Tech Tips August 1996
by Wayne R. Palmer
If you have been following the development of films lately, the cliché phrase of "new & improved" is certainly applicable. Films, especially print films, are simply getting better and better.
Personally I have been experimenting with the "off brands" of Konica, Polaroid, Scotch and Agfa and I’m finding the results outstanding. I recently had numerous rolls of Konica & Polaroid High Definition film run through Qualex processing. The results were simply stunning! The color was so rich and saturated it was almost too much. I had similar results with Scotch and Agfa film run through a mini-lab. I am convinced that that film choice is no where near as important as processing choice. In years past I would recommend that the photographer avoid these "off" films and stick with Kodak and Fuji, because photo labs could not compensate for the different film emulsions - but no more. Film processing has advanced to the state where the film is coded and any quality film processor can read the code and compensate for different film types producing excellent results.
I recommend the September issue of Popular Photography. It offers a lot of good reading with numerous "How To" articles. In this issue, the editors almost say stay away from slide film unless you have a specific need for transparency use. And, that print film is overall a better performer for most tasks. Ouch! Also there is an article on diagnosing your prints from your processor and whether they are doing a good job.
Also from this issue is their: 10 Commandments for Better Print Results.
Use ISO 400 film and faster. Even in blowups of 16x20, it’s nearly impossible to tell 100 speed film from 400 speed film-in fact, the 400 may look sharper due to faster shutter speed and /or better depth of field. Unless you’re shooting on a tripod to make giant blowups, the only reasons for using slower films are for deliberate blur (as in panning) or to severely limit depth of field. (SVS Editor’s note - Isn’t this a change from just a few years ago?)
When in doubt, overexpose. Today’s color-print films can tolerate considerable overexposure before color imbalances show up. The more information on the film, the better, so expose for shadows.
Know your maximum flash distances. Look it up in the manual, write it down big, tape it to the back of your camera.
Use flash. The brighter the outdoor light, the more you should use flash. Bright clear days are the harshest light there is. Use fill flash, especially for people.
Soften up: think diffuse. If at all possible, put people in diffused light-under an awning or other open shade, in bright overcast, behind a scrim. And keep everybody in the same light level. For flash, use bounce, diffusers, umbrellas, anything to make it softer and more even.
Remember darker in front when using flash. This goes for clothing, skin tone everything. By placing darker tones closer to the flash, you’ll better balance the light and have less effect of foreground burnout or background falloff.
Stick with films, equipment, labs you know and trust.
Be kind to your negatives. And that means every step of the way. Keep unexposed film rolls in their original containers in the fridge until you shoot them. Don’t leave the film in the camera for six months or a year or two years. Get it processed as soon as you can after taking it out of the camera. Store the negatives under conditions of moderate temperature and humidity. Put negs in archival clear sleeves. Get index prints if they’re available; it cuts down on unnecessary shuffling through negs for reprints.
Use good film, in date, for U.S. sale. Color-print emulsions from Kodak, Fuji, Agfa, Konica and Scotch are routinely high quality, and viturally all major store brands are made by Agfa, Konica, or Scotch. The safest way to go: buy films marked for sale in the U.S.
Go for quality. If you shop labs for price first and quality last, that’s probably the order you’ll get them in.