Stowe Arch - misty morning

I am just not happy with my latest set of prints. It was a superb

misty morning, very flat and uncontrasty though. I took a couple of

rolls of various subjects at about 6am. I just haven't captured the

feel and mood of the place. Detail is sorely missing and I tried a

very grainy film (Neopan 1600) to add to 'atmosphere' to the shots.

Added a red filter to try and boost contrast and the results were not

too good. Question is - what film would you recommend for low light,

low contrast shoots of this type?

i love the feel of this photo. my nit to pick is whether the horizon is flat. Easy enough to fix in PS

TMAX-100, Delta 100, PAN-F 50, tripod, f11 and try to be there at the same time, capture the same scene and post us the result - I bet you'll be more satisfied.

What about composition ? I'll try to improve it a bit.. And no "fill flash", I have impression you tried something like that, didn't ?

I agree with Petr. Try some fine grain films. Pan F can be really great! And avoid unnatural light sources. If you want some more shadow details, use a good scanner and dodge a bit in PS.

I think what you need is not the grain but tonality. Previous posters are correct suggesting slower film, my favorite for this kind of scene would be TriX shot in medium format. In 35mm I would use something like Delta 100. Red filter works best when you have strong sun shine; you hardly need any filter at all for this scene. Personally I don't like to use such obvious framing as window.

Maybe tech pan would help with the tones ?

Stay away from filters in flat light--what's the point? All you're doing is cutting down on speed--in your case 2.5 stops! Another way to go with this scene is to choose a film like Tri-X and experiment by shooting it at its rated ISO and pushing it (EI 640, 800, 1000, 1250 etc). Then, for the pushed negs, overdevelop them to pick up contrast. You'll have to keep notes, though, and tailor what you do to your own equipment.

Your developing process will have more effect on this than the film type. Grain is not the issue.

If it is too flat, increase the developing time.

Do a spot meter on the highs and lows of the scene. Based on the range of stops you read, you can adjust the process. To get images like St. Ansel's, you have to control the entire process with B&W. Otherwise, you get a random result. It's not a film issue !

If I was you I would use a B+W Slide Film for a portrait such as this. Agfa Scala ASA 100 is a very good film in the fact that it's fine grain and overall sharpness is excellent. It does cost more for prints off of a B+W Slide but it is well worth it in my mind if you are doing this as a surious hobby. Check out Adorama or B & H for Agfa Scala ASA 100 and if you can get it overnighted or express mailed, seeing as though professional grade film such as Agfa Scala's shelf life is drastically reduced because Agfa and other Slide Film makers are under the assumption that most of the rolls of film will be taken in one day and then processed overnight (if possible). And always remember with Slide Film if you're not going to use it right away to put it in your freezer so it keeps tonal saturation. Good luck, Behn.