Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/03/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]What I'm trying for is a lot of grays like I get from grayscaling color print film in PS. My reference to Capa and HCB was not so much their subjects or style of shooting as the qualities of their negatives and prints (the technical side). I learned 30 years ago that the Zone System is hard to use down here when it is sunny outside. You either get zones I - VIII or zones III-X. Try to bracket, and you can get zones II-VIII. Very frustrating. So I need to */Watch the light/* from a very basic perspective, i.e., don't try to shoot in broad daylight without clouds. I suspect that many of the folks on this forum like to shoot in indoor available light because they CAN get zones I-X in one image with rich grays, no blown highlights, and no blocked-up shadows. For me, a badly shot negative cannot really be "fixed" per se in PhotoShop. At best, it can be salvaged. In scanning about 20 rolls in the past few weeks using a variety of films and developers, I have come to the conclusion that the guy who develops film in the local pro lab down the street is meticulous enough and enough of a perfectionist that I may need to rely on him to develop my film until I find a look that I like. Then I'll stick with that film. The days of XP2 and T400CN sure were easier...they were always exactly the same roll after roll. Jeffery Smith New Orleans, LA http://www.400tx.com > Jeffery: If all it took to emulate Capa, HCB or Frank was a trip to the local photo store we'd all be rich and famous. Unfortunately, (well, you fill in the rest) One point though, density is a function of exposure not film speed and in fact slower films are much thinner emulsions than say Tri-X or HP5. I'd bet Capa and Bresson were shooting something akin to the fast films of their day. When Photographers Formulary starts producing their Rodinal copy in liquid form and you're still looking for "that look" try it and Tri-X. That darn stuff was the oldest formula developer on the market and would give substance to your images like nothing else. If you want to experiment, try 1 camera, 1 lens (28 or 35) and a pocket full of film. Go back to the 9th ward (where you've done so well already) and pick one scene. Do this one scene until it can't be done any better. Most importantly, look at the scene. */Watch the light/*, and when it's time to shoot, do it. Don't forget the most important thing, /*Watch the light. */When you think you can't do it any better, stop and /*Watch the light. */That's why they call it photography. Walt _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information