Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/03/01

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Subject: [Leica] Exposure and Development
From: tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)
Date: Thu Mar 1 17:37:49 2007
References: <C20CC97C.471CA%mark@rabinergroup.com> <0a0301c75c66$d4116d80$0300a8c0@robertbxucevjs>

Ted Grant Photography Limited
1817 Feltham Road
Victoria BC  V8N 2A4
250-477-2156
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Meier" <robertmeier@usjet.net>
To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 5:05 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Exposure and Development


> This is an oddly contrarian view of exposure and development of B&W film. 
> You use exposure to get the detail you need in the shadows of a B&W 
> negative and then you vary either negative development (the zone system) 
> or paper contrast to have the highlights print as you want them.  Getting 
> the highlights "right on the money" through correct exposure doesn't make 
> any sense for negative film (it does, of course, for slide film -- and 
> digital). The highlights in the final print are controlled by the print 
> exposure, not the negative exposure.
>
>
>> Its THE general rule for a long time before Smith and its the basic rule 
>> for
>> how film works. That's how you figure out if your film is getting the 
>> right
>> amount of development and exposure in general.
>>
>> But as most rules are meant to be broken it can drum up some controversy.
>> As it may be the way film works but its not the way you as the 
>> photographer
>> work in the practical sense.
>> In practical shooting you end up working with negative black and white
>> materials very much the way you work with positive transparency 
>> materials.
>>
>> You expose for the highlights.
>> Let the shadows fall where they may.
>> Then get out fast.
>>
>> Sure if you had time you could take shadow readings and see where they 
>> are
>> gonna fall and worry about if you're going to worry about it but if you 
>> try
>> to control your highlight placement through development after exposing 
>> for
>> your shadows you are in for some real trouble. Yep that's how film works.
>> Even sheet film shooters end up just running pretty much all their 
>> separate
>> sheets in the same soup for the same time just like their roll film pals.
>> "Contrast" gets controlled later with this new invention they came up 
>> with a
>> hundred years ago called graded contrast papers. The ones with the 
>> numbers
>> on them? Then 50 years ago came multi contrast papers with filters.
>>
>> You see those shooters, like bird watchers and nature lovers running 
>> around
>> in packs with spot meters - what are they aiming at? Up! The highlights 
>> in
>> the leaves of the trees that's what it all comes down from that reading.
>> Highlights need to be placed through exposure. Not development.
>> In practical practice. Though its not the way film really "works".
>>
>> Otherwise your shots won't be properly scintillating.
>> And you'd not not want that.
>>
>> Those little highlights have to be right on the money.
>>
>> Scintillation is everything.
>> And you can quote me as I just made that up.
>>
>> Mark Rabiner
>> 8A/109s
>> New York, NY
>>
>> markrabiner.com
>
>
>
>
>
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In reply to: Message from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] Exposure and Development)
Message from robertmeier at usjet.net (Robert Meier) ([Leica] Exposure and Development)