Early Work In Photography
A Text-book For Beginners

Development of Negatives. 85 60 drops of D into the empty graduate, and place it within easy reach solution is seen to be evenly flowing, it is well to cover the tray with a cardboard lid to protect the plate from even the ruby lamp during the early stage of develop- ment : the lid may be raised occasionally to see if the image is making any appearance. A visible image should appear within a minute if the plate has been correctly exposed; in this case we may continue development with the same solution until finished. The chief trouble with beginners is the fact that they almost invariably stop development too soon; remember that it is infinitely better to over develop than to not carry development far enough. In the former case we can always reduce the density, but in the latter it is difficult—well-nigh impossible—to remedy the deficiency by anv method of intensification., As a general rule, it will be well to carry development until when we look at the negative there appears little or no trace of the original image; the plate should look almost uniformly black except at the extreme edges, which were protected by the rabbets of the dark slide. Upon lifting the plate and looking through it at the ruby lamp there should be considerable density, but the outlines of the picture shou improperly exposed plate, the highest lights (such as the sky) should show first, followed by the half-tones, and fina y the shadow details; but if the plate has been over-exposed, we shall see quite a different effect upon first applying the developer. An over-exposed plate upon being flowed with developer will show no sign for a few seconds ; then, all at once, the sky will appear, followed almost immediately by a general “flash” of the whole plate. Directly these signs appear, pour the developer again into the graduate (which contains 60 drops of D), and return it at once to the plate, and continue the rocking. , 41 t Art In this case we must (in order to save the negative) carry development much farther than is apparently necessary, bearing in mind that we can always remedy over-develop- ment; we shall then have a plate from which a good nega- tive can be made by using a reducer, as will be explained in the next chapter.1 And now let us see what effect D has upon the developer: Bromide of potassium is a powerful restrainer, and pre- vents the less exposed parts of the image acquiring density in the same proportion as those more exposed. If we did not use it the probabilities are that the shadows would