[Leica] re: Exposure and Development

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Many have offered great details and how one should "do it" on this subject.
Subject: [Leica] re: Exposure and Development

However. :-)
As many of you know I'm no more techie with film, "expose for shadows soup 
for whatever" than I am with digital... my gosh far worse with digital. 
Shooting slide film? In that case I expose for the highlight and everything 
else ended up wherever it ended up. Always seemed to work. :-)

B&W film was very nearly always rated at the manufacturers ASA and souped 
for their specs. Unless I pushed a stop or two, but then the times were 
those recommended by the maker of the film. Usually.

And it always seemed to work OK. The quality of the negatives never deterred 
us from making lots of 35mm 16X20 exhibition prints out of our darkroom 
trays over the years. Certainly doing as I always have.......... "KISS!"

If the film how to soup instruction was 6 mins. @ 70 degrees, agitation 
every 30 secs, that was fine and that's what was done. Close anyway. ;-) 
But they always seemed to look OK and print just fine.

George Lottermoser said:


> The point I wished to make in starting this thread:
> Fine photographic technique requires that the photographer 'know'  where 
> s/he wants shadows and highlights fall on the negative,  transparency 
> and/or chip. This requires knowledge of how to control  the shadows and 
> highlights through the use of exposure and  development of the material, 
> whether chemical or digital.<<<<

Maybe I do this unconsciously just from years of exposing and souping my 
film. But I can honestly say I've never consciously related to exposing for 
shadows and souping for highlights or vice versa or whichever it's supposed 
to be. Maybe the tooth fairy has always looked after me in the darkroom. Or 
maybe I just hate complications and live life with a KISS attitude. If it 
works? "Cool" as the young folks say today! :-) If I screw-up? Well the 
standard expression fits......... "Oh S.....t!"

My gut feelings about this expose develop routine comes down to major simple 
this way............. it really doesn't matter how the heck other soul's do 
their film! It's far more important ..... "HOW YOU DO YOURS! "   You know 
why?

Each person turns the can upside down differently, they agitate with various 
actions, the temperature isn't on the mark in everyone's tank, nor are the 
times absolutely to the second identical! It's really, to each his own and 
never mind doing as others do, but use their technique as a guideline. 
Gradually you'll find it works for you or it doesn't! Eventually you'll 
achieve the results "YOU" like!  But we each and everyone, never soup nor 
expose absolutely identical!

KISS folks that's what it's all about for each shooter. Oh and souper! ;-)

ted