MF (6x4.5,6x6,6x7,6x9,6x12) B&W film images sharing

**paulbarden** · 31-Mar-2025, 10:11

Originally Posted by phdgent

Vallée de l'Omignon rivière, Caulaincourt, Région du Picardie, France.

And a leftover of a narrow gauge railway bridge and a water mill.

Attachment 258770 Attachment 258771 Attachment 258772 Attachment 258773 Attachment 258774

Hasselblad SWC + Y-G filter on Tri-X @ 1000ASA (darkish sous bois, handheld) in XTOL 1+1.

Very effective creative choices you made, great images!

**phdgent** · 31-Mar-2025, 10:28

thank you all for the appreciation!

**Bernard_L** · 31-Mar-2025, 23:49

Originally Posted by phdgent

Vallée de l'Omignon rivière, Caulaincourt, Région du Picardie, France.
And a leftover of a narrow gauge railway bridge and a water mill.
Hasselblad SWC + Y-G filter on Tri-X @ 1000ASA (darkish sous bois, handheld) in XTOL 1+1.

These pictures share a printing style: good separation of highlights, but some shadows are just pitch dark. Maybe not following the precepts of St Ansel, but (IMO, even, if I was not present on the scene) a good rendering of the subjective impression of darkish sous bois.

I just wish I could see them larger on my screen.

**phdgent** · 1-Apr-2025, 23:23

Originally Posted by Bernard_L

These pictures share a printing style: good separation of highlights, but some shadows are just pitch dark. Maybe not following the precepts of St Ansel, but (IMO, even, if I was not present on the scene) a good rendering of the subjective impression of darkish sous bois.

I just wish I could see them larger on my screen.

I have to admin still wrestling a lot with negative contrast (after all these years)...

But actually I don't care about the darkish and pitch black shadows.
When somebody remarks that there are (too-)many blacks in my prints, then I tend to answer that I 'commit' Black-and-White— and not White-and-Black photography.
And that I do like blacks in my photos, and whites too, and that both must be clearly present, with as much as acceptable, and doable, mid-tones in between.

My inspiration for wet-printing is the way it was done in the late '40s and early '70s in heliogravure book printing.
As done in Switzerland for the wonderful series published by 'Le Guilde Du Livre' in Lausanne, and, even better, the books published by the French publisher 'La Pierre Qui Vire' in their magnificent series 'Zodiaque'.
Not to mention the B&W books published by Arthaud in Paris, and printed by Imprimerie Brown in Paris.

The contrast rendering, the visual presentation and the 'discours' as presented by the heliogravure printing procédé is what I see as ideal.
I sometimes take a so printed book in my darkroom to compare with the print I made, particularly when I struggle...

I collect heliogravure printed books, and (sometimes) prefer buying them above acquiring film, paper chemicals and photo gear...

PS: I developed and printed my first film (AGFAPAN 400 in Rodinal) when I was 16 years old, I am 67 now and never stoped working in the darkroom.

**paulbarden** · 2-Apr-2025, 07:41

I'm exploring the capabilities of the new Rolleiflex 2.8E (Planar). Can't beat spring clouds and blue skies for a camera test.
The resolving power of the Planar lens is exceptional. Pairing the Delta 100 with Pyrocat emphasizes the preservation of small details.

Film: Ilford Delta 100 rated at 50 ASA, plus a medium orange filter. Exposure was 1/125th at f5.6 & 1/2
Film developed in Pyrocat HD, for 15 minutes.

**Franswa** · 2-Apr-2025, 09:57

Hello! This is my first post on this forum - I just got my first LF camera that I hope to use this weekend, as long as the weather plays nice. In the meantime I thought I'd share some MF images.

Mamiya 645 + HP5 @1600 in Rodinal 1+50