My Darkroom setup - What could I be doing better?

[Gavjenks]

it just seems too contrasty and underexposed?

Well underexposed:
1) Expose the film longer, and/or
2) Develop it longer.

If you're absolutely positive you exposed it correctly in camera though, then I'd focus on #2. And when it comes to anything like this, simply take a few test shots of the same exact thing under the same exact lighting, and develop one for your normal amount of time, one for that +10% more time, one for +20% more time, or whatever, and compare results. Systematic bracketing will show you the ideal. You just have to dial it in.

As for contrast:
1) If it isn't completely blown out or blocked up at the extremes, then just fix the contrast on your computer.
2) If the data is still there in the negative, but your scanner or whatever doesn't have as good of dynamic range as the film, you could do an HDR of different scans at different levels.
3) If it is so contrasty that there is no data in the negative, though, then you should either change the lighting in the scene if you can, or use a lower contrast developing technique. There are certain developers that are more or less made to give lower contrast, like Rodinal, HC-110, etc. But you can also take just about any developer you have on hand, dilute it way more than the package tells you to, and then just let it sit there with minimal or no agitation for like 30 minutes to an hour. It will take a lot of trial and error, but often you can get a well exposed, low contrast neg like this with almost anything.

If it tells you to do 1:29 for 9 minutes, try something along the lines of 1:100 for an hour, with agitation for the first 30 seconds, then none for the rest of the time, or with an inversion at 30 minutes. See what happens. Compare an identical shot to your current developing method. Muss around on either side of that guess a little bit, etc. If it's still completely blown out, then adjust it even more dilute than 1:100. Eventually you get to a point where time basically doesn't matter. half an hour or 5 hours will look about the same, because you're using up almost all the chemicals in there. That's where you want to be, pretty much.

Low concentrations with little agitation and longer time = lower contrast, because the bright areas use up developer quickly, and if you aren't agitating, there's none left in that local vicinity, so it stops developing. Whereas the darker areas continue to slowly develop. So it pulls up the shadows but the highlights sit there and don't go too far, because there's no chemicals left near them.

The risk is that you'll get streaking from chemicals seeping around though, from certain developers, especially with 35mm film. But it's worth a try before buying something else.

 

[gsgary]

Longer developement will give more contrast

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[gsgary]

Longer developement at 1+29 will give more contrast
Get some Rodinal mix it 1+100 agitate for first 30 seconds and put it in the fridge for 1 hour
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