My first photos in LF, ever.

[ImSoNegative]

Development time is generally used to match the subject brightness range to the contrast range attainable on the particular film in use combined with a particular developer and process.

Proper use of the zone system is highly dependent on individual system calibration. You have to know exactly what every element in the chain does under a wide variety of circumstances, all the way from visualization through the final print.

To attain the maximum benefit from ZS requires a tightly controlled process at every stage,
combined with extensive testing so you know how and when to deviate at any particular stage.

- Leigh

I agree with Leigh, the time i change my dev time is usually when i want to retain detail in a highlight area, here is an example, in this scene the interior was pretty dark, so i metered and placed the walls on a zone where i knew i could see them in the image, if i had used normal dev. time, the window would have been blown out, i cut it by almost 4 min. in the print you can see detail in the highlight area of the floor also but in the scan it looks blown out. my normal dev time for this film is around 10 min in a tray. this one i dev. i think 6 to 6 1/2 min.


Amazing Grace by J. Golden, on Flickr

[hmf]

I agree with Leigh, the time i change my dev time is usually when i want to retain detail in a highlight area, here is an example, in this scene the interior was pretty dark, so i metered and placed the walls on a zone where i knew i could see them in the image, if i had used normal dev. time, the window would have been blown out, i cut it by almost 4 min. in the print you can see detail in the highlight area of the floor also but in the scan it looks blown out. my normal dev time for this film is around 10 min in a tray. this one i dev. i think 6 to 6 1/2 min.


Amazing Grace by J. Golden, on Flickr

Nice job; it's no easy task to hold detail in the view out the window and the dim interior. I presume you overexposed to get shadow detail with the reduced development time.

[Chris Strobel]

Nice job; it's no easy task to hold detail in the view out the window and the dim interior. I presume you overexposed to get shadow detail with the reduced development time.

Agree nice job.I'm guessing shadows on 3 and (N)-2 in the soup?

[Andrew O'Neill]

HP5 film responds differently to #25 filter just as does TMY. You will have to run some exposure tests. Also, for most applications, the #25 is just too strong a filter. What EI are you using? If you are working digitally (scanning your negs), you will have to tailor your negs for that. Thin, well exposed negatives scan beautifully.

[Vaughn]

These are my first large format pictures....I hope to improve the contrast and the exposure in the future.
Also, dust was an issue. Im not sure if it was my skills ( I tried very hard to avoid it) or the lab.

From what I read, you are using a lab to develop your negs. That's giving up some fine control, but still should allow you to fine-tune your negatives. One tool that will help is a spot meter, I think it would fit well into the way you are working. Being able to read a few key areas in the scene easily and accurately to figure out the SBR (Scene Brightness Range) will be very helpful in understanding the light in front of your camera.

The only other, and most important (IMO), suggestion I have is keeping good notes (the SBR of the image, the exposure relative to the SBR, and the development). That way, when you have a negative that comes out perfectly, you will know why and be able to do it again! Unfortunately with me, it's also, "Oh, that's why that neg turned out thin -- or the wrong contrast, or blown out." Take your pick...LOL!

Vaughn

[ImSoNegative]

yes that is exactly what i did, around n-2, i kind of guessed because usually my subjects dont have this kind of range, seemed about right though. i had a print made of this and it turned out really nice.