Ooops! - E6 pull or push - which is which

[Patrik Roseen]

Hello,
I desperately need a quick answer regarding E6 pull or push.

I handed in 8 chrome sheets (ektachrome 100) to a local lab but I assume they will be processed tomorrow, so there might be a chance to correct anything going wrong.

The sheets were shot on a sunny day and I think I might have overexposed the sheets and so I asked them to pull (-1) them in the development to make the sheets darker (?).

?? Is pull the right thing to do or should I have asked them to push??

Thanks,
Patrik

[Dave Parker]

Push is when you shoot it over the rated ISO, pull is when you shoot it under the rated speed, so if you over exposed that would be a pull, push is an underexposure.

IE: ISO 100 shot at 50 would be a pull as you overexposed it, ISO 100 shot at 200 would be an underexposure.. hence a push

(Now I hope I got that right!!! )

Dave

[Ron Marshall]

Hello,
Is pull the right thing to do or should I have asked them to push??

Yes, a pull is correct. Why don't you have them process one sheet first to see if a one stop pull is correct. Transparency is sensitive to exposure. You may need a fractional stop pull.

[Michael Gordon]

Overexposure = underdevelop. PULL.

[QT Luong]

You were correct, but note that besides affecting brightness a -1 pull will have a drastic effect on contrast, and indeed it is worth considering smaller pulls if possible. E6 film is much less tolerant of pulls than pushes.

[Brian C. Miller]

I've done the same thing, but deliberately. Your image will come out fine, of course with lighter shadow areas.

[Patrik Roseen]

Thank you all

I am so grateful I received your replies and a special thanks to Dave Parker who responded so rapidly. I posted the question as I left from work and managed to read your replies on my cell-phone on my way home.

Yes, I should probably have handed in one sheet first to try with...I need to remember that the next time. On the other hand, I have not shot enough slides on a regular basis to feel that my exposure decisions using a spotmeter are consistent from subject to subject. It works fine for B&W, but with chromes I tend to think too much about the darker areas risking to blow out the highlights.

I will let you know how they turned out.

Again thank you!

[Patrik Roseen]

I promised I would tell you how the photographs turned out.

Just as Brian pointed out the -1 pull turned out very well. The shadow areas are still dark but not as dense as with normal processing. I actually like the fact that they hold a lot of details.

Here is one of the most precious photographs I wanted to have come out right. The location is Tenerife, and I am standing on the cliffs on the opposite side of a small bay with my Linhof Technika and a pre WWII Tele-xenar 270mm. The model in the photo is my girlfriend.

Model and Landscape

Patrik

[bob carnie]

As others pointed out pull is correct.
In a past life I managed a very heavy E6 lab. We would recommend photographers to run at Push1/3 as a normal .
Reasoning is that E6 film can handle a push much more handily than a pull.
We found that a 1 stop pull was at the point where colour balances and contrast started to go funny. Though you could definately push beyond 1stop before the wierdness started.
By using the Push1/3 as normal , you would have an extra 1/3 pull if you f... uped the exposure.
As well testing one sheet or clip tests should be standard saftey practice when running E6film.
The technicians at good labs can make the call very precisely as they are doing this all the time.

We always called it *Drop* rather than Pull.

[Patrik Roseen]

As others pointed out pull is correct.
In a past life I managed a very heavy E6 lab. We would recommend photographers to run at Push1/3 as a normal .
Reasoning is that E6 film can handle a push much more handily than a pull.
We found that a 1 stop pull was at the point where colour balances and contrast started to go funny. Though you could definately push beyond 1stop before the wierdness started.
By using the Push1/3 as normal , you would have an extra 1/3 pull if you f... uped the exposure.
As well testing one sheet or clip tests should be standard saftey practice when running E6film.
The technicians at good labs can make the call very precisely as they are doing this all the time.

We always called it *Drop* rather than Pull.

Hi Bob,
Just trying to understand.
when you say 'run at Push1/3 as normal', ...
- Do you mean to underexposing by 1/3 and then do a push development by 1/3 as typical process.
- Or do you mean to underexpose by 1/3 and then do normal development (this is more or less what I have always heard for slide film when the final result was to e viewed through a slide projector in e.g. 35mm.)

When the photograph in my link below was taken the brightness range was very large and I had difficulties deciding what to fit into appropriate 'zones'. And as I said before, I thought that I had probably overexposed the slide and hence did a pull or drop as you call it.
I wonder what the result would have been if I had followed your recommendation in this situation.

Model in Landscape

As a sidenote, I usually avoid bracketing due to cost and logistic reasons, and would instead like to find a procedure that is kind to any 'minor' mistakes in exposure. I know I am probably dreaming given the characteristics of slide film.
I would also like to use slidefilm during the bright hours of the day and not only in the morning and evening. I have seen beautiful photos by Philipe Plisson that have been shot mid-day in bright sunlight.

Patrik