Three stops overexposed FP4+

[Drew Wiley]

I've gone as dilute as 1:96 (plus a toe-cutter additive) with HC-110, and achieved an excellent low-gamma straight line with FP4. But that is in relation to deliberate technical applications. I've never botched an actual pictorial exposure so bad that I tried to reclaim it in that manner (or if I did, it went straight to the trashcan without even attempting to develop it ). And there's no sense me repeating over and over again why I don't generally like the effect of strong minus or compensating development in a print, though I certainly know how to do that, ala Zone System theory or otherwise. It's maybe only one or two sheet a year that I ever minus develop. But if it works esthetically for someone else, that's all that counts. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

[esearing]

The way to prove this to yourself and check your work flow is to run a test in your back yard. I often compose and focus at f5.6-8 with the intention to stop down to at least f32.
Sometimes I forget, and if I am lucky and catch it, I mark the holder for experimentation.

Using dilute Pyrocat-M for 5stop over exposure with Steve's EMA technique has led to usable negatives but maybe not ideal ones. It really depends on the contrast of the scene having a good mix of shadow and light. Similar results can be achieved for over exposure with Diafine in some cases. Then you will likely be printing on grades 4-5 or adjusting in PS. Sometimes toning these images a different color brings out more of the original character or a different feeling than neutral gray.

[Steve Sherman]

The attached photo illustrates two dramatically different negative exposures, shadow densities, (Red arrows) development schemes yielding almost identical high-light densities (Blue arrows) which printed without much manipulation on graded papers back in the later 1980's. The higher contrast neg. was exposed for 32 seconds and tray processed in HC 110 @ 1:31 oz of water (normal strength) for 6.5 minutes. The lighter image was exposed for 16 minutes, and processed in HC 110 @ a ratio of 1:180 oz water, with extremely intermittent agitation for 18 minutes in a tray. I came by this technique by way of Ray McSavveny, who pioneered the highly dilute HC 110 method.

As an FYI, the Extreme Minimal Agitation technique I pioneered in 2003 significantly improves this highly dilute developer technique when using PyroCat HD developer, almost entirely because of the superior reducing properties, and hardening of the films emulsion in the very first minutes of development. This technique preserves as much shadow information (film speed) when contrast ranges are extraordinary, and will ALWAYS be a function of weak developer, allowing the shadows to continue to develop to their maximum density based on exposure. While the more dense areas of the negative exhaust the developer rapidly, and therefore, can no longer add density, or climb the straight line pushing tonalities and contrast beyond a mananable point. The only way to take advantage of that developer / agitation relationship is through extended amounts of time in dilute developer for the action to build slowly.
Lastly, while Multi-Contrast printing papers have significantly impacted the contrast range capable of producing satisfactory Silver prints, I continue to approach negative design with generous bottom end exposure and reduced highlight density simply because MC papers will significantly spread the mid-tone contrast with greater impact than the AA Zone System method of building contrast into the negative. To those who would say, I don't want as much mid-tone contrast as you...very simple, add more green light, ( 0 Filtration ) the green light spectrum attacks the mid-tones even before it does the highlights.