Finally got to shoot some film this weekend and develop it. Took some images of my dog, and the exposures look good, they are sharp but flat. I think in the light I was in, there was only a three stop difference between the black fur and the background. Does this account for the flat look? How do you know when to develop a little longer to increase contrast? Kinda new at this, never had these problems with my digital camera lol.
In general, negatives will look flat, as they only will have six-tenths of the contrast of the original scene. If you prints look flat, even on #4 or #5 paper, then you need to increase you development time for that type of scene.
You can use a sensitometer and densitometer, but trial-and-error is fine also. Try giving the next roll 20% more development time.
A three stop difference will separate the black fur from the background, if correctly exposed. How did you meter and expose? The black fur should be placed on about zone three; meter the black fur then stop-down two stops.
What was the difference in meter readings between the darkest and lightest areas where you wanted to have texture in the image?
That stop difference should print pretty nicely, I should think.
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