Originally Posted by
Doremus Scudder
This is accurate, but not very precise. The Zone System is a lot more precise: you measure the scene contrast and then find a specific development time (which you've tested out in advance) for the contrast conditions in that particular scene.
I think where you are getting confused is with the "overcast" conditions. Subjects under overcast skies, but without the sky in the image are low-contrast subjects; there are no areas lit and shadowed by direct light. On the other hand, on day with bright overcast where you have a scene with the sky in it, the sky can be quite bright. The problem here is that the rest of the scene is low-contrast. Bright overcast landscapes are often a challenge.
Also, as mentioned before, if you shoot roll film, you may want to simply find one good "normal" development time that places negatives of normal-contrast scenes in the middle of the contrast range of the printing paper you are using (say #2-#3 filtration with VC papers) and deal with needed increases or decreases of contrast by changing paper contrast.
If you really feel the need to tweak development times, then learn the Zone System well, how to place shadows, meter highlights and then establish film-developing times for the different scenarios you encounter. Most roll-film users don't bother with this, however. Nor do I recommend it, especially when just starting out.
From your other posts, I assume you are applying the Zone III shadow-placement technique from the Zone System. That will get you well-exposed negatives. The next step is to meter highlights and identify scenes that are "normal" (textured whites "fall" in Zone VIII - five stops away from Zone III). Make negatives of these scenes. Develop and print them with a #2.5 filter. Tweak development time until most of your "normal" scenes print well in the #2 to #3 filtration range. Then leave it at that for a while. You can use the higher and lower contrast filters for scenes that need them.
Best,
Doremus
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