is the answer to most all of these problems listed on this page. Care to pay attention to the details. Care to have the patience to do ALL of the things shown in class and not eliminating some to speed up the process. Care in keeping the lab clean and care in taking care of your supplies and negatives are all part of making a show quality print and being proud of our work.
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