Questions questions……

[jim appleyard]

Ok, we're a bit off topic now, but let's see if I can explain what I do: average white person as subject. Black backdrop. Using ISO 400 film. If I do an incident reading at EI 400 I will get a good exposure of the skin, but my black backdrop comes out dark gray. If I overexpose, yes, overexpose by at least one stop I then get a lighter than normal face, but I print it down to normal in the darkroom and then I get a black background.

It might not make sense to you, but it works.

In my 1st post I meant to say, "No perfect dev. No perfect film"

"It's not the age, it's the mileage" Indiana Jones

[shadesofgrey]

Tried this a while ago, results were OK, printable, but the neopan looked grainy and the shadow details was lost. Ilfosol S is a great developer for slower films though.
Neopan 1600 in Ilfosol S is also an interesting combo, if you want to have nice solid black shadows

Just what the Dr ordered plain facts, magic! Perhaps I’ll Leave Ilfoso S for the 100/200 group. Now if only I could get Fujido over here!
All the best

B.

[dancqu]

... incident reading at EI 400.
By overexposing by at least one stop, ...

So you shoot that ISO 400 film at an EI of 200.
Your black meters how many stops below skin? Dan

[Jan Cornelius]

... Underexposing
... overexposing
... underdeveloping
... overdeveloping
... Developer losing film speed
... developer gaining film
... 400 @ 200 asa
... 400 @ 1600
... expose for details, develop for shadows (or something similar)


and then all the combinations of the above ....

Could somebody explain this all in a few clear words.


Everytime I read a thread like this I get totally confused.

[k_jupiter]

... Underexposing
... overexposing
... underdeveloping
... overdeveloping
... Developer losing film speed
... developer gaining film
... 400 @ 200 asa
... 400 @ 1600
... expose for details, develop for shadows (or something similar)


and then all the combinations of the above ....

Could somebody explain this all in a few clear words.



Everytime I read a thread like this I get totally confused.

OK, I'll give it a shot.

10 zones (give or take). Your meter reads zone 5. Caucasion skin is about zone 6. So meter on it and open up one stop (overexpose) and the skin tone will come out just about right. In the big pitcha, you have set your meter to 200 for a ASA film of 400. I suspect that because Jim adjusts development to compensate a bit for the over exposure, his blacks will not develop as much in relation to the skin tones of the model. Hence, they will go darker in that relationship. He prints for perfect skintones and the background drops away to a more perfect black.

Now 400 @ E.I. of 1600... Underexposed by two stops. The meter set for 400 reads zone 5. you close down ( close the aperture or add two stops of speed) i.e. meter reads f11 @ 1/125... you shoot at f11 at 1/500 or f22 at 1/125. You lose two zones of low blacks. They disappear into the void of shadows.

You expose for shadows and develop for highlights.

developers gaining or losing speed? There ain't enough room in this thread to go into that. But some developers will do a better job of retaining shadows in development than others. This is called gaining speed for a particular film.

Underdeveloping? I have no idea. I have never done that. You would do it to control contrast (don't blow out the highlights).

tim in san jose

[jim appleyard]

I suspect that because Jim adjusts development to compensate a bit for the over exposure, his blacks will not develop as much in relation to the skin tones of the model. Hence, they will go darker in that relationship. He prints for perfect skintones and the background drops away to a more perfect black.

That's it! See wasn't that easy!?