Just realized pushing my Tri-X to 1600 in my old Minolta was a bad call for a sunny day shoot.

I thought the extra grain would look cool for some street shots in Chicago last weekend, but the whole roll came out way too contrasty and blown out, so what's your go-to film for bright light when you still want some texture?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher8671d ago

Oh man, I've been there! For bright days I actually really like Ilford HP5 pushed to 800. It keeps the grain nice and chunky but handles the highlights way better than Tri-X did for me in that situation. It gives you that texture without just turning into a solid black and white mess. Have you tried pulling film a stop instead? That can help a ton with contrast in harsh light.

coleman.christopher20h ago

Yeah, pulling a stop is a great fix for that. I started rating my HP5 at 200 on bright days, developing it normally. It tames the highlights and keeps the shadow detail, so you still get good grain without the harsh contrast. It's saved a few beach rolls for me.