How to develop exposed film for shadows ?

[Ardpatrick]

The shadow you choose is the darkest one with details that matter for your shot. To verify whether one shadow is darker than another you use your spot meter to determine relative reflectivity.

Honestly i do not feel it’s that complicated, at least for the goal of getting started. I totally respect that others approach exposure as a complex process and I’m not deriding that approach. But I also think folks who are new to film, as the OP obviously is, need advice that builds confidence and is not overwhelming. And to that end I’d rather try to simplify the process.

It’s the same with film stocks & developers. The best advice is just pick one stock, one developer, one process, and stick with it for a year or whatever. Does that mean it’s the best possible combination of film & developer. No. But is it good enough until the photographer builds experience and grows out of it? Yes. Will they better understand the materials and how to work with them as a result? Yes.

 

[Alex Benjamin]

The best advice is just pick one stock, one developer, one process, and stick with it for a year or whatever. Does that mean it’s the best possible combination of film & developer. No.

What's kind of ironic is that the second sentence in that statement also applies to the first.

In other words, it's good advice to suggest such a thing. Is it the best advice? No.

Should also remind people commenting that the OP's original enquiry was regarding development time. The whole debate about shadows — what are they, where are they and can I get change for a 50$ when I'm in them? — comes from the fact that we were unclear as to how exactly the scene was metered, and how that would influence the development time.

 

[MattKing]

This "which shadow" discussion has being going back and forth ever since "expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights" became a thing!
And yes, learning how to deal with the question is a challenge for the inexperienced, because until one has some experience printing or otherwise preparing a final result, it can be hard to recognize.
I remember a photography instructor - not mine - who described teaching beginners as a regular part of their routine. He indicated that most beginners tended to end up with negatives that were too contrasty, because they would tend to choose shadows that were too dark, and then would tend to choose development that would result in highlights that were too light.

 

[runswithsizzers]

folks who are new to film, as the OP obviously is, need advice that builds confidence and is not overwhelming. And to that end I’d rather try to simplify the process.

+1

Way too often I see beginners ask a simple question on Photrio and they get inundated with answers that would be impossible to comprehend by anyone who does not already have a solid foundation of photographic knowledge and voculabulary.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

Dyed-in-the-wool Zone-System user here.

I place an important shadow on a Zone that will render it the way I want to see it in the final print. I choose anywhere from Zone II (3 stops underexposed from the meter reading for the non-Zonies out there) to Zone V (no deviation from the meter reading) depending on on the situation.

Using Zones has an inherent margin of error of up to half a stop, more usually 1/3 stop. That's close enough for me with a bit of built-in underexposure buffer. Is it precise? To within the margin of error, yes. Is it complicated? Only the deciding where I want to place the shadow; the rest is EZPZ.

When in doubt, I'll give a bit more exposure. Always better to err that direction. The important thing is to get the information on the negative.

Best,

Doremus

 

[Ardpatrick]

+1

Way too often I see beginners ask a simple question on Photrio and they get inundated with answers that would be impossible to comprehend by anyone who does not already have a solid foundation of photographic knowledge and voculabulary.

Glad you said it for me. My thoughts exactly.

 

[Ardpatrick]

This "which shadow" discussion has being going back and forth ever since "expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights" became a thing!
And yes, learning how to deal with the question is a challenge for the inexperienced, because until one has some experience printing or otherwise preparing a final result, it can be hard to recognize.
I remember a photography instructor - not mine - who described teaching beginners as a regular part of their routine. He indicated that most beginners tended to end up with negatives that were too contrasty, because they would tend to choose shadows that were too dark, and then would tend to choose development that would result in highlights that were too light.

Matt,

I’ve been teaching art students in and out of darkrooms for 25 years. They learn by making mistakes.

Nearly 40 years ago when I was an art student interested in photography, there was a surly, grumpy not so old lab technician who just didn’t like students. One day he told me that the way we were learning photography from the lecturer - starting with 35mm black and white neg, was all wrong. He said we should all start with 4x5 transparency, so we’d have to learn properly. I’m not sure who was to pay for the film & processing! In hindsight I can see it wasn’t an accident that he was a technician and not a teacher.