Let me begin by qualifying what I am about to discuss by saying that I am a traditional B&W photographer.  I shoot film and print in a wet darkroom using traditional materials and techniques.  Whenever I talk about photography, I am talking about traditional B&W.  I know little about color photography and even less about digital.

I have often heard the argument that traditional B&W is so complicated.  I actually heard that from several old-time wet darkroom color photographers.  The truth is, working with traditional B&W, wet darkroom materials is very simple.  But, there is sometimes a complex deception in simplicity.  Keep in mind that the most complex machine, or procedure ever devised is little more than a lot of simple things all working together to create a seemingly complex outcome.  True, as you add more steps, each step can interact with the others, but if you break each piece of the greater puzzle into less complex, bite-size pieces, it is understandable and controllable.

When it comes to traditional B&W photography, you only have four basic controls to worry about.  There are only four simple things that have power over the major aspects of the end product. . . the B&W photograph.

1. Film Exposure

2. Film Development

3. Print Exposure

4. Print Development

1.  Film Exposure:  This is the first, and is a very important aspect of photography.  You can manipulate how a scene is captured through the way you meter and expose the film.  There are numerous manipulations you can employ, including zone placements and filters. 

2.  Film Development:  The tonal range captured on the film at the time of exposure can be further manipulated by development.  Different developers and times will yield different results, but so far as the film goes, this is all you can do.

3.  Print Exposure:  Next comes the process of printing.  You can vary the way in which the paper is exposed.  Matters not whether you are enlarging or contact printing.  You can further manipulate print exposure by dodging and/or burning, and you can adjust the paper contrast, either by paper grades or by using VC papers. 

4.  Print Development:  The only other control you have during printing is the choice of developer, dilution, time, and maybe some additives.   But in reality, these are the only two fundamental controls available for making prints.

Certainly there are numerous smaller adjustments and techniques that can be employed in B&W photography, but these four major areas are where you start.  Anyone that tells you traditional B&W photography is difficult, simply does not have a good understanding of the process.   If you are interested in delving into traditional photography, do not be intimidated.  It is not that difficult.  What is difficult is learning the subtleties that make the process beautiful.  

You need to begin with the fundamental steps.  You can only learn by doing.  Fred Picker said, “ you can learn to talk about something by talking about it, but you can only learn to do something by doing it.”  These four basic areas are where you start.  Then proceed to fine-tune your technique as necessary.  You will soon find that you can easily control the basic processes and develop a photographic approach that suits your vision.

JB