Video – How to Meter for Black and White Film Using the Zone System

In this video, I share how the zone system all fits together and how it is applied to make exceptional black and white photographs optimized for the scanning process.

If you enjoy slowing down with film, darkroom printing, and meaningful photography, consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel. I share new videos each week focused on simple tools, timeless techniques, and the quiet joy of analog.

Ready to go deeper with your photography? – Join the Darkroom Diary Premium Membership—a creative refuge for film photographers working with 35mm, medium format, or large format. Whether you’re scanning and sharing or crafting fine art prints, you’ll find expert guidance, meaningful conversation, and a supportive community focused on vision, process, and emotional impact. Join today and start creating work that truly matters.

The First Book Designed Specifically for Hybrid Black and White Film Photographers

The B&W Film Alchemist by Tim Layton - www.timlaytonfineart.com

If you shoot black and white film and use digital tools to scan, edit, and print, this book was written for you.

15 films × 35 developer recipes from XTOL to ABC Pyro. Exposure → Scan → Print, fully calibrated.

For years, resources for B&W photographers have focused on darkroom workflows, ignoring the realities of today’s hybrid artists. So I created what didn’t exist:

The first in-depth guide built entirely around the needs of black-and-white film photographers who scan their negatives.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find another resource that goes this deep into the hybrid black-and-white film, scan, and edit workflow—written for working photographers.

You’ll learn:

  • Master B&W end-to-end—15 films, 35 developer recipes, proven exposure, development, scanning, and printing.
  • How to expose film for maximum digital latitude
  • Why developer choices change when your end goal is a scan, rather than printing in the darkroom.
  • Tonality, grain, and contrast explained for optimized scanned negatives
  • How to mix and match emulsions with developers for superior results

You’ll get immediate access to the book in PDF format (154 pages) to view on any device, and you get free updates for life.

If you work hybrid, this is the handbook I wish I’d had—practical, repeatable, and deeper than anything I’ve seen elsewhere.

Limited-Time Bonus:
Order now and you’ll also receive a free bonus copy of my B&W Developer Formula Book ($49 value)—a comprehensive companion reference packed with verified chemical recipes, usage notes, and developer profiles optimized for hybrid workflows.

Published by Tim Layton

Tim Layton is an Ozarks-based analog photographer and writer working with 19th-century processes, handmade paper negatives, and traditional darkroom methods. Through calotypes, silver gelatin paper negatives, salt prints, and platinum/palladium prints, he explores the expressive power of slow photography in a world flooded with disposable images. Using large format cameras and a Pictorial approach, his work is rooted in craft, chemistry, patience, and the belief that handmade photographs still matter.

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