This is really important if you want good quality negatives, but I think the concept scares a lot of people. Why? Fear of testing. I wrote about this a couple of times years back. Nothing really has changed so here’s what I said with some minor editing.

Truth be told, I don’t enjoy testing at all and I’m not a prolific tester.  But it’s essential to establish the proper film speed for each of the films you use and the correct development times for those films with your developer(s) of choice.  Thankfully, there are a number of ways to get the results you need. Testing doesn’t need to be intimidating and can be as simple as cutting your film speed in half of the manufacturer’s stated box speed and cutting the manufacturer’s development time by 20%; then making adjustments as you go along. But make no mistake; these tests form the basis of a solid black and white analog photographic process.  Without conducting them you stand little chance of making what John Sexton calls an “expressive print”.

Note for all the Zone System photographers: I only use Normal development times; I don’t use Minus and Plus development times.  I also use a variant of the Zone System called Maximum Printable Density (MPD) that Fred Picker developed.

I have grouped determining your proper film speed and development time together here because they form the foundation for producing a good negative that will enable you to make a decent print without having to resort to heroic measures … assuming your exposure is close to the mark.

Much has been written about these two steps, especially by Zone System practitioners. And they’re right in doing so, because establishing the proper film speed for your film of choice and the correct development time for it with your developer of choice is essential. The key however, in my opinion, is not to go crazy over this!

There are a number of ways to get the results you need. For example, many film speed tests incorporate the use of a densitometer to locate the negative that produces a minimum printable density of a Zone I exposure, which is equal to a density of .08 – .10 above “film base and fog”. That negative is the one having the proper film speed; using that film speed will ensure that your shadows are nice and luminous. Once you have established your personal film speed you can then determine what development time will enable a Zone VIII metered placement you make in the field to produce a Zone VIII print value in the darkroom. Too much development time will blow out your highlights, not enough and they will be too dark. These are the methods I used to establish my film speed and development times years ago and I still use their results. But testing needn’t be intimidating and as indicated earlier can be as simple as cutting your film speed in half of the manufacturer’s stated box speed and cutting the manufacturer’s development time by 20%; then making adjustments as you go along by examining your proof sheets.

Of the two steps, film speed testing has historically been given the greatest amount of ink.  And both often get discussed in the context of the Zone System.  I think this is where the confusion and over-complexity comes in to play. It turns off a lot of people, leading them accept whatever Kodak, Ilford and other film manufacturers say. Mistake! But it doesn’t have to be that way. The Zone System is merely a method that takes into account the basic principles of sensitometry and allows you to incorporate them into your photography.

The standard text for all of this is of course Ansel Adams’s The Negative, but after multiple readings I just couldn’t get it. Then I stumbled onto Fred Picker’s little book called The Zone VI Workshop.  All of a sudden everything became clear!  Film speed and development time testing now made sense, not to mention the Zone System itself! You can buy this monumental yet tiny book for a song and read the whole thing in less than an hour. I highly recommend it!  J.B. Harlan has written a wonderful set of work books focusing on the art and craft of large format black and white film photography, with one in particular called The Film Exposure Work Book. It contains a number of chapters that tell you how to conduct film speed and development time tests, building on Picker’s original work and the Maximum Printable Density (MPD) concept he developed to completely simplify and demystify the Zone System (more on this to come!). I own J.B.’s entire series and have had the pleasure to meet him and his wife Susan. They are both outstanding photographers and wonderfully helpful people!  Picker’s explanation of MPD and related matters can be found in his Newsletters #46, #47 and #48.  Note: Complete sets Fred Picker’s newsletters come up from time to time on eBay and are worth getting!!! I have read all 82 newsletters many times and always seem to learn something or gain some new insight with each reading.

I am not going to go over the details on how to conduct these tests beyond what I have said above. My recommendation is to get both the Picker and Harlan books and be done with it (there are also countless discussions about how to do this on the Internet that you can find). Otherwise just start by cutting your film speed in half of the manufacturer’s stated box speed and cutting the manufacturer’s development time by 20%. Then make adjustments as necessary as you go along. Even the great photographer and printer Bruce Barnbaum discusses this approach in his fine book The Art of Photography.

All of this having been said, a great many photographers, especially those that are street shooters use manufacturer’s box speeds or higher and stated development times for a grittier and/or more contrasty look and feel. Think Ralph Gibson for example. It really is all about what you want.

Bottom line – establish your foundation and don’t look back!

Stay well,

Michael