Re: push processing, reducer

[George L Smyth <GLSmyth@xxxxxxx>]

Bill Agee wrote:
> 
> George, I have quite a lot of respect for your technical expertise, but I
> fail to see how you can call HIE not contrasty.  It is more contrasty than
> tri-x by simple observation.  Highlights verge on going over the top and at
> the same time shadows go dark and lack detail... all these characteristics
> are part of the charm of HIE, but I would hardly say that it is low or even
> medium contrast.  Compare it to tri-x in a similiar situation.

My comments are based on the way film is made (reference "The Components
Of Photographic Materials" on my Web site).  Very briefly, fast film is
made fast by ripening crystals to produce a mixture of crystal sizes,
thus reducing the contrast (slow films are contrasy).  As HIE falls into
the category of fast films, by definition it has less "inherent"
contrast.  The apparent contrast can be altered through the combination
of exposure and contrast.

> I made my
> comment in response to someone who posted that they were getting good
> results by push processing HIE.  We are talking about an aesthetic here.

Agreed.  After all, if we all do the same thing that would be quite
boring.

> Some people like IR processed with blown out white foliage and very black
> shadows.  My preference is for a softer version with a full range of grays.
> Therefore, I pull-process my film to keep the range I want in my prints.
> Most people I know who use HIE either pull process it or process it
> normally.  No one I know push processes it, however, I am not saying it is
> wrong, just atypical

And that's the wonderful thing about HIE - it can be used in so many
different ways.  In the North Wing of my Web page are examples of
different ways the film can be utilized - from low contrast "ethereal"
images to images with a great deal of definition.

> I would certainly agree that it is highly desirable to develop your own
> film, especially HIE.  Most labs don't know how to process it.

I've heard too many stories of labs destroying IR film.  Certainly,
there must be labs out there that can do a good job, but my feeling is
that developing the film is so easy and requires so little, that this is
something that anyone can do.

george

- -- 
 Handmade Photographic Images     
  http://www2.ari.net/glsmyth/
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