This video is all about making a proof sheet, using the contact printing method.

I will show you everything from cutting the negatives, to placing them into the negative holder, to mixing up the developer, setting up the enlarger, making a test exposure, and finally making the final print.

First we go through and cut the negatives down to 6 negatives per strip and place them into the negative holder. There are a few different negative holders you can get, I got these ones because they will hold a 36 exposure roll of film, the only issue with that is, is that they don't all fit on 1 8x10 sheet of photo paper.

Next we mix up the developer, the developer goes bad after being exposed to the air, but you can save it for a while when you seal it up in an air tight container, I like to use mason jars for this. Normally I can get 2 days out of the developer, the first day I would use it to make the proof sheet, and the second day I would use it to make the enlargements.

I always get all the negatives ready to go, before I start handling all the “wet” stuff, since the negatives don't like getting wet or like getting chemicals on them.

Next we set up the enlarger, this is something that will become routine for making proof sheets after a while of doing it.

When exposing the test strip, I usually expose it in 2 second intervals, this is my personal preference, and there are a lot of different ways of doing it. The norm would be to expose it 1 stop at a time, which means ending up with twice the exposure time every exposure, but I know its going to be anywhere between the 6 and 12 seconds normally.

After the test strip has been exposed place it in the developer for 1:30, I use the Ilford Multigrade Developer for my paper development needs. You will start seeing an image appear around the 20 – 30 seconds. After the 1:30 is done, I place the test strip in the stop bath for 10 seconds, which is the Ilford Ilfostop. After the stop bath it goes into the fixer, I use Ilford Rapid Fixer. I generally only use a test strip for a few minutes before I discard it. So there is no need to fix it the normal 60 seconds, 15 – 30 seconds is more then enough to be able to expose it to daylight. My final print is fixed for at least 60 seconds.

After the test strip has been developed, you can determine how long to expose the full size print for. I usually look at the writing on the negative if it's clear and white, and the sprocket holes are nice and black, that's the time I go with. When making a proof sheet we are not going for the perfect print, just something we can see all the negatives on, in order to make an informed decision about which enlargements to make.

Music is provided by:
MuLexic - #6 Steps by MuLexic
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