HP5+ Processing and EI

[Vaughn]

...

I was under the general impression that it can be difficult retaining upper highlight tonal distinctions in carbon printing. Dye transfer printing has that difficulty too.

The way I work, those highlights are much easier to keep. That was accidental...I was exploring ways to increase the raised relief and it turned out the variables that favor that also favor keeping the subtle high-lights. The highlights are a very thin layer of gelatin -- the pigment does not have significant distance to go to migrate out of the pigment. And slightly alkaline water softens the gelatin even more and allows more pigment to leave.

I work at minimum pigment levels, high DR negatives and strong sensitizer. This results in highlights made of a thicker layer of gelatin which retains the pigment better. I print so that the areas I want detail in the highlights just have a touch of texture...and they dry down wonderfully with delicate information in them. When it works...

[Vaughn]

Well you know, chip shortage.

Come here...my town has a closed down wood-fired power plant with a pile of chips just waiting...

A bit soggy...

[Michael Kadillak]

As of the last Kodak price hike, TMY is no longer within my budget (well, I may buy an occasional roll of 120, but no more sheet film TMY). Delta 100 barely is.

My backup plan when my stockpile of TMY (old formula) runs out is FP4+ in a RAD pyrocat development process which completely changes its film curve response. You can get FP4+ to do things it would not think possible + and - in a conventional film development regiment. Plus this film has considerable latitude and still performs.

[Drew Wiley]

That sounds interesting. But I still don't quite understand your chip shortage comment either. There might be cheaper ways to manufacture museum board than using linen fiber, via substitutes for that; but none of my own board smells like cow chip derived quite yet. Maybe buffalo chips would be considered more the eco or organic option these days. But both contain plenty of fiber.

[McAir]

Well, some of my initial return to 4x5 have been somewhat encouraging. I shot HP5 rated at 320 and reduced development by about 10% (~8min), Illford DD-X 1:4. Still refining my metering style using my Zone VI modified Pentax spot meter. Negatives were scanned using the Epson 850 flatbed. I was pleasantly surprised of the quality of scans and after post processing in Lightroom and PS, I feel the results were satisfactory, at least at this early juncture. Would love to hear your thoughts.
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[John Layton]

Very interesting discussion!

My take? That there is an extent to which any film and developer combo, when approached and utilized methodically, can be made to perform as wanted and needed.

But then again, maybe there is also an extent to which any film and developer combo, when approached and utilized methodically, can gradually (like the "clueless frog in the slowly heated until boiling water" experiment) alter how we perceive and react to (and express) what we are seeing, ultimately altering those "wants and needs." Make sense?

(hmmm...maybe will eventually double-post this on the presently-adjacent "which developer?" thread)

[Michael R]

Looks like the negatives are good enough. From there, it’s all in your scanning/editing skill. Just like in the darkroom where print quality is heavily dependent on what you do under the enlarger/lightbulb. As long as the negative contains all the basic information you need (which is really just giving enough exposure to get whatever detail you want in the darkest areas), virtually everything is what you do with your scanning, Lightroom, Photoshop etc.

Well, some of my initial return to 4x5 have been somewhat encouraging. I shot HP5 rated at 320 and reduced development by about 10% (~8min), Illford DD-X 1:4. Still refining my metering style using my Zone VI modified Pentax spot meter. Negatives were scanned using the Epson 850 flatbed. I was pleasantly surprised of the quality of scans and after post processing in Lightroom and PS, I feel the results were satisfactory, at least at this early juncture. Would love to hear your thoughts.
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[Ulophot]

McAir, since you asked...

You don't need my comment that you have a strong eye for composition, and the "prints" are striking indeed.

I am particularly drawn to your first image. The other two bother me a bit -- just my taste -- because the sharpness and contrast seem to suck the air, the atmosphere, out of the deeper space. Everything is so sharply defined and contrasty that I feel that physical reality has withdrawn.

[Doremus Scudder]

Beautiful images, McAir! Unlike Philip, I like the sharpness (sorry Philip...). Of course, small images on a computer screen aren't real prints, but these look great on my monitor.


Doremus