I would like to try colour! Until now I've been a confirmed black and white user! I would like to make prints and wonder what equipment/materials/films (negative vs transparency)/books would be of use? I appreciate that this is a "large" request, but any help would be gratefully received. I have a colour enlarger head and a Nova Quad processor. Thanks in advance. Paul

-- paul owen (paulowen_2000@yahoo.com), May 25, 2002

Answers

Kodak used to put out a book called of all things, Printing Color Negatives" Thats how I learned to print color. I don't know if its still in print or not, but you should be able to find a used one.

Kevin

-- Kevin Kolosky (kjkolosky@kjkolosky.com), May 25, 2002.

I started with a quick 5 minute lesson by my LF teacher and a box of glossy Fuji Crystal Archive type P, and went from there. I've also read a few things, among them are

Color Photography : A Working Manual by Henry Horenstein, Russell Hart, Tom Briggs ISBN 0316373168

It was a pretty decent book. I also read

Exploring Color Photography by Robert J. Hirsch ISBN 0697292304

I found the Hirsch book not only dealt with the darkroom aspects of color, but also the artistic/creative part of it.

I was able to get both of them through interlibrary loan at my university. The local community college also teaches color classes. Two of the campuses have 20" processors. At $142 for a 3 credit 1 semester class that includes use of the B&W and color darkrooms and chemistry, it's quite a deal, IMO.

DW

-- Dave Willis (willisd@medicine.wustl.edu), May 25, 2002.

The Darkroom Handbook, Revised & Updated, Michael Langford, Alfred A Knopf, (c)1984, 12th printing 2001. ISBN 0-394-72468-2 A good basic overview of most processes, lots of images illustrating consequences. Beginning to get dated by digital, but still a reasonable jumping off point. And still going strong, the Kodak Color Darkroom Dataguide, 1996, ISBN 0-87985-611-4, distributed by Silver Pixel Press, 21 Jetview Drive, Rochester, NY 14624 John Drew, Techical Manager. (This so happens to be Tiffen Co. Also known for Saunders/LPL :)

-- Paul Coppin (coppin@execulink.com), May 25, 2002.

I'd like to recommend Tom Grimm's, "The Basic Darkroom Book (1999)." Lots of information for both B&W and color processing and printing. It also has a short section on digital for the sake of completeness. In all, it's well organized and comprehensive with lots of practical advice.

-- John Elstad (john@720.com), May 26, 2002.

Printing color is very easy. In fact much easier than printing b&w. The paper is also cheeper than b&w. My favorit paper is Fujicolor Crystal Archival that has double the color permanence of Cibacrome. Here in Iceland it is less expensive than Ilford resincoded Multigrade. I like their luster surface since it is almost as brilliant as their glossy but you do not have to wear white glowes while handeling it and when put behinde glass there is only one reflecting surface. An the rule of filtration you dial in the color you want to get rid of or dial out its complimentary color. Say it your print is to blue you increase the filtration in C+M or decrease Y. Another rule; you only use two filter colors at the same time the third only gives you neutral density. So go and print in the darkroo there is no book to sustitute that. Have fun!

-- Gudmundur Ingólfsson (imynd@simnet.is), May 26, 2002.