The Eastern State Penitentiary (take a tour) in Philadelphia is the type of place I love to explore and make photographs in. There are technical challenges I enjoy with large film photography and this image is certainly an extreme example.

   When I first came upon this scene, my eye immediately went to the lightest area of the scene.  I then thought, can I carry enough detail in the shadows to make a worthwhile photograph.  With light meter in hand I measured the lowest value I could find which was the darkest part of the cell doors.  The 1 degree spot meter’s needle did not move, there simply was not enough reflective light coming from the interior of each cell.  However, that could be a good thing, by that I mean the black void could offer a “sense of detail” in the cell doors.  The outer facing of the cell doors was showing approximately an EV (Exposure Value) of 1 as a result of reflected light bouncing around the long corridor.  The brightest part of the archway far off in the composition was registering an EV 15. This tunnel vision effect of extreme dark to extreme brightness would certainly offer a sense of depth in a 2 dimensional photograph, that is something I strive for in every image I make. This would clearly be the most extreme amount of contrast I have ever tried to reproduce in a silver gelatin print.  As with most things viewed via the internet on a computer screen the subtle details of both the darkest and lightest areas of a photograph tend to me mushed together.

   Ordinary panchromatic Black & White film can separate approximately 14 – 15 EV steps with very specialized film development.  The tricky part comes in trying to reproduce essentially 15 varying density values onto a piece of silver paper that typically reproduces no more than 9 EV’s of separation.  In an effort to offer a layman’s explanation of how I carried this off follow this explanation.  Black & White film has a very unique characteristic that offers not only significant advantage for creativity but also in reproducing scenes where a digital sensor may fall short, more on that war of words later.  The very dark areas of the scene shown above are for the most part a product of exposure, while the very lightest areas of the photograph can be significantly manipulated by chemical development.  Without adequate exposure at the time the negative is exposed there simply is no way of “adding or manipulating” detail into the deep shadows.  Therefore, in the particular photograph shown here, the measured EV of 1 had to be accounted for in the amount of light that would strike the film.  In the case of this photograph, the f-stop was 32 to provide adequate depth of field using a 300mm lens on a panoramic film width of 17″.  The speed of the film I used required 15 minutes of exposure, bare in mind the bright outside illumination through an opening in the roof farther down the corridor still had to be accounted for and controlled in the chemical processing of the film. 

   In a very general terms, B&W film is typically developed in 7-8 minutes. Adjustments to the amount of time can alter the film’s final density either up or down, typically for creative or unusual lighting circumstances, i.e. more time in the developer provides greater high value negative density, (lighter areas in the final photo) while less time in developer produces less density in the higher negative densities.  With normal strength developer, for the most part development times of 5 minutes or less can be quite problematic.  To help quantify the challenge of the extreme amount of contrast in this photograph, typically, to reduce a highlight density by 1 EV requires a 20% reduction in development time.  It’s easy to project, reducing an EV of 15 down to the necessary EV of 8 to record information and detail in the brightest part of the final silver photograph is not possible using the 20% method.  There had to be another approach which I’ll explain below. 

   I want to preface the Semi-Stand technique I’m going to share by saying I “did not” invent this age old technique. This technique was used back in the days of “thick emulsion” films, some 75 years ago.  It had simply fallen out of favor with newer thin emulsion films. These new emulsion films did not respond predictably well in the manner that Semi-Stand processing was originally devised. Fortunately, through trial and error I did perfect a modern day application for use with today’s films. There are not a large number of “wet process” film photographers using this technique today because of the time commitment necessary to process a single sheet of film.  However, those who have actually seen negatives and the resulting prints from this type of processing utilize this processing technique exclusively as I have since my initial discovery in 2003. 

   Keeping the explanation as simple as possible.  The technique relies on three factors to compress very high EVs in the original scene. These three factors in delicate balance produce and control the most crucial component of the Semi-Stand technique, which is Exhaustion of the Developer.  No other form of film processing can yield the over all acutance and linearity from negatives exposed to extremes in original scene contrast, whether it be very low or very high contrast.  In workshop settings with film photographers I explain the How & Why as follows:

   Think of Dilution, Extended Time and Infrequent Agitation as a scalene Triangle, they are intrinsically tied together. Dilution being the foundation and most important, therefore the longest side of the Triangle. Time and Agitation are the shorter and unequal sides of the triangle. Make a change to any of the three sides and the triangle takes on a different look…so, changing anyone of the three, Dilution, Time or Agitation will impact Highlight density (EVs), and this is why it is a very delicate balance.  When making a change to the formula, make only one change at a time and re evaluate.

   The reason this technique works so well is the Exhaustion factor.  Imagine a single piece of film which has received an enormous amount of light exposure on one end, while on the other end of the spectrum, the low values receive just barely enough to create a density separation from clear film.  I use a very specific developer for important reasons, other developers will work, but not as well as PyroCat HD.  Applying the theory of the low values are a product of exposure, while the high values can be manipulated by development processing.  The A & B portions of the PyroCat are so Dilute (long side of Triangle) that development Times  (short side of Triangle) can run from 40 – 60 minutes.  Infrequent Agitation (shortest side of Triangle) will carefully control how soon developer Exhaustion begins, especially in the highest areas of negative density.  It is the Exhaustion that allows huge amounts of contrast to be compressed.  Basically, the highly exposed areas on the film Use & Exhaust the developer very quickly while the lower density area of exposure continue to Use & Develop those densities.  When developer is very Dilute, coupled with infrequent Agitation, the development Time can be spread out over a much longer time, this maximizes the compression of higher EVs while still providing full development of the lower EV values.  Negatives can receive 15 EVs of light during exposure and Semi-Stand processing can reduce those densities down to 7 or 8 EVs of negative density, yet preserving all the tonalities in between.  Essentially, the highly exposed areas on the film Use & Exhaust the developer very quickly while the lower density area of exposure continue to Use & Develop those densities.  Not only do these type of negative densities fit nicely in Silver Gelatin photographs, many times the final look is unlike the norm associated with wet process silver prints and that has become a trademark of my B&W imagery.  Naturally, the Semi-Stand application of Dilution, Time and Infrequent Agitation can be adjusted after careful testing where contrast is not as drastic as seen in the this month’s photograph.   Interview about my technique

   Lastly, there was a time when digital cameras and their sensors could not approach the recording power of film, certainly from an acutance, linearity and dynamic range standpoint.  Even the most sophisticated digital sensors still struggle with linearity, however, there are corrections and enhancements in post production that can correct or disguise most short comings.  What will never be replicated is the manner in which film accepts & projects light creating a greater impression of depth and roundness.  To the skilled eye a digitally generated image falls far short of the way film subtly projects light and roundness.

   Several friends have seen this print and have since gone to the prison and found this scene and commented they were “shocked at how dark the corridor was”. Sadly, construction upgrades to the prison have resulted in a skylight above the center of this corridor and this image can no longer be seen in person or reproduced in any manner.   

Camera is a Phillips 7”x17” with 300mm Dagor lens, f 32 @ 15minutes and developed Semi-Stand in PyroCat HD.