Thanks to the many posts on this forum regarding the exposure and development of the various X-ray films, I have learned how to use the single emulsion Carestream film.
My problem is in contact printing a high contrast still life. My background is black velvet and the subject matter are flowers (yes, the petals are red/orange, the leaves are dark green, and they both are nice and dense on the otherwise clear negative, with detail).
I have established minimum exposure/maximum black (Ilford MGRC IV) using a dichroic head at full (170) magenta filtration. The black background prints black. The subject prints dark, dark grey, rather than a much higher zone as it would on panchromatic film.
I can get a higher zone for the subject by printing with Yellow filtration instead, but then my background (clear to just a tiny bit of exposure showing on the negative) prints grey.
I suspect the blue base tint of the negative is the primary reason I am having difficulty, since I believe cyan filtration acts as an ND filter with ortho films. I am using Rodinal 1:100, and it makes a really nice looking negative. Should I consider Pyrocat-HD? Would the pyro stain the subject area enough to compensate for the blue base of the negative?
Am I missing something, or am I asking this film to do something it can not? I think the film is going to work great for landscapes and portraits, but maybe not for the "almost black on white" effect that I am looking for.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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