Chat with a lab tech about my underexposed rolls changed how I shoot

Been shooting film for about 2 years now and always thought I had the exposure thing down. Last week I dropped off some rolls at a local lab in Portland and the tech said 'you know you could push these a stop and they'd look way better.' Made me realize I was just trusting my built-in meter way too much. Tried pushing a roll of HP5 by one stop last weekend and the contrast was so much nicer. Has anyone else had a lab person give them advice that totally changed their approach?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosek7323d ago

Had a lab tech in Denver tell me my negatives were all thin and it clicked for me too. I was shooting HP5 at box speed in pretty flat light and wondering why everything looked muddy. Pushed it to 1600 and suddenly my street shots had some actual punch to them. That kind of feedback from someone who sees hundreds of rolls a week is worth way more than any youtube tutorial.

viola_cooper6223d ago

Oh man, totally! I had a lab guy in Seattle tell me I was metering for the shadows wrong and it blew my mind. I was always underexposing my Portra 400 by like a full stop without knowing it. Now I just overexpose everything by a stop and it looks way better, especially with the color negative stuff. Your HP5 push sounds killer, I might try that next time I shoot some Tri-X.