when in doubt

[removed account4]

i always over expose and over develop ...

what do you do ?



over expose over develop ?
under expose over develop?
under expose under develop?
over expose under develop?
over develop?
under develop?
over expose?
under expose?
flash my film?
nothing / i'm zone'd out ...

sorry the poll didn't work out

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

I'm never in doubt. I use a spotmeter and develop according to the light conditions, I'm never wrong when I do that.

 

[Mike1234]

What Chris said.

However, if I were to be doubtful of exposure and tonal range I would overexpose and underdevelop. But... I plan to print digitally so these errors are easily corrected. If printing analog there may not be a paper grade capable of correcting gross development errors.

 

[mike c]

Have been over exposing slightly and using shorter development times,have had a condenser enlarger.Bought a cold light enlarger head and now using box speed asa and longer development times,seems to be working still working on it.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I'm never in doubt, but occasionally in error, so the exposure is the exposure. From there I might adjust development plans, if I catch it in time, or I might intensify the neg, or I might just chalk it up to experience and print something else, or if it's something I really need to be able to print and won't have a chance to reshoot and the other methods aren't sufficient, and there's at least something on the neg, then I might try something better discussed on APUG's sister site, http://www.hybridphoto.com .

 

[SuzanneR]

I tend to overexpose and under develop... just a bit of each. Unless it's that moment when the sun has just dipped below the horizon (or it's a cloudy day) and the light's flat, then I underexpose, and overdevelop... just a bit! I rarely shoot box speed, but sometimes I'm zoned out, too, and I'm not sure what I'm doing!!

 

[MattKing]

Depends which film.

If unsure, and it is negative film, I'll add an additional shot with more exposure.

If unsure, and it is transparency film, I'll add an additional shot with a half shot less exposure.

Matt

 

[Sirius Glass]

Use box speed. Check readings with a Nikon F100 as a spot meter. Maybe bracket. Process normally.

 

[Ian Grant]

This poll must have the most choices possible of any so far on APUG but the option I need is absent

Guestimate, just few times I've been caught with a flat battery or forgotten the meter etc on a shoot & had to rely on instinct, as a teenager one of my Uncles would challenge me to guess the exposure and we'd be quite close most of the time.

The other important option that's missing is bracket when in doubt.

But better no meter & be in doubt than first forgetting a camera, and then leaving the film behind as well, I've been there when that's happened, and I was the subject (not the photographer) being photographed in the landscape No names he's an APUG member

Ian

 

[Mike1234]

Evryone maks miskates.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

The aim is to be accurate with film exposure and development, knowing that there is some exposure latitude to compensate for error and variation. You can get away with underdevelopment far more easily than with overdevelopment, and you can get away with extreme overexposure better than with slight underexposure. Print quality actually improves with modest film overexposure but is very sensitive to underexposure.
Overdeveloped negatives will not print easily, but minute underdevelopment is easily corrected with a harder grade of paper. Film exposure latitude is what you can get away with, but when in doubt, overexpose and underdevelop.

 

[removed account4]

This poll must have the most choices possible of any so far on APUG but the option I need is absent

Guestimate, just few times I've been caught with a flat battery or forgotten the meter etc on a shoot & had to rely on instinct, as a teenager one of my Uncles would challenge me to guess the exposure and we'd be quite close most of the time.

The other important option that's missing is bracket when in doubt.

But better no meter & be in doubt than first forgetting a camera, and then leaving the film behind as well, I've been there when that's happened, and I was the subject (not the photographer) being photographed in the landscape No names he's an APUG member

Ian

ian

i wanted more options but 10 was the limit!
guestimate was one of my original choices
as well as " hey, i ordered a sandwich " but
i had to prune the tree

john

 

[Jesper]

When I am uncertain I take another exposure.
It is better to waste film than images.

 

[Rick A]

I dunno, all those years shooting a C-3 without a light meter, I dont trust any meter fully, I just shoot what I think is right, and develope accordingly. I get it right 95% of the time. Sunny 11 and the rest be danged!

Rick

 

[paulie]

i overexpose and pull slightly , it helps to keep strong black borders in my contact prints

 

[2F/2F]

I am never in doubt when I have a light meter.

If not, and I am really in doubt, I will guess, and if using transparency film, and the photo will allow it, I will bracket.

I don't bracket often with negative film. I will generally guess, with a lean to the side of over exposure.

The contrast of the light I shot in, not how I exposed the pix, usually determines what I do with development.

 

[2F/2F]

Print quality actually improves...

Actually, what you describe as "print quality" might not match the definition of another person for a particular print. A quality print to me is one that looks like I want it to look. This may or may not look like the formula that people often state to describe a "quality print". Sometimes overexposing the film will help to achieve this. Sometimes normally exposing the film will do so. Sometimes underexposing the film will do so.

Without first defining your criteria for "print quality" (not the criteria for it), what you have said is nothing but a statement of opinion as a general fact. I know what you meant by your statement. However, instead of "improves", why not just objectively describe what it is exactly that overexposure does to a negative and to a print, and let us decide on a case-by-case basis if this will "improve" our print?

 

[KWhitmore]

overexpose and overdevelop...always rather have something than nothing. (by the way I'm nearly always in doubt...keeps me on my toes?) )

 

[RalphLambrecht]

...A quality print to me is one that looks like I want it to look...

You said it very well yourself!

 

[jovo]

Like David, I'm never in doubt, but sometimes in error. I think VC paper is the analog version of photoshop, and most small mistakes can be rectified with it. It's been a loooong time since I've made a negative that I can't print with some degree of success.

 

[removed account4]

overexpose and overdevelop...always rather have something than nothing. (by the way I'm nearly always in doubt...keeps me on my toes?) )

i'm with you kate!

im not in doubt very often but have grown accustom to
over developed and over exposed film, it is my "normal" exposure these days

john

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I am SELDOM in doubt. I can muddle through anything though. I generally tend towards underexposure to gain slightly more contrast in negative film and print it up a bit.

 

[BetterSense]

When in doubt, overexpose and overdevelop. This is what I would do for a photo of important documentary value. There's a reason the old WWII photos are always a nice crispy chalk-and-soot tonality. Expose "enough" and develop generously was probably the method.

 

[Vaughn]

I would over-develop. Which really is not "over" develop, but just developed longer until the film is properly developed. I always develop my negs quite a bit more than "normal" -- sometimes for twice the "normal" amount. They are still not "over-developed", but developed just right so that I get easy to print 8x10 negatives for carbon printing.

I make mistakes, but someday maybe I'll have an assistant I can blame everything on.

Edited to add: Looks like what I wrote is gibberish, where is an assistant when one needs one?!

 

[Anon Ymous]

Ideally, I'd chose overexposure and underdevelopment, but being a 135 user, that's not always possible. Therefore, I voted overexpose. A bit more exposure with normal development won't really hurt, but overdevelopment is too bad IMHO.