my 1st film photog class & my prints

[y0aimee]

I'm taking my very 1st film photography class this semester and I just wanted to share with everyone my progression and the prints I developed on my own. I will update & post new pics each time I finish a print(s).

Oh, and I have to take pics of my prints because I don't have a scanner. =/ I know, I know.. ghetto. LOL. I tried my best to keep the pics exactly the same as my prints.. so excuse the double picture effects which turn out flat. I'll get around to using the scanner at school once I get the chance. Sorry.

Camera: Nikon FE 35mm slr
Film: Ilford HP5 plus 400 b&w
Paper: Ilford multigrade FB


C&C is always welcome!

1 3 separate prints here

2

3

4

5 i really like this one.

6 [3/6/10] i love how this turned out.

7 [3/8/10] I don't have exposure times for #7-9 b/c these were already submitted before I got all the great suggestions in my thread.

8

9

Keep checking back because I will update my 1st post with pics of finished prints. Thanks for looking!

 

[Kristov]

I really really like the second one. If you're doing you're own printing, personally I'd burn the top just a second or so, to get a hair more detail. I really like the gray tones though overall.

I do like the rest, but 2 stands out to me. Makes me think of an ice cream place I used to go to as a kid.

 

[terri]

Hi yOaimee - I moved your thread from the Alternative section over to Film Discussion, since regular darkroom printing is not in itself an alternative technique.

I am interested in the photos of the prints you showed. They look like you did some kind of toning on them, sepia or brown, maybe? I really like the one of the bicycle.

The B&W prints look a little flat. Has your instructor talked about trying various grades of contrast? Your subject matter is interesting - you seem to be drawn to strong shadows, which is something I like a lot. Keep up the good work!

 

[matfoster]

"1 3 separate prints here"

i like the look of those together.

 

[Sbuxo]

Giiirrrl, I used to do the same thing before I got a scanner. Lol. I like the last one and the 1st of the single prints.
Are you using contrast filters in the enlarger? If you are, I would increase the mailbox one by 1/2 to make it pop a bit more.
great job though, they're very nice. :thumbup:

 

[y0aimee]

I really really like the second one. If you're doing you're own printing, personally I'd burn the top just a second or so, to get a hair more detail. I really like the gray tones though overall.

I do like the rest, but 2 stands out to me. Makes me think of an ice cream place I used to go to as a kid.

Thank you! Yea, I agree I should burn the top more. The pic that makes you reminisce about your childhood days was a shot taken on campus. =)

Hi yOaimee - I moved your thread from the Alternative section over to Film Discussion, since regular darkroom printing is not in itself an alternative technique.

I am interested in the photos of the prints you showed. They look like you did some kind of toning on them, sepia or brown, maybe? I really like the one of the bicycle.

The B&W prints look a little flat. Has your instructor talked about trying various grades of contrast? Your subject matter is interesting - you seem to be drawn to strong shadows, which is something I like a lot. Keep up the good work!

Thanks Terri for moving it to the proper section.. it gets a bit confusing trying to figure out which section is more appropriate for the content I want to post. hehe. I'm still a noob on the forum.

For this assignment, my instructor told us to use filter #2 which is probably why there isnt much contrast. I'll keep this is mind for the next assignment.

And for some reason, I am drawn to shadows. I feel that it alters the subject just a tad and makes it more visually interesting. =)

"1 3 separate prints here"

i like the look of those together.

haha thanks! I'm getting that response alot from other forums I've shared my prints.

Giiirrrl, I used to do the same thing before I got a scanner. Lol. I like the last one and the 1st of the single prints.
Are you using contrast filters in the enlarger? If you are, I would increase the mailbox one by 1/2 to make it pop a bit more.
great job though, they're very nice. :thumbup:

haha good to know I'm not the only one who used another camera as a "scanner."

The filter my instructor wanted the class to use is filter #2. Like I said above, I'll keep the filters in mind for the next assignment as I do like to see more contrast. I wasnt too sure whether my instructor wanted us to stick w/ filter #2 or if it was ok to increase the contrast.

Overall, I am loving this class! I know it's still a beginner's course, but it makes me appreciate photography even more. I dont want to see film photography disappear amidst all these technological advances we have.

 

[Sbuxo]

I really really like the second one. If you're doing you're own printing, personally I'd burn the top just a second or so, to get a hair more detail. I really like the gray tones though overall.

I do like the rest, but 2 stands out to me. Makes me think of an ice cream place I used to go to as a kid.

Thank you! Yea, I agree I should burn the top more. The pic that makes you reminisce about your childhood days was a shot taken on campus. =)

Hi yOaimee - I moved your thread from the Alternative section over to Film Discussion, since regular darkroom printing is not in itself an alternative technique.

I am interested in the photos of the prints you showed. They look like you did some kind of toning on them, sepia or brown, maybe? I really like the one of the bicycle.

The B&W prints look a little flat. Has your instructor talked about trying various grades of contrast? Your subject matter is interesting - you seem to be drawn to strong shadows, which is something I like a lot. Keep up the good work!

Thanks Terri for moving it to the proper section.. it gets a bit confusing trying to figure out which section is more appropriate for the content I want to post. hehe. I'm still a noob on the forum.

For this assignment, my instructor told us to use filter #2 which is probably why there isnt much contrast. I'll keep this is mind for the next assignment.

And for some reason, I am drawn to shadows. I feel that it alters the subject just a tad and makes it more visually interesting. =)

"1 3 separate prints here"

i like the look of those together.

haha thanks! I'm getting that response alot from other forums I've shared my prints.

Giiirrrl, I used to do the same thing before I got a scanner. Lol. I like the last one and the 1st of the single prints.
Are you using contrast filters in the enlarger? If you are, I would increase the mailbox one by 1/2 to make it pop a bit more.
great job though, they're very nice. :thumbup:

haha good to know I'm not the only one who used another camera as a "scanner."

The filter my instructor wanted the class to use is filter #2. Like I said above, I'll keep the filters in mind for the next assignment as I do like to see more contrast. I wasnt too sure whether my instructor wanted us to stick w/ filter #2 or if it was ok to increase the contrast.

Overall, I am loving this class! I know it's still a beginner's course, but it makes me appreciate photography even more. I dont want to see film photography disappear amidst all these technological advances we have.

Well in mine, we start w/ 2 and go up and down as we see fit.

 

[compur]

Lovely, lovely. You have talent.

 

[y0aimee]

^^ Thank you!! :blushing:

I added another print I finished earlier today in lab in the 1st post. Only printed 1 because I still had to process my roll of film.

 

[Kristov]

That new one looks great. You have the rich blacks and the white whites. Looks good to me.

 

[terri]

^^ Thank you!! :blushing:

I added another print I finished earlier today in lab in the 1st post. Only printed 1 because I still had to process my roll of film.

May I make a suggestion? We have a lot of experienced darkroom folks here. It might help you learn if you'd share with us your processing steps when you post new photos. Tell us your filter grade, exposure times, developer, development times, and paper. I'm a big fan of making notes in the darkroom, in general. Making notes and getting feedback on the results is such a great way to learn. You can then go back and print the same images while applying certain suggestions, and then compare your end results. Can be a real eye-opener.

Just an idea!

 

[Derrel]

yOaimee,
Some nice B&W studies on light and shadow, as well as shapes. I think for anybody's first work these show a very high level of achievement. One thing that I "think" I see a bit of on prints 3,4,and 5 is a slight loss of overall contrast, possibly due to light pollution or maybe slightly exhausted developer. WHat I mean is probably best exemplified by shot 3, where you have a full range of tones, from a bright,specular highlight on the rim of the drinking fountain's bowl, on downward, but yet the overall level of contrast appears somewhat muted and grayish. Not that it's terrible or anything, but just something I've noticed, and which can happen in university or other communal darkrooms where lots of people are working simultaneously, removing negative carriers with the lamp on, using the enlarger lamp as a "worklight" to find the right negative, and that backwards worker who always reaches for the stop bath tongs and uses them in the developer, or the darkroom attendant who does not refresh the developer promptly, but instead is down at the snack shack getting a new coffee and rockin' out to iTunes,etc. Darkroom light pollution can easily affect prints made in communal darkrooms,and cause one's overall tonal palette to have a very faint, often almost imperceptible gray on top of otherwise perfectly-exposed prints. The easiest way to counteract it is to develop with the print face-down in the developer,to minimize stray white light from that my-enlarger-makes-a-good-contact-sheet reading-light guy.

Anyway...I think you've done a good job on these photographs. I used to be a university darkroom monitor,so I have seen the above types of things happen a lot. Of course--I was never guilty of letting the developer get stale or hangin' out at the snack shop and rocking to iTunes because iTunes wasn't yet invented.

 

[djacobox372]

Excellent work! I'm always impressed when I see black and white photos where it's obvious the photographer was focusing on the light, composition and texture and not the subject matter.

Ditto the others on the contrast suggestions, a 3 or 3.5 filter would make your images "pop" more.

Also, why not crop .3 closer to the fountain? In it's current form most observers will only see a water fountain, a tighter crop will focus more on the interesting lines and shapes that you were likely going for. Also the perspective is a bit distracting in this shot, a longer lens would have helped flatten this out.

All and all great work! makes me want to go out and shoot some b/w today myself.

 

[y0aimee]

Thanks everyone for your input & suggestions! I really do appreciate it. :razz:

I will start taking notes on my prints regarding exposure time, filter, aperture, etc. I noticed another student making notes on the back of her print before developing.

On my last print, I think there may have been light pollution because the exposure I ending up choosing was at 15sec. It seemed like it kept showing up too dark when it was between 20-30sec. Or maybe the developer might have been contaminated? Not sure, but either way I will re-do that print on Wednesday at a different enlarger station to see if I'm getting the same results.

 

[y0aimee]

1st post updated with #7-9.

Once again, I have to take pics of my prints because I don't have a scanner so excuse the double picture effects which turn out flat. I'll get around to using the scanner at school once I get the chance. Sorry.