# First ever black and white film. C&C please



## Danmunro_nz (Oct 30, 2012)

Hi TFP folks. Shot my first ever black and white film recently. Just got the negs back and scanned them. This is my favorite from the roll. Let me know  what you all think. Anything I could improve or got right. Thanks. Shot with Canon 3000V, Tamron 28-105. Kokak BW400CN 35mm film.


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## unpopular (Oct 30, 2012)

these C41 b/w films can be tricky to work with due to the amber mask. when you canned them (lol, typo), did you scan as b/w or as color? You should set your scanner to scan as a color negative to remove the mask.


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## 35mm4me (Nov 1, 2012)

Try a green filter for better skin tone. I would have liked alittle more light on the hair and face and maybe cropping a little.
Good tones though&#8230;.


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## dxqcanada (Nov 1, 2012)

Looks like you tried to recover the shadow area being too dark because of the back lighting.
Not enough fill flash.

You have to watch out for extreme lighting conditions with portraits ... you have to be aware of what foreground/background objects will be highlighted too much.


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## timor (Nov 1, 2012)

35mm4me said:


> Try a green filter for better skin tone.


 A green filter will work on C-41 b&w film the same way as with regular b&w ?


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## unpopular (Nov 1, 2012)

^^^I see no reason why it shouldn't provided the "regular b/w" you're refering to isn't orthochromatic.


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## Sw1tchFX (Nov 2, 2012)

One thing that can dramatically improve your film photography is a good lab. Crap lab's give crap results. If you shoot mostly pictures of people, you should send your film to Richard Photo Lab in LA. I'm not exaggerating where you could be the worst photographer and they could make you look good. The color and tonality in their scanning is impeccable, To the point where if you always think you might have screwed something up and you think it was your fault, when really it's just bad scanning from a bad lab.


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## gsgary (Nov 2, 2012)

Sw1tchFX said:
			
		

> One thing that can dramatically improve your film photography is a good lab. Crap lab's give crap results. If you shoot mostly pictures of people, you should send your film to Richard Photo Lab in LA. I'm not exaggerating where you could be the worst photographer and they could make you look good. The color and tonality in their scanning is impeccable, To the point where if you always think you might have screwed something up and you think it was your fault, when really it's just bad scanning from a bad lab.



Or do it yourselt at home, i'm getting good results developing c41 xp2 in Rodinal


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## timor (Nov 2, 2012)

unpopular said:


> ^^^I see no reason why it shouldn't provided the "regular b/w" you're refering to isn't orthochromatic.


Just asking, I don't have any experience with BW400CN, so I am curious.


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## Danmunro_nz (Nov 2, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. I scanned it in black and white settings, I will try again in colour and see how it looks, will post once I have scanned it. The above image is as it come out of the scanner, no PP at all. If a recall I metered for the background and used fill flash. The lab I use does a pretty good job, the best where I live (there are only 2) I live in Dunedin New Zealand so sending my film to LA might be a out of the question.


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## unpopular (Nov 2, 2012)

Danmunro_nz said:


> Thanks for the replies. I scanned it in black and white settings, I will try again in colour and see how it looks, will post once I have scanned it.



This can make a HUGE difference.


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## Sw1tchFX (Nov 2, 2012)

gsgary said:


> Sw1tchFX said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LOL I wish I could like this 1000x


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## vindemiatrix (Nov 2, 2012)

I don't know anything about film, but I do love the picture even more if you could make the face appear a little brighter maybe.


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## gsgary (Nov 3, 2012)

Ive got a roll of 400cn ill shoot it over the next few week and give it the Rodinal treatment, but this is XP2 in Rodinal
Rodinal 1+25 19 minutes 7 inversion every minute fixing takes longer the ordinary B+W


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## Danmunro_nz (Nov 4, 2012)

Ok, so i have re scanned the film, this time in colour negative settings. Slight change that I can see. Again I have not processed this in any way it is as it come from the scanner.


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## Rick58 (Nov 4, 2012)

Cute picture. I just wish she had some light on that cute face. I played with it for just a few minutes

View attachment 24918


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## gsgary (Nov 4, 2012)

Rick58 said:
			
		

> Cute picture. I just wish she had some light on that cute face. I played with it for just a few minutes
> 
> <img src="http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=24918"/>



That looks much better


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## Derrel (Nov 4, 2012)

Fantastic improvement Rick58!!!!


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## Rick58 (Nov 4, 2012)

Thanks.
Just dodged the face a tad
Converted it to B&W
Clarified a knotch


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## terri (Nov 4, 2012)

The second one from the OP is an improvement over the first.    Still, your main issue here is what the others have commented on, it's just a little too backlit, so your subject is coming off too dark.   Beyond that, you did a very nice job filling the frame with that cute little face, so there is no clutter in the background to distract.    The main problem here is the lighting, not the composition.       Keep going!


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## Sw1tchFX (Nov 4, 2012)

Danmunro_nz said:


> Hi TFP folks. Shot my first ever black and white film recently. Just got the negs back and scanned them. This is my favorite from the roll. Let me know  what you all think. Anything I could improve or got right. Thanks. Shot with Canon 3000V, Tamron 28-105. Kokak BW400CN 35mm film.
> 
> View attachment 24520



Bring up the midtones in curves a bit..done. And it doesn't look like it's processed with a washer machine so you can add contrast without it looking weird.


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## Danmunro_nz (Nov 7, 2012)

Thanks guys. I will shoot another roll one day soon. Buying a reflector this week which will be hugely beneficial to me I think. Had a play in a studio last week with lighting and reflectors, cannot afford all the lighting yet but I am sure a reflector will be a very handy tool.


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