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Help with printing an uneven negative

Discussion in 'B&W: Film, Paper, Chemistry' started by mekia02, May 6, 2009.

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  1. May 6, 2009 #1
    mekia02

    mekia02 Member

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    Hi I made the worst mistake I could have made. I was trying to be cheap and I did not fill my developing tank all of the way up. I think I did not have enough chemical and I was using a large tank with multiple 120 reels in it, so the reel at the top did not get even contact with the developer. As a result the top quarter of that roll of film, I believe was underdeveloped?. I love that roll though, it was of my niece and she just spontaneously started being cute when she was sitting on the dinner table, she is a year or two older now so I would really like to be able to find a way to print these negatives.

    I have tried on my own exposing the image, covering the normal or nicely developed side then overexposing the problematic side. The print still comes out looking like two different exposures. Do any of you have suggestions? Can I make a decent print from these negatives?

    [​IMG]
     

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  2. May 6, 2009 #2
    rcoda

    rcoda Member

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    Sorry... D!g!t@l is the only way for something like this. And even then, might not be possible for mere mortals.
     
  3. May 6, 2009 #3
    Christopher Walrath

    Christopher Walrath Member

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    I am sorry. But I think you're gonna have a hard time burning the underdeveloped portion with out a visible density change on the print. Just kep playing with.
     
  4. May 6, 2009 #4
    Nicholas Lindan

    Nicholas Lindan Advertiser Advertiser

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    Taking your negative image into PS, inverting it and applying auto-levels results in an acceptable photograph. Just try making a straight print and see what happens.
     
  5. May 6, 2009 #5
    Thomas Bertilsson

    Thomas Bertilsson Member

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    Crop it. The center of attention is clearly the child. The rest of the frame may not be necessary.

    I apologize for the robbery, but I 'stole' your image, cropped it, inverted it, and adjusted the levels to make a lovely image.
    If you crop it, it will print just fine!

    - Thomas
     
  6. May 6, 2009 #6
    keithwms

    keithwms Member

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    I am surprised that some of my colleagues are throwing in the towel so easily :wink:

    Nicholas is probably right, it may be fine even as is. I'd make myself a simple dodge tool (=rough cut paper straight edge) and keep it moving about that boundary. Looks like one portion needs ~0.5-1 stops or so more exposure than the rest. That's definitely doable. You're very lucky that the line is so straight and well defined, it'll be easy to work with.
     
  7. May 6, 2009 #7
    keithwms

    keithwms Member

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    P.S. Do you have a grad filter?
     
  8. May 6, 2009 #8
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    mekia02

    mekia02 Member

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    What type of filters? I have a filter pack that I haven't used, that goes with my Beseler 23C, and I have a dichroic head and a 2nd Beseler 23C that I plan on setting up this week. Is there a certain filter that I should use? The filters in my pack I believe have numbers on them.
     
  9. May 6, 2009 #9
    keithwms

    keithwms Member

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  10. May 6, 2009 #10
    Vaughn

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    I dunno...looks like it was developed evenly, but not fixed evenly -- have you tried re-fixing the neg?

    Vaughn
     
  11. May 6, 2009 #11
    keithwms

    keithwms Member

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    Vaughan makes a good point, and maybe this is more an issue of mismatched contrast rather than mismatched density.
     
  12. May 6, 2009 #12
    winger

    winger Subscriber

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    I second this idea. And I also think cropping it will help the image.
     
  13. May 6, 2009 #13
    nicefor88

    nicefor88 Member

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    Just pretend it's a special effect you tried:wink:
     
  14. May 6, 2009 #14
    Christopher Walrath

    Christopher Walrath Member

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    That's just messed up. ;p
     
  15. May 7, 2009 #15
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    mekia02

    mekia02 Member

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    I thought I might have a ND filter, if it came in the black/white filter kit I bought a while ago, I'm not sure though. How would a camera filter help with a negative that I am trying to print anyway?

    Re-Fixing
    Ok, so do I re-wet the negative then put the entire negative in fixer and fix for the same amount of time as usual and do the same rinse as usual?
     
  16. May 8, 2009 #16
    Thomas Bertilsson

    Thomas Bertilsson Member

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    Yes, that's how you re-fix. Re-wet the neg for a few minutes, and then go through a fixing/washing sequence again.
    I have used a tray in the past to do it.
     
  17. May 10, 2009 #17
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    mekia02

    mekia02 Member

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    I re-fixed that roll and they came out wonderful, no discoloration on the negative at all. Thanks everyone!
     
  18. May 10, 2009 #18
    Vaughn

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    Glad I guessed correctly -- it happens sometimes...

    Good luck in printing them! Vaughn