Color negatives can be developed in black and white, though it may take some fiddling and will almost certainly necessitate the use of special contrast filters to compensate for the differences between the negatives. Color negatives can be developed as black and white prints for a variety of reasons, and the results can be quite stunning if you’re willing to experiment with filters and exposure levels.
Color film is made up of several layers, each of which is color-sensitive. The exposure is fixed when the film is developed, resulting in a negative. A color print is created when a negative is exposed to color-sensitive paper and developed in color developing chemicals. The color information will be retained if you develop color negatives in black and white, but the print will be in rich shades of black, gray, and white. If properly developed, this monochrome print can have an almost supernatural quality, and it’s fun to experiment with color negatives in a black and white darkroom.
You’ll need a darkroom, an enlarger, and trays of photographing chemicals to convert color negatives to black and white photos. You’ll also need enlarging paper in black and white, as well as a set of filters. Filters are thin colored gel slips that can be placed between the negative and the developing paper to alter the exposure’s appearance. Many stores sell contrast filter packs, which are often labeled with Wratten Numbers, a standardized system for describing them.
You can attempt to make a straight black and white print from a color negative, but the contrast is usually off-putting. As a result, you’ll have to delve into the vast world of filters. Start with a light yellow filter and work your way up; many people suggest starting with a four filter. In this process, you’ll use a lot of photo paper; what you’re looking for is the ideal filter, exposure, and focus. Allow yourself to take your time and not rush through your work.
Load the negative into the enlarger and focus it as usual to develop color negatives in black and white. Make a test strip without a filter first, so you have something to compare it to. Cut a strip of photo paper and place it under the enlarger to make a test strip. Turn on the enlarger and cover most of the test strip with a piece of heavy cardboard. Move the cardboard back every two seconds until you have a variety of exposures. Take the test strip outside to develop it and examine the exposure. Your first test strip will most likely look bad, but after a few strips with different filters, you’ll find the perfect filter and exposure.
You may notice areas of the photograph that require touchups such as dodging and burning after developing a whole piece of enlarging printer using the parameters on your test strip. Overexposed areas should be “dodged,” which means blocking the light source with a dodging tool while the paper is being exposed to reduce the amount of exposure in that area. Burning is a technique for correcting underexposure using heavy cardboard or metal with a small hole in it that allows light to pass through to the area of interest.
Color negatives to black and white prints can be a time-consuming and frustrating process, but the results are frequently fascinating. A perfect print combines the stark, clean look of black and white prints with the visually lush contents of color prints, and you can even tone the result with sepia or another color for added impact.