My first color LF sheet

[Professional]

Hey all,

Finally yesterday afternoon[Saturday] i used my 4x5 for first time, i did shoot 4 sheets only, first i began with B&W and second i shoot with color, i sent them all to the lab, i went yesterday night [now while i am typing it is a new days after midnight] to get the color, and B&W will be processed tomorrow[Today at our time], but from the color sheets i have some issues.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8773/img138a.jpg

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/9485/img139n.jpg

Shen Hao HZX45 IIA, Rodenstock APO Sironar-N 150mm, Velvia 100F

So as you see, first shot has upper part of the frame in black, don't know what is that black beam, anyone can tell me what is the reason or cause that?

Second thing, i used the color correction option in scanning software, but i got different colors result of both shots, both were taken by same film, and there is about 30 minutes maybe between the two and the sun was up strong and the light both are the same, but if there is another reason what is it then? I can correct both shots by Photoshop for example, but i intentionally didn't do that.

In fact i am so happy to have those results as my first sheets, can't wait to see my first ever shots of B&W by LF, i will post other shots[B&W] on the other thread about the first ever shots out of LF, i feel happy that my color sheets partially passed successfully, the exposure not spot on is not my main concern, the contrast of the light that time is huge [DR], but that LF as expected was able to handle it, and that first shot issue will not make it as big fail, i will consider it as a must mistake for beginner :D , so waiting your comments here.

[Daniel Stone]

I believe the black "border" at the top of shot #1 is your bellows. If you use extreme movements, or too much rise that cuts off the image projected by your lens, then you'll have the black border. I've had it happen to me too ;).

the color difference when scanning is probably because of the different times of day. Even 30min can change the color temperature from shot to shot. It can get frustrating I know. It usually isn't as noticeable as going from 12pm(noon) sunlight to 6pm(dusk,evening) in terms of color change, but it is there.

it looks like you used a good bit of movements there(both shots) and possibly shot close to wide open. I'm fond of the 2nd picture the most however, the reddish doorway mixed with the blue, blue sky is a nice contrast.

lookts like you're off to an ok start :).

just out of curiosity, where in the U.A.E. is there a pro-lab capable of developing LF film?

cheers,

-Dan

[Professional]

I believe the black "border" at the top of shot #1 is your bellows. If you use extreme movements, or too much rise that cuts off the image projected by your lens, then you'll have the black border. I've had it happen to me too ;).

the color difference when scanning is probably because of the different times of day. Even 30min can change the color temperature from shot to shot. It can get frustrating I know. It usually isn't as noticeable as going from 12pm(noon) sunlight to 6pm(dusk,evening) in terms of color change, but it is there.

it looks like you used a good bit of movements there(both shots) and possibly shot close to wide open. I'm fond of the 2nd picture the most however, the reddish doorway mixed with the blue, blue sky is a nice contrast.

lookts like you're off to an ok start :).

just out of curiosity, where in the U.A.E. is there a pro-lab capable of developing LF film?

cheers,

-Dan


I see, well, i was going to break my nick or my back bending over or say trying to go down to look at the GG, and maybe you are right that the bellows was in the way or even maybe by mistake my cloth, i couldn't look very clear, also i really don't know about the movements at all, so i just tilt and rise and whatever to have something in focus, i really loved it, and as you said, the first was at f11 and the second was at f22, so if both are not wide open or close to wide open then i am so blown away to have that at those apertures, i think i did movements wrong to isolate or blur something, i do like it, but i really don't care about that as long i can have something in focus in center of the frame, it was just tests, will see how the B&W turning out.

We have one lab only to process all our films for the whole UAE, i will not talk about home developing or colleges or centers, we have only one official lab that almost all people send to process there films even get them scanned with drum scanner and we have also Lambda printing.

Here is the link of that lab in UAE

http://ucfq.com/

The lab is in Dubai and the head office is in Ajman, my city.

[al olson]

I agree with Dan regarding the color temperature of the light. It does not take much change of sun angle to change the color temperature, especially if there is light being reflected from nearby buildings.

Your second photo is well-composed. I like the out-of-focus on the distant buildings. You have sharpness from the near surfaces almost all the way to the doors. No amount of swing. shift, or tilt will make your depth of field any better. To get better sharpness at the doors you might try f/32 or smaller and set your focus at a slightly more distant point.

As far as the first photo is concerned, it looks to me perhaps you used too much backward tilt. Dan is likely right that it is the bellows causing the black bar at the top, but pulling the front standard back would pull the bellows down and in fact you might be running out of lens coverage as well. I say that the tilt seems extreme because the lower sides are so out of focus while the top of the center post remains sharp.

If you remade this photo first without tilt and then another with a slight tilt using a loupe on the ground glass to ensure that you have focus in the important areas you would have a useful basis for comparison. It does not take much tilt, front or back, to make a significant change in the plane of focus.

These are challenging first examples. Nice work.

[Professional]

I agree with Dan regarding the color temperature of the light. It does not take much change of sun angle to change the color temperature, especially if there is light being reflected from nearby buildings.

Your second photo is well-composed. I like the out-of-focus on the distant buildings. You have sharpness from the near surfaces almost all the way to the doors. No amount of swing. shift, or tilt will make your depth of field any better. To get better sharpness at the doors you might try f/32 or smaller and set your focus at a slightly more distant point.

As far as the first photo is concerned, it looks to me perhaps you used too much backward tilt. Dan is likely right that it is the bellows causing the black bar at the top, but pulling the front standard back would pull the bellows down and in fact you might be running out of lens coverage as well. I say that the tilt seems extreme because the lower sides are so out of focus while the top of the center post remains sharp.

If you remade this photo first without tilt and then another with a slight tilt using a loupe on the ground glass to ensure that you have focus in the important areas you would have a useful basis for comparison. It does not take much tilt, front or back, to make a significant change in the plane of focus.

These are challenging first examples. Nice work.

Thank you very much for your post.

Actually i am not so worry about the color, i have this problem also with MF shooting same roll and came out with slightly color differences between one frame to another even for same subject at so short time difference, so this will not be a big story.

for that black frame on top, OK, you really so smart and great to identify the problem/issue, i can't remember what i did but i agree it is the bellow i think, for that shot i tilted the camera to get that high corner of that building as i was close to it and i have to tilt the camera completely to get it in the frame or GG, but i was so awkward to bend over or go down to see the GG, so i tilt the camera back but with very slight tilt and then i tilt the front it sounds too much, strange that i didn't see it while focusing, i don't have any loupe yet but i hope that will be my next item to be purchased. So for that upper corner, how can i shoot it without going with extreme tilt and not have this issue again? Maybe i should rise and extend the tripod more so i can see through the GG standing rather than sitting pose?!!!

[Brian C. Miller]

In regards to the first photo, maybe the dark slide wasn't pulled out all the way? If you are using a lens shade, maybe it interfered?

If it was from the lens being tilted too far, then the dark part would be rounded. Myself, I have never seen the bellows interfere with an image, but others have.

[Tony Evans]

Congrats on a great first effort. I am waiting for the temperature to drop in order to first test the same Shen-Hao. I like this.

[Ari]

I would tend to agree with Al about the first photo, looks like your bellows got in the photo due to too-extreme movements.
Nice colours, and the second shot is a good direction to pursue.

[Professional]

Thank you very much all.
I am looking for to get B&W sheets i hope today from the lab, same area of those 2 first shots but one of them i was shooting just a door and the second almost similar to the second shot above but another side of the place and a bit different perspective, i hope they will turn out fine as well.

Yes, the first one is due to the extreme tilt, i was hardly trying to compose the shot because it was about above me and i have tilt either the camera or the front bellow, it seems i tilted the front too much and didn't noticed it on GG, next time i will be more careful, and good to have it here so i can learn the lesson, never learn without mistakes.

[Brian Ellis]

You certainly didn't make it easy on yourself for your first LF photograph. You could have picked a more difficult subject but not by a whole lot. I'd suggest that at first you try more straightforward subjects, things that don't require a lot of camera movements and that don't put you in such an awkward position. You did well to get anything on the film, I don't think I would have with that subject for my first LF photograph.

[Professional]

You certainly didn't make it easy on yourself for your first LF photograph. You could have picked a more difficult subject but not by a whole lot. I'd suggest that at first you try more straightforward subjects, things that don't require a lot of camera movements and that don't put you in such an awkward position. You did well to get anything on the film, I don't think I would have with that subject for my first LF photograph.

i am happy about it, first it was just a test,
second, at the end that black is just a sky, easy to correct or replaced it with same blue sky color by PS,
third, having those mistakes will teach me, so next time i will not make same mistake again, i will try not to do wrong movements so then i will see any kind of issues, but i hope you all can help me where i can learn about movements, i am sure i don't know about movements so i screwed up the shot with many trial/error movements and failed in one side[or more].

Let's wait and see my B&W sheets as i started with those before the color, if i have same issues then i have to think about it more, if not then it is that extreme tilt for sure, i also remembered that i tilted even the back towards the front, so i sandwiched the bellow roughly.

[Robert Hughes]

Congratulations, pro. I like that combination of old & new in your alley shot. Do the locals run those gaslamps every night, or are they for tourists & special occasions only?

Imagine - if those pictures look so good in film, image how good they'll be in digiatel!

[Professional]

Congratulations, pro. I like that combination of old & new in your alley shot. Do the locals run those gaslamps every night, or are they for tourists & special occasions only?

Imagine - if those pictures look so good in film, image how good they'll be in digiatel!

Thanks!

No, those are just for tourists in some of those places at old-style look, but i know that my grand fathers/mothers in the past were using those for light, in the past they were using gas or fuel to fire it inside those gaslamps, now they designed to accept electrical lamps, and those lamps are working at night only [they are sleeping tired in day time ;)], come and look at it, you will like it.

About digital shots of those shots, i did a lot with 1Ds2 and 1Ds3 and Hasselblad H3DII-39 and traded-in H4D-60, all gave me amazing results.