DREW WILEY
Member
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2011
- Messages
- 10,443
- Shooter
- 8x10 Format
aparat - everything depends on the specific film involved and exactly how it is developed. For example, traditional ri-X users often boost shadow placement way up in order to boost these onto the straight line section of the curve, and create what is termed a "thick" (very dense) negative. Well, that approach worked decently for old low-contrast contact printing papers, but is rather counterproductive today, often blowing out the highlights when using regular papers.
When people try to apply the same stubborn ZS mentality to TMax film, it's no different. Since they overexpose it, then, in order to rein the highlights back down, they have to use heavy-handed compensation or minus development, and doing so typically induces a sag and longer toe in the film curve, robbing them of the longer straight line way down into the shadows which they should have taken advantage of to begin with, appropriately exposing and developing for that instead. But that requires more confident metering skills way down deep, and they're often afraid of doing that. So around and around they go.
When people try to apply the same stubborn ZS mentality to TMax film, it's no different. Since they overexpose it, then, in order to rein the highlights back down, they have to use heavy-handed compensation or minus development, and doing so typically induces a sag and longer toe in the film curve, robbing them of the longer straight line way down into the shadows which they should have taken advantage of to begin with, appropriately exposing and developing for that instead. But that requires more confident metering skills way down deep, and they're often afraid of doing that. So around and around they go.