david.elliott
Well-known
Thanks Charlie!
I've read it all, and honestly it is just so much easier and more consistent to just do it right by using a spotmeter and metering the shadows for exposure and the light tones for developing.
Charlie's system for sunny days is just guessing and simply doesn't work. A lot of the time, you'll get lucky and get the shot, but if you need consistent perfect results, no exceptions, you'll eventually get burned. The Sunny f16 rule is worthless in my experience because the actual brightness of full sun varies considerably in different parts of the world, even different parts of the USA. Here in northern Indiana, bright sun is a stop dimmer than it is in New Mexico (where I lived for a couple years).
The fact is that if you want to do it right, there is no substitute, no shortcut, for old fashioned hard work.
The Sun is 93,000,000 miles away. Light is the same everywhere except at very high altitudes. The rest of the difference can be accounted for by reflectance of sand, water, snow, etc. That's the stuff that fools meters, but it does not fool the Sunny 16 Rule
John,
The reason T-Max doesn't work is this technique only seems to work with silver halide emulsions. I tried it with T-max and the images loose sharpness and the midtones get mushy.
Chris,
I've been doing this system myself since 1982, in places like the mountains of New Hampshire and the deserts of Egypt. What you say about the light being different is a myth. The Sun is 93,000,000 miles away. Light is the same everywhere except at very high altitudes. The rest of the difference can be accounted for by reflectance of sand, water, snow, etc. That's the stuff that fools meters, but it does not fool the Sunny 16 Rule. Your just debunking this different approach if you condemn it without trying it. It's not for everyone. I just put it out there for those who would like to improve the scale of their negatives without having to be so technical.
I teach at St, Paul's School in Concord, NH.
Thanks for that on the Tmax films, I do not like them when way (2 stops) overexposed; and under development does not solve anything. I always overexpose TriX (1 stop) and develop it to my taste. I will try 2 stops and cut back development, but I worry that this will only work with carefully chosen scenes.
Yes that is the book. I should probably read it again. I'll check out the other two books you mentioned. Thanks.I think that's probably the one I have - "Zone System for 35mm Photographers" by Carson Graves. It's very detailed and seeks to translate the Ansel Adams 'system' from LF to 35mm use. Big problem is the 36 exposures to a roll that we live with rather than single sheet film packs. I'm sure the information in it is OK but difficult to use for all but the most dedicated.
I think what Charlie has offered is a very useful "rule of thumb" approach which is much easier to apply, although he does talk of having two bodies and exposing and developing differently for bright sunny days and cloudy days. I think Les McLean advocates a similar approach but if I remember correctly in his case he uses an MF (maybe Hasselblad) with different film backs to achieve the same result. See his books "Creative Black & White Photography" and "Creative Exposure Control". Good reading, both, but Charlie's simplified approach is certainly worth a try in my opinion, especially if you have and can be bothered to carry two bodies.
Has anyone tried this using HC-110 instead of D-76 or Sprint developer?
Has anyone tried this using HC-110 instead of D-76 or Sprint developer?