Pull processing

Egomonster

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I have a problem... I took some pictues (Kodak TMax 400) at dawn, when the sunhine was not as strong as during the day (came from a low point) but it was still pretty bright. I took pictures where the sun came from behind, and I used 5.6 or 8 as an aperture, and the shutter was 1/30. (Might not be right though, I'm a false beginner in photgraphy, so can't remember the correct settings... ) But then I also took photos where teh sun wasn't coming from behind, again in teh sunhine, WITH THE SAME SHUTTER SETTINGS! (I meant to change the shutter settings as well, but it was such a fast situation I forgot... Now how many stops would you estimate that I need to underexpose the film? It would be ideal, if I could make some kind of a compromise beween these two types of photos, so that they would both come out fine...

I'd really appreaciate some help here... Thanks in advance for any input! :D
 
Let me get this straight...

You metered with the sun behind the clouds, and took some pics. And then took more pics when it came out from behind the clouds, without altering your exposure. Is that right? Or the other way around?
 
Actually I didn't meter it at all, just guessed the settings.

The situation was like this: the sky was cloudless the whole time. Part of the pictures I tokk so that my model was standing infront of the sun. Then I went to the other side of the model so that I was between the sun and the model (my back towards the sun), and the sunhine came directly to the models face.
 
Egomonster said:
Actually I didn't meter it at all, just guessed the settings.

Then you can't make any accurate assesment of the needed development change. Develop as normal, and see what you get.
 
Ok, but just one question, would my photos not get completely ruined if I develop them normally? For me 5.6 + 1/30 with ISO 400 in the sunshine sounds way too much light... Or do you think it could still be fixed at the printing stage?
 
Could someone answer at least these questions (as I'm about to develope my film tonight, I'll just guess the processing time then...):

1) Is 1/30 s / 5.6 (or 8) with ISO 400 film in the sunshine waaaay too much light?
2) Are the same settings more or less OK if the sun comes from behind the model?
 
Egomonster said:
Could someone answer at least these questions (as I'm about to develope my film tonight, I'll just guess the processing time then...):

1) Is 1/30 s / 5.6 (or 8) with ISO 400 film in the sunshine waaaay too much light?
2) Are the same settings more or less OK if the sun comes from behind the model?

With direct sun lighting your subject and ISO 400 the exposure should have been about f/16 @ 1/400th, or f/5.6 @ 1/2000th, so you are about 6 stops over exposed (exposed for ISO 6).

For the shadowed side of the subject I'd guess it's about 3 stops less light, maybe 2, maybe 4, it can depend on how the light is bouncing around. So for these shots you might only be off by 3 or so stops (shot at ISO 50).

You are going to want to reduce development time. There is a bottom limit to safe development times. I'd look on the film manufacturer's website, and see if you can find a minimum safe development time, and go with that. Your negs are going to be very dense (dark). If you are printing them yourself, you will be able to compensate somewhat in the darkroom, at the printing stage, with longer print exposure times.

Good luck, and use your meter!
 

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