First time push processing - Opinions please...

[lewismalpas]

Hey TPF,

I just picked up my first roll of push processed film (Ilford hp5+ rated at 1600) and I wanted to ask for some critique and advice to see how I could get better results. I knew pushing the film would increase the grain and contrast but I didn't realise just how gritty and grainy they would actually be. It looks like the shots in relatively well lit areas came out really nicely, however the shots with little available light have some extreme grain going on.

I had the roll developed at a lab who process all of my time, do you think the developer had a big effect on the grain and contrast? I am not sure what developer was used but I will call tomorrow and ask.

Here are a few nice examples:
---_0017 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
---_0016 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
---_0007 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
---_0001 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Here are a few extremely grainy examples:
---_0018 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
---_0011 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
---_0005 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
---_0002 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Many thanks for your help,
Lewis.

 

[limr]

Pushing 400 speed film to 1600? Yes, you're going to get grain. The second set you posted are in very low light situations and it seems you're lucky you got anything at all. How did you meter the shots? Might be a combo of low light situation AND underexposure. Those dark shots seem quite strained.

I haven't done a lot of push processing, but I imagine you'd get better results if you didn't try to push so far. I've pushed Trix (400) to 800 and gotten much less grain.

Edited: Hmm, forgot to add: what developer did the lab use? A bit of poking around and I found you might be better off pushing that far with different developers.

https://www.flickr.com/groups/filmphotographypodcast/discuss/72157631704811245/

 

[gsgary]

Did you allow for reciprocity ? Reciprocity (photography) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/20106281054152313.pdf
your second batch must have been underexposed

This is HP5 pushed to 1600 and developed in LC29 which is not the best for pushing i now use DDX

 

[lewismalpas]

I didn't allow for reciprocity failure as I thought this only occurred when shooting long exposures, however the Wikipedia article says:

"At very low light levels, film is less responsive. Light can be considered to be a stream of discrete photons, and a light-sensitive emulsion is composed of discrete light-sensitive grains, usually silver halide crystals. Each grain must absorb a certain number of photons in order for the light-driven reaction to occur and the latent image to form"

Most of the time I was shooting wide open (between F1.8 and F4) with a shutter speed winding up in the 1/60 - 1/125 region, how would I meter/shoot differently to account for reciprocity failure? Would I just overexpose by a stop to compensate? Also would a film like Tri-X handle this type of shooting any better than HP5+?

I also rang the lab this morning and they developed the film in Neotonal which I am not familiar with...

 

[gsgary]

I am not familiar with it, but one of the best for HP5 is DDX, i have shot it at iso3200 and stand developed in Rodinal with go results , HP5 is great at iso800

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