Fomapan 100 (4x5) in high contrast backlit situations

Okay, this has been bugging me for a while, I havent given my 4x5" any love in a while, but all I have in b&w is Fomapan 100, which I have not grown to like, there is about 35 sheets left, and I cant bring myself to waste film by buying something else.

My 4x5" lens doesn't have pc-sync, so where I normally light my portraits with multiple lights on my RB67 out on location, I wont be doing this, and probably wont be using bounce as I wont have an assistant.

Basically shooting into sunrise, with a subject, probably will use a red filter to help a little.. I've also heard Fomapan 100 is more like 50 speed in comparison to other films.

I'd like to pull out all the tricks it can handle to compress this contrast range if possible (I havent shot yet).

I was thinking of doing a few test shoots before, overexposing several stops and pulling... with that pull being also a 1 hour stand or semi-stand in Rodinal... so maybe 1+300 perhaps? I see 1+100 being 7 minutes for EI 50.




Whats the best option geting the most out of such a scene+subject, with this film, without additional lighting or bounce? (Perhaps I could tape some bounce to a tripod or light stand though).

I'd like to expose the skin around midtones for whatever EI I go with, without completely blocking the highlights.

Or is this a really inappropriate film for this task?

If you are shooting a person then take a spot reading on the skin and open one stop. The rest will just have to fall accordingly. I prefer incident, take a reading from in front of the subject and face the meter toward the camera, will give (IMHO) a better reading. Try a couple of shots both methods and see which you prefer. BTW use standard development, nothing fancy needed.

Dear Athiril;
I just faced this same dilemma and developed the negatives in the Stoeckler two bath developer and got very beautiful negatives that printed beautifully on grade 2 1/2. You might want to rate the film at about 50ASA and increase exposure by one and then one a half stops. It will give you lots of meat to work with and really tames those highlights. If you want even more snap to the highlights you can use selenium to intensify the negatives and that will really make the hightlights pop without blowing them.
Denise Libby

archer: So you used EI 18 essentially? IE: An incident meter reading for the light the subject is lit by, and then increase that 1 and a half stops?

2nd what Archer said. Been using a lot of Foma 100 recently, and it is a great film for keeping all tones there. Iso 50-64.

ralnphot has the idea. Focus on the tones you want to capture. Meter the skin tones on the face, and let the rest fall where it may. Do a test where you shoot several sheets, and develop one normal and then slow down agitation and extend development time in steps from there until you have a combination of exposure and development you want/need.
Get a step wedge and contact print your negs for the proofing of exposure on grade 2 paper.

Dear Athiril;
Yes, for portraits I use incident metering and open the lens 1 to 1 1/2 stops and depending on the film, adjust development for the best skin tones. Some films are inherently more contrasty than others and require a more compensating developer to keep the highlights from blocking, hence my use of the Stoeckler two bath which also gives a beautiful creamy flesh tone without the pasty grey flesh tones I see too much lately. I think the older single layer emulsions of the past seem to allow the skin highlights to "glow", where the new multi layer films, seem to make the highlights sparkle, which I don't think is as flattering in portraits.
Denise Libby