I just want to clarify again, this is not TMax I'm talking about - my film is TriX.
Yes, the purple set of negatives seem to produce very different prints to the previous B&W negatives. But that may be due to the paper I guess although the lab assures me they always use the same B&W paper for my prints - whatever that may be, they choose to remain uncommitted.
The emulsion on my purple negs looks much more contrasty in comparison to my B&W test negs I took. Considering that I shot with the same settings and the same time of day, location, weather, conditions.... I don't understand why my test negs are close to perfect but my other set of negs are so different? This is a wedding shoot and it's very important for me and the client of course to get the prints right and therefore I'd like to understand why there's such a difference in negs.
Anyway, I don't mind rants and appreciate non-confronting input by everyone. The frustrating part is that I'm getting such mixed reasons both on the web as well as in my home town. I do want to understand and get my facts right before I confront the lab to get my prints redone.
Location: Maine, but have lived in New Jersey, Malaysia, and France
Posts: 448
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicole Boenig-McGrade
Hi Lee & Larry,
They look under developed and then printed very contrasty, looking horrible.
When I scan the negs and then use (pardon my French) Photoshop to correct as best I can, I can get reasonable (pardon my french again) digital test prints, although I'm still not happy with them.
Sounds like your lab screwed up. I know from my own wet work that if I underdevelop a roll or sheet of film, the purple dye stain is much heavier than if I've developed fully. It still takes proper fixing (alkaline or neutral fixers are better than acidic ones--hmm, did your lab use an acid-hardening fixer?) and an alkaline wash aid to get it all or mostly out, but underdevelopment will definitely leave more of it in. Your "french" is just fine; when it comes to salvaging a print from screwed up negs, any technique that works is OK.
At the risk of being a bit preachy on the subject, I think it will be difficult to maintain consistency as long as a lab is doing the lab work. Black and white shooters are rare today and it's even more rare to find a lab that does good work in black and white.
Color is pretty simple--it's either an E6 or C41 process (Kodachrome has become more rare than B&W), no matter what film is used. But there are lots of black and white films available all over the world and there's even more developers in which to process them. A lab that does black and white work has to deal with an almost infinite number of variables in the process. It's no wonder the results are not really consistent from one film (or one day) to the next. What is a wonder is that good custom printers can adjust to these variables and still make a good photographic print.
Doing your own processing and printing is the cure to inconsistent results but this is not always practical for a photographer who takes on work for pay. Considering that you are using a lab with a good reputation, my bet is that they will reprint the photos as you instruct them.
I work in a community darkroom at the local community college. When Tri-X is put through new chemistry, no purple tinge results. After a few rolls of Tmax have been processed though, the pink dye from the Tmax film seems to migrate from the fixer or hypo bath and stains the Tri-x very evenly. At least I think that is what is going on. It doesn't seem to affect the printing characteristics although I suppose a bit higher contrast might result on VC papers. (I use neither Tri-x or VC papers anymore so haven't bothered to check.)
I'm always amazed to read of the persistent problem some have with pink dye and Tmax. Using a Hypo Clear solution and a rinse between the fixer and Hypo Clear has always given me very neutral-colored Tmax after it comes out of the final wash. Most of the pink dye ends up in the hypo clear.
Using a Hypo Clear solution and a rinse between the fixer and Hypo Clear has always given me very neutral-colored Tmax after it comes out of the final wash. Most of the pink dye ends up in the hypo clear.
Joe
Exactly. FWIW, there is a thread at rec.photo.darkroom in which someone is lamenting that Tri-X is now harder to clear of dye than even Tmax. Although he is talking about 120 size which has a different (paler) base colour than 35mm film.
While hypo clear is not necessary for archival processing of bw negs, it makes clearing the dye much easier if certain types of fixer have been used. A neutral fixer seems to be best.
Nicole,
I have followed this thread with interest. I also shoot mostly TriX. And, in more than one format. In 35mm, there is no purple cast, but in 120 and 4x5 size (TXP320), there IS, in fact, a problem for me clearing the purple tint from the negs. I develop my own film as well. The first time I encountered this in 120 format, I let it sit in fix for quite a long time (>6 mins) and it persisted. Thereafter, I decided a presoak might be helpful, and so now, I do a 30 sec presoak of my TriX320 before developing. (I still have old emulsion TriX 400 in 4x5, and it's not like this at all).
Anyway, the presoak water pours out purple, and I have much less issues of the tint after the fix.
However, the stain does seem to fade with time, and a printed set of negatives on Ilford IV rc using a 2 1/2 filter gives pretty decent results.
It's too bad that when we get used to something in one format, that everything seems to change with the size of the film, but sometimes that's what happens.
I assume that you were using medium format with the purple results?
Have fun developing your own film. I sometimes thing I shoot film just to do the developing, but, I only do it for fun, so much less pressure....
Tammy, after fixing, try soaking the film for 5 minutes in a solution made up of 20 grams sodium sulfite plus 5 grams of sodium bisulfite (or metabisulfite) dissolved in 1 liter of water.
This is a home-made Hypo Clearing Bath and I have found it quite effective in getting the pink and/or purple out.
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Tom Hoskinson
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Thanks for the tip, Tom. I will try that in the future, although, I don't mind the presoak in the least.
Nicole, you do realize that doing your film processing at home will now be so much easier than dealing with a lab that doesn't seem to appreciate your "film" business in the first place?
Linear Mode
