Thursday, June 10, 2004
It took dialing in quite a bit of filtration to get some contrast into the gray mud of the negatives from Saturday's session in the rain. A few of the frames were worth the effort, with this 
sprite at the falls being among my favorites.
Took a hike through Patapsco State Park on Tuesday to scout some locations for a shoot and to do some testing with Ilford Delta 400. The previous two rolls I'd shot with it were disappointing and a bit of testing with this last roll makes me feel more confident in the film. I'll need the extra 2 stops for shooting in the shaded environment of the forest but want something smoother than the grainy Delta 3200. Initial impressions, just looking at the negs without printing them yet, seem to indicate I can use it close to the advertised 400 but might drop back to 320 or so if I want some added shadow detail. Development in Xtol at 1:1 for 11:30 seemed to be close enough to the mark for the moment, though I'll refine that as I gain more experience with the film.
Shooting schedule is filling up with a trip up to some falls in PA around mid-July, a couple of probable midweek sessions at Kilgore and other local parks and maybe even a shoot next week if the weather cooperates.
Posted by coldmarble @ 08:29 AM ET [Link] [blab]
Sunday, June 6, 2004
Photo notes to self:
1. Next time, don't shoot Ilford 3200 at 3200... try 1600 or maybe 2400 at most. Definite lack of shadow detail in yesterday's negs.
2. When shooting in a rainstorm and/or heavy cloud cover with very diffuse light, extend development time to boost almost nonexistent contrast.
3. Find some way to keep at least a small patch of cloth dry for wiping fog and rain drops from lens, viewfinder and eyeglasses.
Pretty much in slow motion mode today. Up too early and up too late yesterday, plus a continuation of the less than bright weather, means I still feel half asleep. Tried a nap to shake off the mind fog but city noises decided they didn't want to cooperate.
Posted by coldmarble @ 06:14 PM ET [Link] [blab]
