Film Still Photography
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Salzburg, Austria

"No place is boring if you've had a good night's sleep and a pocket full of film." - Robert Adams
​
"Tea first, then photography..." - Philip Lee Harvey

From an Article written by Philip Lee Harvey

Pushing Results

12/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
As mentioned last night, undeveloped film has been stacking up so I developed two rolls yesterday which were HP5+ from Ilford with a native ISO rating of 400.  I pushed it to ISO 800.  By this I mean that I set the camera for ISO 800 and shot normally. When I developed I developed it with the ISO 800 time.  This means more time spent in the development fluid.

Pushing and pulling film, defined as processing the film at a faster or slower rating than the manufacturer suggests, is a great tool for film photographers. When I go on vacation I typically take some rolls of HP5 rated at ISO 400 and HP4 rated at ISO 125. If I am shooting in strong light I will load the ISO 125 film but for most of my shooting I like ISO 400.  

But there are times when there is far too little light for ISO 400 and a tripod is not an option. I can then choose to shoot my ISO 400 film at ISO 800 and let it sit in the development soup a little longer.  The benefits are that I take less types of film with me while still being able to shoot a wide range of light conditions. Pushing and pulling film also gives it a different character to the shots.

The downsides are that the grain structure may increase beyond a point which is considered pleasing. The point at whcih this happens is very subjective however I find that high grain reminisent of Henry Cartier Bresson shots. Take a look at "The Decisive Moment" and you will see grain in all its glory.
Picture
Picture
The shot on the left (of the boat on a rack) was shot on HP5 and pushed to ISO 800. The shot on the right was also shot on HP5 but kept at ISO 400. Both developed on ID-11 at a 1:1 mixture.
Picture
A close up of both images shot the grain difference between the two. The pushed shot has larger grain size in the shadow regions. The amoung of grain does not change but the size does. Both have been scanned with a very poor scanner (it is fast and dirty but my real prints are made in the darkroom so I do not need high quality scans).  

Below are the shots I took with my Nikon F2.  The Lake District is a fantastic place with vibrant colors and wonderful people. After this roll I switched to some color film but I just ordered my C-41 chemicals to process those.  

The shots of the hotel were meant (fell a bit short) to capture some of the old grandeur of the hotel. This place was popular in the 1930's and it was great to see its dated past in the decor.  
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    Patrick...confirmed film & digital photography addict.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from left-hand, Ant Jackson, Skley, mikecogh, Helen.Yang, TheeErin, Dean Hochman, CJS*64, DaveR1988, FootMassagez, Loco Steve, dmytrok, Christiaan Colen
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Vintage Cameras
    • Argus 75
    • Brownie Flash II
    • Contax G2
    • Ensign Selfix 820
    • FED-1 (PE0320)
    • Graflex Crown Graphic
    • Ihagee Exa
    • Leica M6
    • Nikon S2
    • Nikon F
    • Nikon F2
    • Nikon F3
    • Nikon FA
    • Olympus OM-1
    • Olympus OM-2 SPOT
    • Olympus Stylus
    • Pentacon Six
    • Pentax Spotmatic IIa
    • Rollei 35
    • Voigtlander 15mm ver III
    • Yashica C
    • Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2
  • Learning Composition
    • The Monochrome Diaries
    • Single & Multi Elements
    • Symmetry
    • Keep the Right Strong
    • Framing
    • Color in Composition
    • Deep Dive Bubble Man
    • Photo Assignments
  • Darkroom Lessons
    • Building a Sink
    • Air Ventilation
    • Analyser Pro
    • Development Hints
    • Primer for Film Photography
    • Bulk Loading Film
    • Pushing & Pulling Film
    • Color Development
    • Digital Contact Sheets
    • Stick to One Film Stock?
    • HP5+ Shot at 200 ISO
    • HP5 Shot at 1600 ISO
    • HP5 Shot at 3200 ISO
    • Medium Format
    • Washing Film
    • Split Grade Printing
    • Using Distilled Water in Film Development
    • Darkroom Paper
    • Foma100 EI 400
  • Photography Books & Films
    • Colin O'Brien
    • Lartigue Life in Color
    • Magnum Contact Sheets
    • Top Photography Movies
    • William Eggleston's Guide
    • Helen Levitt
    • Sally Mann Immediate Family
    • Saul Leiter Early B&W
    • Leica 100 yrs
    • Calendar Days of Asaya Hamaya
    • The Decisive Moment
    • Regarding Women
    • Robert Capa in Love and War
  • Single Image Deep Dive
    • Sergio Larrain "A Man After Dark"
    • Colin O'Brien 'Comings & Goings"
    • Erwitt Mother & Child
    • Man Running
    • Samuel Becket
    • Koudelka Wristwatch
    • Dovima with Elephants