A gray edges
For some time trying to improve my black and white. I want it to be less mixed than what I've done so far. I was told that a beautiful black and white printing, the deviation between the lightest and darkest value should not be maximum, but minimal. While allowing the image to be legible, of course.
I do not know if it's true, but I try. I refine my exposure when shooting, I try to be less brutal and less approximate development, I snapped the rare automatisms I had left when scanning my negatives. Gimp, I no longer touch anything, everything is raw scan.
Brute scan, for example, my series " sardine " that some of you are too mixed, so it's not for me (I will invite you soon to exhibition of a dozen 30x45 prints, those who come will ... ) . It's just 400ISO film (HP5 +) 1600ISO pushed for the specific needs of night photography. Lately, I try instead to overexpose my film one stop and develop their sensitivity. I was already doing for slide films for quite some time, but now I'm also for the NB.
I am in favor of exposing the rule of thumb for 6x6: I take a value in the shade, another sun early in my walk and then I'm doing. By cons in 24x36, an exhibition fair can really make a difference on a cliché. Of Suddenly I am more and more attention to the accuracy and potential shortcomings of the cells embedded in my boxes 24x36: Minolta CLE, ZM Zeiss Ikon Konica Hexar.
These photos are not "examples" per se, but merely "tests" that I use to calibrate my black and white. The shades of gray that I am looking simply may not be. The sense of "fairness" is difficult to go into words. The flavors and colors, they say, does not discuss.