Just getting the hang of my Pacemaker Speed Graphic. This is on Arista Edu 400 with the Buhl 200/3.2. Finally getting close to the right exposure, still working on my developing and scanning.
WoW, that is SOOO grainy. I've shot 4x5 and it was really sharp but still had the film look.
I would crop about 50% off of the outside to give the subject more strength. She's a lovely model and a great pose and composition with a stronger crop! Those blown whites don't help but I guess it gives the shadows a bit more detail. All that OOF area adds nothing to the subject.
Its a very beautiful image if you can pull it off!
Nice work
John
Visually there is a lot going on in this photo that I love. The tonal range is very nice, the lighting on her face contours her in the most flattering way, the use of depth of field is really well done, the grain and dust add to the general nostalgic vibe, and her pose is nice in that it seems to add a sense of calm movement. While I feel that in some cases the main focal point of a photo of a person doesn't always have to be the face, I do feel as if in this photo her face should be the first place the eye is led to, but the white shirt is so over exposed that my attention is immediately brought to her shirt, and it's so overpowering that it reduces the overall impact of everything else that's so beautiful in this shot. If you are open to photo editing I would just suggest using some masking in photoshop in order to selectively reduce the brightness of the shirt. Otherwise, exquisite shot.
Yes and if the info is in the negative (highlights/shoulder) then print to hold it. If not next time be aware and cut back on the negative development time. With B&W negative film after 50% of the dev time the shadows have been process. After that you are controlling the highlights. So expose for the shadows and process for the highlights. So say your normal dev time is normally 10 minutes at 68 degrees try 7 1/2 minutes at 68 degrees. That would be about an N-1.
