Thank You, Semi-Stand

[Ken Lee]

This photo was taken at the edge of a wooded area. Exposing for the trees on the right, placed the leaves in the left-hand portion way up to Zone VIII and beyond.

So I mixed up some PyroCat HD in a tray, at 1/2 the normal dilution, and let the film just sit there with very infrequent agitation. Using an InfraRed viewing device, I just let the image "cook" until it looked right. After around 20-25 minutes, it was done. Even the sky is well below pure white.

Many thanks !


http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/gallery/milllanerain.jpg

[Ron Marshall]

Ken, nice image. How long were the periods between agitations?

[Ken Lee]

Agitation was approximately every 5 minutes.

I am also pleased with the details in the trees themselves, which even to the eye were uniformly quite dark.

I guess that's the beauty of a compensating approach: the shadows just keep on developing, revealing all kinds of details.

I intend to use this technique to shoot many subjects that were previously out of reach, due to their excess range.

[Ben Calwell]

Ken -- that's very nice. Do you remember your in-camera exposure?

[Ron Marshall]

Agitation was approximately every 5 minutes.

I am also pleased with the details in the trees themselves, which even to the eye were uniformly quite dark.

I guess that's the beauty of a compensating approach: the shadows just keep on developing, revealing all kinds of details.

I intend to use this technique to shoot many subjects that were previously out of reach, due to their excess range.

Thanks Ken. I'll be trying it tomorrow.

[Ken Lee]

Ken -- that's very nice. Do you remember your in-camera exposure?

My best recollection is 1/2 second at f/22. TMY rated at 200, 5x7

[Andrew O'Neill]

For even more edge effects, let the film sit for 15 minutes. Be sure to agitate constantly for the first minute, then 5 seconds every 15. I have even gotten away with 20 minute rest periods. Longer rests are better off done with the film held vertically, such as in tubes (I use BTZS 8x10 tube and home made versions). Your eyes will pop out of your head when you see the edge effects from stand with NO agitation (only at the start for 1 minute)!! ALWAYS expose a backup negative incase you screw it up...like I have on several occasions.

[Ken Lee]

Why do we want edge effects ? Are these like using an unsharp mask in Photoshop (which can easily be over-done) ?

[Christopher Perez]

Amazing photo. Keep up the great work! :)

[Andrew O'Neill]

Edge effects can enhance finite detail...I sometimes make an unsharp mask for this, but masks also do more than just that. Photoshop's unsharp masking "look" is different than an actual film mask...

May I ask why you let your film sit for 5 minute rests?

[Ken Lee]

May I ask why you let your film sit for 5 minute rests?

No good reason. I don't really know what I'm doing.

Now that you mention it, the compensation effect comes about due to the developer exhausting itself in the highlights - so even less agitation will translate to even more subdued development of highlights, and more in the shadows.

[Fred Braakman]

Ken your print is beautiful to look at. I am fairly new to darkroom developing, and I would like to know how to handle a similar scene where the foreground is in partial shadow, and has good detail. The distance through the trees is in sunlight, so the negative does not have a lot of density there. I want to have this distant print but it is dificult because of the trees in front, which, if I expose for this distant view, the trees will be over exposed. Is there a way to handle this without overexposing the foreground?

Fred

[John Berry]

Fred you would be amazed at what you can pull with pyrocat. I use it at 1.5:1:200 for semistand recommended by Sandy King. You might also look into pre-exposure.

[Ken Lee]

The distance through the trees is in sunlight, so the negative does not have a lot of density there. I want to have this distant print but it is dificult because of the trees in front, which, if I expose for this distant view, the trees will be over exposed. Is there a way to handle this without overexposing the foreground ?

I am no expert: just a student. Search here, the AZO forum, and the Analog Photography Users Group for postings by Steve Sherman, Sandy King, and others.

There are 4 basic elelemts to the technique: Use a b&w film that allows you to overexpose the high values to a great degree without losing detail. Use a compensating developer which stops developing the high values, but continues to develop the shadows, when you let the film "stand" with minimal agitation. Make sure the developer is diluted appropriately.

I used TMY and PyroCat HD. TMY has a very long straight section to its exposure/density curve: the high values won't reach pure white, even when overexposed by many stops. PyroCat HD developer works very nicely, giving very little fogging, and gets rapidly exhausted when developing the high values. If we don't agitate the film, leave it in the developer for a longer time, then then the high values don't over-devlop, but the shadows continue to devlop, yielding rich detail.

[Christopher Perez]

I have experimented with this technique using Rodinal at 100:1 or greater on TMax100 and FP4+. The effect is definitely to be experienced. I love the way the shadows are more fully developed and how the highlights don't block up.


... There are 4 basic elements to the technique: Use a b&w film that allows you to overexpose the high values to a great degree without losing detail. Use a compensating developer which stops developing the high values, but continues to develop the shadows, when you let the film "stand" with minimal agitation. Make sure the developer is diluted appropriately.

[SAShruby]

IMHO, and I am still learning, picture is little bit flat if I would judge picture I would made it. I think it did not have enough density range for low and high values to use this kind of development. I would leave it longer in the developer for more highlights.

But this is just my personal opinion. Anyway, very nive picture. Very nice detail rendition.

Good luck.:)

[Ken Lee]

IMHO, and I am still learning, picture is little bit flat if I would judge picture I would made it. I think it did not have enough density range for low and high values to use this kind of development. I would leave it longer in the developer for more highlights.

You may be right, and much of this depends on the monitor, calibration, angle of view, etc.

I may end up adding more contrast, depending on how the image looks when larger, but it's nice to know that the detail is there. One can always toss away detail, especially when printing digitally. One can increase contrast ad infinitum.