Creating a black-and-white photograph goes beyond the shutter

Printing black-and-white photographs is like tango dancing, says Brian Young. Each step of the film development has a rhythm. Or it’s like making a flan: Each chemical mix is precise in measurement and temperature. Young began printing in black and white in the 1980s and got hooked on “the ability to control everything,” compared with color photography. Today, in his Connecticut studio, it may take two hours to turn a piece of film into a print. “It’s not about being quick, easy, or convenient,” says Young. “It’s about being difficult, slow, and something you have to learn.”