What format? 35mm or medium format?
Most of my B&W film work in landscapes was done with ASA 100
films ... TMax 100 and Ilford Delta Pro 100 were my two favorites
when stopped using film on any regular basis. Shooting medium format,
ASA 400 works well but the ASA 100 films have better acutance and
tonality.
The C41 B&W films have very very good tonality as well, and are
particularly good in 35mm format to give high sensitivity with low
grain.
I'd suggest experimenting with green, yellow and orange filtration to
sort the tonal scale and give you better separation. I know a lot of
people use the split ND filters to push down the sky, but I prefer to
do that in post processing and printing (yes, even with film since I
have been working film via scans and digital printing for at least a
decade now).
Godfrey
On Jul 10, 2005, at 1:10 PM, Joseph Tainter wrote:
I need to photograph, in black-and-white, some landscapes in
southeast Utah with prehistoric ruins in them. The vegetation will
be mainly sage (very pale green) and junipers (darker green). The
last time I shot b/w was about 5 years ago. I believe it was Tmax
400, and I found it disappointing. It was grainy, and I had thought
that these films were supposed to have less grain. I've never tried
the chromogenic b/w films.
So what do b/w shooters recommend for a low-grain landscape film
with good tonal range?
I plan to use a yellow filter as a compromise, to lighten the
vegetation just a bit and darken the sky just a bit. If I need to
I'll use a split nd filter to darken the sky further. Other filter
recommendations welcome.
Thanks,
Joe
