Afternoon Light

[thronobulax]

19" f/11 APO Artar
5x4 Agfapan APX 100
ASA 50
Pyrocat HD 1:1:200

Scan of physical silver print (with all the limitations thereof...)

Commentary welcome...

 

[Ian Grant]

Maybe you should tell us what you think you've achieved. Have you controlle the contrast ?

Ian

 

[thronobulax]

Not quite sure what you are asking. The negative is very printable and holds detail both in the shadows and highlights very well. This isn't fully evident in the image above because: a) I'm not sure I've printed it optimally yet and b) The inherent limitations of scanning a print.

Any thoughts on how this could be better?

 

[Alan Clark]

I was a bit puzzled by this because on my screen nothing looks sharp. And the highlights are blown, and are out of balance with the rest of the picture.

Alan

 

[thronobulax]

The sharpness problem is a scanning issue on my end. I'll see if I can find some remedy for this. I have a rather dated film scanner here. Perhaps I can try that.

There is definitely more detail to be found in the negative, both in the highlights and shadows. This was a first, quick, dash at a print. More work to be done.

 

[Ian Grant]

I was a bit puzzled by this because on my screen nothing looks sharp. And the highlights are blown, and are out of balance with the rest of the picture.

Alan

I asked my questions because that's how I see the image as well. It looks like it's been printed around 2 grades harder (more contasty) than it needs to get the best from it.

Ian

 

[thronobulax]

@Ian Grant Yes, I tend to agree. I will revisit this in my next darkroom session.

 

[thronobulax]

@Alan Clark @Ian Grant So, here is a direct scan of the negative done on my old film scanner with minor tweaks to the resulting digital image. I'm not sure it's where it finally needs to be but, better I think, at least as regards to contrast? The sharpness issue may turn out to be a negative problem - still checking.

 

[Alan Clark]

Hi,
If I were printing this negative, then I think I'd adjust contrast filters til I got a nice degree of contrast in the fully lit tree trunk on the left side. I wouldn't want so much brightness/contrast in the foreground, so this would have to be burned in so it printed down.
It's a pity if the negative turns out to be not sharp. This is something I get with 5x4 negatives now and again. Camera shake. One day I took five pictures of an old packhorse bridge in the North York Moors. Four were nice and sharp, but the one that should have been the best was slightly blurred!

Alan

 

[thronobulax]

It was somewhat windy and this was several second exposure... oh well, I have other negs from that series to explore... Ah well, there is another negative in the series that shows some promise ...

 

[Anthony]

Just beautiful.

In pictures like this, the "content" is very strong, so the "form" doesn't need perfection. Look at Atget, eh? - far from perfect. Sometimes a picture needs plus or minus development - or some other manipulation - to become "something else." This one doesn't need it. (I'm not saying the technique is lacking here - it's not.)

If the wind blows a few things, so what? Sometimes that makes things more interesting too.

In photography, sometimes men try to over-control things, me included. Women don't seem to have that affliction . . . The objective is to achieve something interesting; strange and otherworldly. Anything goes if the picture works.