Overexposed HP5+

[matthew_vortex]

Good news: I got some amazing foggy sunrise pictures

of horses on a hill in Georgetown, KY.

Bad news: I was in a rush, late for work, and my meter

was still set for ASA 100.

Now I have some once in a lifetime (maybe slight

exaggeration) pics that are two stops overexposed.

Should I process regularly and try to bring two stops

back after scanning? Should I pull one stop and take one

stop out in post? Nothing I've seen suggests that I can

take two stops out during development. What would you

do? A valuable mistake for my learning, but I'm really

hoping to save these pictures. Thanks in advance.

[mike dixon]

"Should I process regularly and try to bring two stops back after scanning?"

 

I wouldn't. The scanner could have trouble separating highlight details in dense negatives.

 

"Should I pull one stop and take one stop out in post?"

 

This is what I'd try. I used to regularly overexpose HP5+ by a third or two thirds of a stop, and the negatives weren't overly contrasty or dense. You should still get negatives that aren't too difficult to scan. Pulling development two stops for shots of a low-contrast scene would result is very low-contrast negatives.

[dhbebb]

<p>Many people rate HP5+ at ISO 200 as standard. If your pictures are of misty landscapes, in other words high key images in which light tones predominate, your camera (don't know what that is) may well have a tendency to underexpose slightly. I think you will get excellent results with normal development, since what you have effectively done is downrate the film box speed by one stop and add another stop exposure compensation for a high-key subject.</p>

[dave_s]

<p>The <a href="http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?Film=HP5&Developer=&mdc=Search&TempUnits=C">Massive Development Chart</a> has conditions for HP5+ in a variety of developers, right down to, so help me, EI 25. The MDC would be a good place to start. But I agree you probably want to give generous (N + 1) development given the low-contrast scene. What developer are you using? </p>

<p>Tell us how you get on with this, and please post the images with your commentary.</p>

[larrydressler]

<p>Pull it one stop and what developer are you using? It is easy to do but the developer makes the difference.</p>

[john_stockdale2]

<p>I think that David B is close to the mark. I would develop normally. There are reasons to develop less, and reasons to develop more, so normal looks good to me. HP5+ is ISO=200 as far as I'm concerned anyway.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>Develop normally. Two stops overexposure is well within the latitude of B&W film. And as David says it is very tricky to determine correct exposure in fog so you might well have underexposed without realizing it. Also, how you print a fog picture to give it the misty/moody look is a subjective decision without any one absolute "correct" exposure.</p>

[bgelfand]

<p>Since these are "once in a lifetime pictures", I would shoot another roll of HP5+ under similar lighting conditions, then cut the roll in three pieces. Develop one piece normally, develop the second at a one stop pull, and develop the third at a two stop pull. Compare your results.</p>

<p>Yes, it will cost you another roll of film and some developer and time, but you will have the best solution to your problem.</p>

 

[mark_miranda2]

<p>I know this is a few days past, but...ID11, pull it about 1 stop as mentioned before, it should give you fine results </p>

[chris_waller]

<p>When downrating, as a rule of thumb I reduce dev time by 1/3 per stop. So if your dev time at rated speed was 12 minutes then I'd cut it to 5.5 minutes. Your negs will be very flat but you can recover the contrast in printing.</p>