How to develop good photo

[sumball]

I have tried to develop my own film and my question now is "what is consider as good and bad?".

The method I used to develop my film is based on the sticky thread by SS and from what I can see is the pic did develop but how do tell if I did it correctly or not such as high contrast, silky grey to white or black...

Can anybody here help me?

Thank you.
Chee Ming

 

[theITguy]

so is it fun? got time we do it together for fun. wanna try the reversal kit to make it into slide? hehe :devil:

 

[student]

I have tried to develop my own film and my question now is "what is consider as good and bad?".

The method I used to develop my film is based on the sticky thread by SS and from what I can see is the pic did develop but how do tell if I did it correctly or not such as high contrast, silky grey to white or black...

Can anybody here help me?

Thank you.
Chee Ming

Let me put it this way. And I keep the discussion to films only.

1 What is considered a "good negative" in the conventional sense
2 What is considered a "good negative" for your own artistic interpretation and requirements.

1 A "good negative" in the conventional sense is one that has good details in the shadows which you consider important to have details, and which have good details in the high values which you want to have details. In this negative, it does not mean that there are no areas that are totally devoid of details or totally blown off. What it mean is that for those areas that you want to have details, you have them.

For example, in the portrait of a person with black hair and white shirt, taken in harsh sunlight with shadows below the nose and chin, your good negative would have details in the black hair and the white shirt. But the area under the chin may be totally black. You had allowed this and it is a good detail. However if your desire is to have details in the shadow below the chin, then the previous negative would not be good.

2 A "good negative" for your own artistic interpretation is one which have details or no details where you want them. The negative may depart radically from the conventional sense. Using the example, if your artistic interpretation is to make sure that there is no details in the hair and shirt, and your negative is exactly that, then that to you is a good negative. It may not be my idea of a good negative. But it will fit your requirements.

 

[sumball]

Thanks "Student", that means it is depends on the film itself to get a good contrast photo? Not the timing, temp, chemical,...etc?

The neg I developed seems to be a bit dull, is there anyway to improve it?

wanna try the reversal kit to make it into slide? hehe

What reversal kit?

 

[student]

Thanks "Student", that means it is depends on the film itself to get a good contrast photo? Not the timing, temp, chemical,...etc?

The neg I developed seems to be a bit dull, is there anyway to improve it?


What reversal kit?

Regarding contrast:

1 Slower films are inherently more contrasty. I am talking about ASA 25. For most films in the region of 100-400, the contrast inherent in a film is not excessive.

2 Contrast in a film depends firstly on the contrast level in the scene. If you take a picture of a monochrome wall, you don't get any contrast at all. On the other hand, if you take a picture of a lighted lamp-post at night, you will get a hell of a contrast!

3 Contrast can also be changed by appropriate filters. Example: pictures of green and red apples. In monochrome, the green and red are almost the same. And the contrast level will be low, and the picture "flat". But if you use a green or a red filter, you increase the contrast by blocking one color and allowing the other to come through.

4 Contrast can also be increased or reduced during development. In the night scene quoted above, where contrast is really excessive, contrast can be severely curtailed by several methods, such as using stand development.

On the other hand, in "flat scenes", contrast can be increased by increasing concentration of developer, temperature, more agitation.Note that increasing contrast by increasing development often leads to increased grain. Increased concentration of developer might not increase grain.

Finally regarding your flat/dull negative, meaning low contrast. If the shadows have good details, the contrast can be increased by one stop by putting your negative in a Kodak Selenium 1:1 with constant agitation for about ten minutes. However if your negative is basically underexposed with weak shadows, I think you should go out and shoot again! There is little that you can do for underexposed negatives!

 

[student]

The method I used to develop my film is based on the sticky thread by SS and from what I can see is the pic did develop

I just took a look at te thread on film developing by SS.

Basically all it describes is one method to develop the negatives. It does not address how to make a good negative. It does not talk at all about how to evaluate a negative at all.

To get a good negative, one need a little more. Such as the ability to assess light ( a simple example is the green and red apples), learning how to expose, and learning how to develop.

I suggest that you might like to attend the Circle of Light Meeting this month (see gatherings)