Nooby getting hazy photos

Hi! Today I developed my own photographs for the first time. Exciting to do, but I’ve ran in to a problem: photos (shot on Yashica-A) turn out greyish or hazy. Film was developed by a proffesional (didn’t want to screw that part up for now). I got one of those starterkits with Adox Neutol NE and Adoxfix plus printing of Easyprint 312 using my Opemus IIa. Anyone got an idea where this is coming from? My darkroom seems to be dark enough. Thanks for your help!

 

 

Your negatives could have been underexposed and/or underdeveloped. To check for underdevelopment, look at the numbers at the film edge. With most films these should be very dark, not grey. This could account for the low contrast, although that could also result from poor quality printing paper or developer that was old or too diluted for use. I haven't used the Adox products that you mention so I can't make any specific suggestions about them.

Do you get a real white on your paper? if not it would be past its shelf time or maybe overdeveloped.

I didn't see the scene of you taking the outdoors picture. Might it have been a dull day? - If so red filters can help against fog & haze.

The portrait looks backlit. - Lens flare?

Further suspects: Not that great lens, shot wide open? - Some get pretty soft. IDK yours / no gear bashing intended.

OOF?

Camera shake?

Underexposure? (due to too high contrast? or metering for the window too?)

 

Don't challenge every variable at once.

 

To get quite printable negs processed by others either use the silver film stock at the speed they are recommending and have it soaked together with their stuff or shoot something like XP2.

Is your safelight, well, safe?

 

Take a sheet of paper, place it on your enlarger, put a few coins on it and leave it there for 15 minutes, then process. If you can see outlines of the coins...

 

I mention this as some variable contrast papers are not at all safe with the common yellow-brown safelights sold for use with variable contrast paper. Foma, in particular, needs a low powered red safelight.

Dirty, scratched or poor-quality enlarging lens?

Your negatives could have been underexposed and/or underdeveloped. To check for underdevelopment, look at the numbers at the film edge. With most films these should be very dark, not grey. This could account for the low contrast, although that could also result from poor quality printing paper or developer that was old or too diluted for use. I haven't used the Adox products that you mention so I can't make any specific suggestions about them.

I checked the numbers, they seem to be dark as can be. I might have to try another developer.

The backlight spread (from the window) in the indoor portrait is camera flare. Highlights spreading into dark areas are always camera/negative related and nothing to do with the printing.

 

Maybe the camera lens got some condensation on it? Not uncommon when moving from outdoors to in, or vice-versa.

 

A dirty, scratched or hazy enlarging lens OTOH spreads the shadows into the highlight/mid tones. Or will just give 'muddy' looking prints.

 

Overexposing and under-developing the print gives a muddy result too. As does developing at too low a temperature. Print developer should feel lukewarm to the touch IMO. In my experience, the 'correct' 20C/68F recommendation nearly always results in poor black density with modern silver-poor papers and too-dilute print developers.

 

Bring back D-163! Or at least Dektol if you must.

 

I see little sign of darkroom fog on those prints, but a comparison with a sheet of white copier paper would be helpful.

Do you get a real white on your paper? if not it would be past its shelf time or maybe overdeveloped.

I didn't see the scene of you taking the outdoors picture. Might it have been a dull day? - If so red filters can help against fog & haze.

The portrait looks backlit. - Lens flare?

Further suspects: Not that great lens, shot wide open? - Some get pretty soft. IDK yours / no gear bashing intended.

OOF?

Camera shake?

Underexposure? (due to too high contrast? or metering for the window too?)

 

Don't challenge every variable at once.

 

To get quite printable negs processed by others either use the silver film stock at the speed they are recommending and have it soaked together with their stuff or shoot something like XP2.

 

 

 

Yeah I bought some XP2 a few weeks ago so we will see what a difference that makes.

 

Bashing is welcome btw :p a fast learning curve is a sharp one so stab me with your insults.

 

As to the lens: I’m planning on letting the same guys that developed the film to print some pictures to see if the lens/camera is the problem and not my darkroom/chemicals. But the negatives seem to be sharp/not hazy.

 

I think to remember is shot on a aperture of 8 so not wide open then and it was a bit cloudy but nothing to bad. Besides it happened of a few different photos shot under different circumstances.

Is your safelight, well, safe?

 

Take a sheet of paper, place it on your enlarger, put a few coins on it and leave it there for 15 minutes, then process. If you can see outlines of the coins...

 

I mention this as some variable contrast papers are not at all safe with the common yellow-brown safelights sold for use with variable contrast paper. Foma, in particular, needs a low powered red safelight.

Ill try that next time!

Outdated paper that is spoiled or safelight not safe.

Test safelight--- Place a piece of unexposed photo paper on your enlarger baseboard or work area under safelight conditions. Place 15 coins on the paper. Using a timer, remove a coin every 15 seconds. When all the coins are removed, quickly develop this paper, I suggest 120 seconds developing time. Stop and fix this paper according to your normal routine. Now examine the paper. You will see circular shadowgraphs where the coins were place. You will see that each has a different degree of blacking. From this pattern, you can determine if your safelight is truly safe and how long the paper will tolerate being exposed to the safelight.

Yeah I bought some XP2 a few weeks ago so we will see what a difference that makes.

It'll make none whatsoever to the prints.

 

Why is everyone fixated (sorry!) on darkroom fogging? When that doesn't seem to be the OP's problem at all?

 

It looks to me as if there are two issues. Poor, greyish blacks in the prints, and a haziness that appears to be caused by the camera lens.

 

The white surround of the prints looks pretty white to me, as does the sky in the second shot, and the overexposed window in the portrait. OK, those areas look yellowed in the images we're shown, but I suspect that's down to the quick snapshots of the prints having an incorrect white balance.

 

In fact the low-quality snapshots of the prints aren't really good enough to diagnose the issue clearly. Perhaps the OP could provide scans of the prints, and/or the negatives directly?

 

Here's the WB corrected on the 2nd print... well, nearly.

Edited February 9, 2021 by rodeo_joe|1