Scott Pickering & John-Paul Efke 25 in Rodinal 1:50 SKIN TONES

[stephen sullivan]

A few months ago, I noticed your respective threads on Efke 25 / 50 and skin tones.

 

This past week or so, I was fortunate to photograph a woman (Priscilla) who is very natural with a good

amount of red in her skin.

 

EOS 1 with EF 28 F/1.8 USM with B+W Yellow-Green. Efke 25 in Rodinal 1:50 @ 20c at 9MIN.

 

Played with Mid-Levels in photoshop 0 - 1.00 - 2.55 change to 9 - .80 - 250

 

Stephen

[25asa]

I've now learned that Efke 25 is not a good film to shoot in the sun with people. Way too much contrast. Your shot doesn't look too bad however. I haven't been able to get that darker skin tone since that first roll I took. Even filters didn't change much. Your shot her face is still quite light, or normal by other B&&W film standards. Her arms are darker. But this all could be lighting. I don't know if I'll find out Efke's secret on how to get that darker skin tone look.

[stephen sullivan]

Scott. What the hell are you after! {What are you looking for them?"}

 

Thanks for the compliment, I guess.

 

Strange thing. I was dining in Red Robin yesterday- an American Chain Restaurant. There

was this famous picture of Bogie. Geeze, if that isn't the standard of Swarthy skin tones, then

What the Hell are you looking for. Amos and Andy in Black Face?

[25asa]

I'll show you a pick from the roll of film I was only once able to get those dark skin tones. This was shot in July 2004. The sun was just peaking out, but for all purposes- it was overcast out. I shot it around 1/15 at f2.8 handlheld on my 6x7. Granted its blurry due to the slow speed, I still got a good result with tones. Im not sure how much of this is due to a high contrast type of film, but I've not been able to replicate this look since.

[25asa]

Im not knocking your results. I was just assuming you were trying to show me darker tone in skin since that was the topic of conversation with my Efke posts. Forgive me if you felt I was insulting your shot. See my above post for my sample.

[stephen sullivan]

Sorry, "Amos & Andy perpetrating being in black face?" As in reference to having Dark Skin

Tones.

[stephen sullivan]

Scott. Looking at both pictures, I believe I achieve more pleasing skin tone, than you did.

Yours are blown over 50% of your subjects skin. Plus, I achieved a deeper, what shall we call

it, tan / swarthy?

[25asa]

Here's another shot.

[25asa]

Sorry- my scans are not so great off my flatbed. There is actually info in the blownout areas, but I was trying to get similar results with the prints I ended up getting. Your shot is perfectly good. I just at the time of scanning wasn't so Photoshop savvy. Had I had a film scanner instead, I may have gotten better results off of the neg. I don't show these shots because of the technical flaws, but it does demonstrate how dark I want the skin tones to look when I want this effect.

[stephen sullivan]

I like the background, hair highlights and teeth. One can get a more pleasing picture with /

better skin tones wtih Kodak Plus in D-76 1:1 and a UV Filter.

[stephen sullivan]

Thanks for challenging me Scott.

[stephen sullivan]

It's been fun. And, I like your work. Plus your detailed scans of new and improved (so called)

film.

[25asa]

UV filter? Do you mean another filter?

[stephen sullivan]

Scratch, "So Called" It is still film.

 

Long live B&W Film along with B&W Chemistry.

[25asa]

No problem. Don't take anything I say as an insult. Not my intention. Its just I was blown away when I got this roll back in 2004 and wanted to get more like it. I have failed to replicate it ever since. And this model (a lady I know who was willing to pose at the time) is no longer available to do pics again, so I can't use her either.

[stephen sullivan]

Here is a shot of my Cousin this past Thanksgiving by her elder sister.

 

Kodak Plus-X in Xtol Sock. EOS 1 with EF 85 f/1.8 shot w/UV with 430EZ

[25asa]

Now thats closer to what Im talking about! Yes. Usually when I shoot black and white, my skin tones are quite light. And I have mine done in Xtol at a lab. That or the lighting isn't the greatest. How does a UV filter effect the look? Isn't it basically a clear glass with effects only on the invisible UV spectrum?

[willscarlett]

Hey Stephen! Just wondering which of my Efke skin tone posts you saw a few months ago

- was it a thread I started or one I replied to?

 

I noticed you used a yellow+green filter. I'm going to guess you were going for more ortho

skin tones? My first suggestion would be to try a straight green filter. There's also a

company called Harrison & Harrison out in CA that will make you a 50 Cyan filter that will

turn normal pan film into ortho film. Or you could try the Rollei Ortho...I tried one roll of it

and it's amazingly sharp film... not to mention the skin tones it gives.

 

I've gotten some great looks off Efke film. I especially how it adds a bit of punch to a

cloudy/overcast day while still allowing you to develop normal. I do agree that Efke can be

hard to control in lots of sunlight. I'll post some examples. I still think Efke is worth

experiment with in the sun tho.

 

For comparison's sake, all my shots were developed in straight D-76. I plan on using more

Rodinal when class starts up on Monday, but so far I've used Rodinal once on some

Bergger 200... sorta grainy, but amazingly creamy skin tones.<div></div>

[willscarlett]

so that last shot was an example of too much sun/contrast with Efke 25. here are some

examples of it being more normalized.<div></div>

[willscarlett]

i should also note that these are all raw scans<div></div>

[willscarlett]

this isn't a great shot, but it really shows the kinds of skin tones ortho can deliver with the

proper subject and lighting. of all the shots on that roll, the ortho effect seemed to come out

better when the subject wasn't in direct sun.<div></div>

[stephen sullivan]

John, didn't you post an image in December / January titled, "... Kiss the Sky..."

 

I think it's of the model posted above in a black dress.

 

Efke 25 I shot with a B+W Yellow-Green Filter.

 

I tried again with the Rollei Ortho 25 with a B+W Green Filter. I didn't get as dark of skin tones as you did in the posted above. But darker than the Efke with Yellow-Green.

 

The Efke 25 is some fun film to shoot with. Any suggestions on how to keep the film from excessively curling after developing?

 

Thanks Scott and John turn me on to it.

[25asa]

John Paul,

I didn't want to try that ortho film because I'd thought it would have super high contrast in normal developers. You used D-76? Anyways I dont mind using filters when I need to. The Rollei films tend to be super expensive, so I stick with normal B&W film.

[25asa]

I send all my B&W to a lab to do. I can't develop my own films here where I live. Anyways a year or two ago I got a call from the lab saying my film would be a day late. When I got it back it was curling up like crazy. It was Efke 100. All I could do was put the neg between some books for a while.

 

Efke 25 is some nice film. Ive got a 16x20 from it done on 120 6x7 and its grain free and very sharp. I bought some in 35mm too, but haven't really used much of that yet. I really need some new things to shoot. I don't have any models I can use right now other then my friend George. Its getting a little repetitive to keep using him all the time. I need to find some new ladies. :P

[jeff_drew4]

I love Red Robin burgers! . . . and never use ISO25 films for people shots as these films exhibit way more contrast than I like, even in color. You probably could go more green on the filter and develop in microdol for lower contrast, but I would choose a different film.