I've run into a problem I hadn't taken seriously enough until I ran into
it. There have been articles in the photo press about ways to get large
areas of highlights perfectly even in sheet film by developing in tubes of
one sort or another, but I thought this was a bit much, since I had never
had the problem. Now it occurs to be this may have been because where I
photograph ie., the city, the skies are mottled or uneven anyway and there
are no limpid pure lakes to worry about.....
Anyway, the enlarged *positive* (diapositive) came out fine on circa 12 by
15 inch N31P (30 by 40 cm) enlarged from a 35 mm negative, but of course
that was easy because the area was low density. Yesterday in 10 hours
I failed to get it to develop smoothly as highlight. Tried both N31P &
12x18 lith, tried D-76 several dilutions & Dektol several dilutions.
Letting the highlight go higher would probably do it, but I'm trying
to keep density below 1.2 (at most) for gum!
The subject is a white stretch limo looming into the foreground, lit by my
flash (night at Times Square) while the long long long rest of the body
stretches across the rest of the frame, growing delicately progressively
greyer as it recedes.There are also high-key reflections in the shiny white
-- bystanders, raindrops, street signs -- none of which will work unless
the surrounding metal (or plastic, whatever shiny stuff they make stretch
limos out of) keeps its perfection.
Now I see no help except to roll in a tube. (Me too, maybe.)
There was an article some time ago about rolling tubes open at both ends
in a tray full of chemistry. (Guess I could find it in no more than a week
or two.) Has anyone done that? I haven't figured how large a tube. I
guess I could do that bending a 12 inch wire into a circle. Any comments?
Advice? Corrections? Does PVA come that large?
Suggestions, hints, encouragement, would be most heartily appreciated.
Judy