Winter Bird Feeder

Winter Bird Feeder

Mamiya C220
135mm lens
1/250 at f8
Ilford HP5
Developed in small tank.
Kodak D-76,  1:1
12 minutes at 68F
Agitation once per minute
Epson 4490 scanner






I was hoping for a bird or squirrel to invade this bird feeder in my backyard after a spring snowfall a couple of weeks ago....no such luck, even after waiting ten minutes, which for me is a considerable length of time.

Snow is always difficult as it overexposes and make highlights appear muddy under flat lighting using black and white negative film. Attempting to compensate by reducing development time is hit-and-miss.

As exposure produces density in a negative and development contrast, changing either adversely effects the other.

Bracketing is the only option available other than shooting multiple rolls and developing each at different lengths of time. Expensive and time consuming.

Back lighting in full sun is perhaps the best approach to photographing snow scenes. Avoiding flat lighting completely, but not always an option.

I now develop film in a laundry tub and no longer have access to a darkroom where a contact sheet was always made to evaluate everything.

Eyeballing the negatives, sticking what seems the best into the scanner and hoping for the best is now my method.....Progress?