b-w lighting

Hi, -first post so be kind cause its probably a dumb question too, but--
I work with a hasselblad but really only use it outside , till now! I am about to venture into my studio with the beast, probably loaded with tri-x but Im up for suggestions. I am going to shoot some figure studies and fine art nude stuff and I have a pair of elincrome strobes, but I dont want to use them, I would like to move away from my backdrops and do the shoot more environmental in another area and would like to use other sources of light(natural will be hard) and with monochrome like tri-x I could really use any form of light to model with right?? If I use tungsten light I am not going to find out the hard way that this affects the exposure in some way am I?? I actually dont have a polaroid back I usually meter with a handheld meter(not spot) then use a dslr as a polaroid back used to be used but am a complete novice with my hassy in the studio, will this approach work for me?? I may as well explain that I use my digital for the stuff in the studio usually and the hassy is used when I want photographic quality rather than computer files which I think I can confidently assume that most people here will agree with me that the digital stuff I do is for a particular audience but for real prints it must be film. Also I dont have the possibility to develop myself but I do have a good lab , is there something I should know about the processing of the film which I should pass on to the lab? I will be printing the shots myself from the negs so its just the processing. Lots of stupid questions I know but would appreciate some help as my model will cost me money and I dont want to have to reshoot. Thanks
Andy

Good Evening, Andy,

With most general-purpose B & W film, light is just light. As long as you meter carefully, you should be in the ballpark with your exposures regardless of the light source. The exceptions I've encountered are primarily specialized copy films, many of which are no longer available; these sometimes have (had??) quite different E. I.'s depending upon whether the lighting is daylight, tungsten, white-flame arc, etc. That's not the case with films such as Tri-X

Your major concern may be just having enough light. Without some help from floods or electronic flash, you may run into the necessity of slow shutter speeds (tripod required) or wide apertures (possible depth of field problems), even with a relatively fast film such as Tri-X.

Konical

As Konical implies, go with your instincts and try whatever feels right, regardless of color temperature or whatever.

There is always time to have your originality beat out of you and incessant studying of technique tends to do that; at least it did it to me.

1. Use a tripod.

2. Don't be afraid to take chances.

3. Don't forget; taking AWAY light is often forgotten about; everyone wants to keep adding it. Keep a square or two of black velvet or cloth nearby and try absorbing light. Shadows good.

4. Don't adjust anything about you to your lab; shoot a test, know how they operate, use it to your advantage.

5. Look. No, really; LOOK.

6. Think, but more importantly, don't be afraid to FEEL.

7. Charge ahead, don't hesitate and wind up a 4th rate technician nursing cameras. It sucks.

8. Don't look back.

I would suggest checking the data sheets for whatever film you choose -- some Type B panchro films, including current offerings, lose significant speed under tungsten light, and more so under common household lighting than under high filament temperature studio lights. No, it's not a HUGE loss unless you're shooting Efke 25 or 50 with their curtailed red response, but it can amount to a half stop or more, which could ruin a carefully crafted image by leaving an empty shadow where you really wanted to barely see a texture.

If in doubt, either bracket or just underrate the film a half to one stop -- you can always print detail down into black, but you can't bring back what the film doesn't record...

many thanks to all three of you, ill post one of the results if i decide to scan any of them, at least i think i can post here. I will definately enjoy my shoot and wish you all well.

You have to be a subscriber to post images in either the gallery or as message attachments, but you can hot-link an image (BBcode links work) that's hosted elsewhere. I'd suggest subscribing, but you can take a little time to think about it...

subscribing

It seems that a good film based forum is as rare as a bull with udders, so I think a subscription will be on the cards soon, thanks, Andy

Good advice so far. As already mentioned, incandescent lighting tends to require lots of watts before the exposures get into the typical comfort zone. Unfortunately, lots of watts are often uncomfortable for the model, making it difficult for them to keep their eyes open, even though they might enjoy the warmth the lights add to the studio. Personally, I prefer to work with studio strobes, along with large softboxes and other modifiers, as they provide greater flexibility.