haste makes waste

Now I've done it!

I have the week off, and there was a photo I've wanted to take for a
while now, so this morning when I thought the sun was just right, I set
up, donned the blackout curtain, got out my magnifier and negatives and
set up my shot.
The film is Ilford FP4, 125ASA and the conditions called for "sunny 16",
but as I finished the focussing I realised that the sun was moving
faster than I had expected, so I whipped the holder into the camera,
exposed the first side at 1/100 and the second side at 1/50. I've been
doing this as a learning exercise, so that I can get an idea of the
changes between exposure lengths, and it's been a good thing for me to
do so far.
What did I forget?
During the setup, I always have the aperture set at max open, f5.6. This
time, I forgot to close it down and recheck the focus. I know that the
focus should be ok, but now I have two very much overexposed negatives.
I guess that this is where I learn about modifying the developing
technique? I'll need to develop as if this was 400 or 800 film? I guess
there's some web searching and self educating in order now.

cheers

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

"John Bartley" wrote in message
.. .
[...]
What did I forget?
During the setup, I always have the aperture set at max open, f5.6. This
time, I forgot to close it down and recheck the focus. I know that the
focus should be ok, but now I have two very much overexposed negatives.
I guess that this is where I learn about modifying the developing
technique? I'll need to develop as if this was 400 or 800 film? I guess
there's some web searching and self educating in order now.

No, you didn't overexpose - you merely "overcompensated for shadows".

FWIW, should you ever win a lottery, Sinar has a shutter that closes and
resets the aperture when you put in the film holder.

"John Bartley" wrote in message
.. .
[...]
What did I forget?
During the setup, I always have the aperture set at max open, f5.6. This
time, I forgot to close it down and recheck the focus. I know that the
focus should be ok, but now I have two very much overexposed negatives.
I guess that this is where I learn about modifying the developing
technique? I'll need to develop as if this was 400 or 800 film? I guess
there's some web searching and self educating in order now.

No, you didn't overexpose - you merely "overcompensated for shadows".

FWIW, should you ever win a lottery, Sinar has a shutter that closes and
resets the aperture when you put in the film holder.

"John Bartley" wrote in message
.. .
[...]
What did I forget?
During the setup, I always have the aperture set at max open, f5.6. This
time, I forgot to close it down and recheck the focus. I know that the
focus should be ok, but now I have two very much overexposed negatives.
I guess that this is where I learn about modifying the developing
technique? I'll need to develop as if this was 400 or 800 film? I guess
there's some web searching and self educating in order now.

No, you didn't overexpose - you merely "overcompensated for shadows".

FWIW, should you ever win a lottery, Sinar has a shutter that closes and
resets the aperture when you put in the film holder.

jjs wrote:

No, you didn't overexpose - you merely "overcompensated for shadows".

FWIW, should you ever win a lottery, Sinar has a shutter that closes and
resets the aperture when you put in the film holder.




Well !!!

Just taking a break from my cramped and fume filled darkroom / bathroom.
I've developed the first of the two overexposed negatives and just have
to report. The web is a wonderfull resource. I cruised it for the last
couple of hours and the information that I was able to glean led me to
do the following:

1) mixed my usual Rodinal at a new ratio of 1:50 (always used 1:25 before)
2) used a figure (ball parked from my web research) of 25% time
reduction for each stop of overexposure, so the first one was 18 min
-25% - 25% - 25% = 8 minutes.
3) agitated all of the steps 100%, but lightly enough to just keep the
negative moving on the tray bottoms
4) washed in cold running water

The first inspection of this negative seems to show the absolute
clearest, sharpest, best photo I've taken yet, of the seventeen I've
taken so far (all documented)

I'm thrilled !!!

I think qualifies as winning at least a small lottery :-) .

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

"John Bartley" wrote in message
...
jjs wrote:

No, you didn't overexpose - you merely "overcompensated for shadows".

FWIW, should you ever win a lottery, Sinar has a shutter that closes and
resets the aperture when you put in the film holder.




Well !!!

Just taking a break from my cramped and fume filled darkroom / bathroom.
I've developed the first of the two overexposed negatives and just have
to report. The web is a wonderfull resource. I cruised it for the last
couple of hours and the information that I was able to glean led me to
do the following:

1) mixed my usual Rodinal at a new ratio of 1:50 (always used 1:25 before)
2) used a figure (ball parked from my web research) of 25% time
reduction for each stop of overexposure, so the first one was 18 min
-25% - 25% - 25% = 8 minutes.
3) agitated all of the steps 100%, but lightly enough to just keep the
negative moving on the tray bottoms
4) washed in cold running water

The first inspection of this negative seems to show the absolute
clearest, sharpest, best photo I've taken yet, of the seventeen I've
taken so far (all documented)

I'm thrilled !!!

I think qualifies as winning at least a small lottery :-) .

Do you recall the shadow and highlight readings? Three stops is quite a
pull, but if your metering was a off, and the scene was contrasty, you might
have inadvertently (does anyone do something Vertently?) done (dare I say
it?) a Zone Perfect negative.

"jjs" wrote in message
...

"John Bartley" wrote in message
.. .
[...]
What did I forget?
During the setup, I always have the aperture set at max open, f5.6. This
time, I forgot to close it down and recheck the focus. I know that the
focus should be ok, but now I have two very much overexposed negatives.
I guess that this is where I learn about modifying the developing
technique? I'll need to develop as if this was 400 or 800 film? I guess
there's some web searching and self educating in order now.

No, you didn't overexpose - you merely "overcompensated for shadows".

FWIW, should you ever win a lottery, Sinar has a shutter that closes and
resets the aperture when you put in the film holder.

...or use a press type shutter: when using the lever for opening for focusing
it gives max. fstop, closing it for exposure will return the aperture to
it's last setting (you still have to put the aperture at the right
f-stop..;-)..)

Best,

Cor

jjs wrote:

Do you recall the shadow and highlight readings? Three stops is quite a
pull, but if your metering was a off, and the scene was contrasty, you might
have inadvertently (does anyone do something Vertently?) done (dare I say
it?) a Zone Perfect negative.



:-[

Ummmm - meter?

Seriously though, I have a meter, quite old, a Sekonic with a selenium?
sensor and the readings that it gives me don't come anywhere near the
"sunny F/16" rule. I assume that the sensor has gone south. It always
wants me to expose at a second or 1/2 second regardless of the light.
I'm watching for a new meter at a price which will let me keep my house
mortgage free, but in the meantime, I've been applying the "sunny F/16"
rulle and it seems to have been working well. A friend has loaned me her
Zone System workbooks, and I've been reading them trying to absorb what
I can. Confession time - I'm not a strong learner - never was high on
the academic scale - I've always learned by reading and then trying to
experience what I've read. This has been a new experience, and has shown
me that I can err on the overexposed side and still come out with a
reasonable product. The prints and scans, which will happen today, will
tell the real story.

cheers (still havin' lots of fun here!)

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

jjs wrote:

Do you recall the shadow and highlight readings? Three stops is quite a
pull, but if your metering was a off, and the scene was contrasty, you might
have inadvertently (does anyone do something Vertently?) done (dare I say
it?) a Zone Perfect negative.



:-[

Ummmm - meter?

Seriously though, I have a meter, quite old, a Sekonic with a selenium?
sensor and the readings that it gives me don't come anywhere near the
"sunny F/16" rule. I assume that the sensor has gone south. It always
wants me to expose at a second or 1/2 second regardless of the light.
I'm watching for a new meter at a price which will let me keep my house
mortgage free, but in the meantime, I've been applying the "sunny F/16"
rulle and it seems to have been working well. A friend has loaned me her
Zone System workbooks, and I've been reading them trying to absorb what
I can. Confession time - I'm not a strong learner - never was high on
the academic scale - I've always learned by reading and then trying to
experience what I've read. This has been a new experience, and has shown
me that I can err on the overexposed side and still come out with a
reasonable product. The prints and scans, which will happen today, will
tell the real story.

cheers (still havin' lots of fun here!)

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

John Bartley wrote:

I'm watching for a new meter at a price which will let me keep my house
mortgage free, but in the meantime, I've been applying the "sunny F/16"



The small incident meters are about $50 to $100 new . Used they aren't much
cheaper and you run the risk the thing might have a problem. The more
expensive models tend to add convience. The spot models are more money. The
best prices are from the large US based retailers. That means you'll have to
pay shipping but you'll find quite a few things for less then Canadian prices.



Nick