I can't see the world the way black and white film does. I can't see it as it comes through the lens, or through a yellow filter, or through the tricolor separation filters I have.

Without the deep contrast of direct sun I have no idea how to find textures to bring out in the result.


Do I need a spot meter and an enlarger and to actually work through the Ansel Adams books as conscious practice to grok it? Do I just keep winging it and being disappointed with the output until I eventually develop an innate avoidance of Bad Shots. No idea.

Doesn't help that the negatives always have water stains on them even when I use non-tap water for the final rinse.

Anyway here's some snapshots on HP5+. 2nd run DD-X 1+4 for 10 minutes at 69F (nice)

Nikon FE2, Ilford HP5+ (DX: 017533)
Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 (10m @ ~69F)
Konica Minolta DiMAGE SE5400II => VueScan => Adobe Lightroom Classic

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in reply to @boodoo's post:

To fix the water spot problem you can look into kodak photo flo (or alternatives). This is a wetting agent that helps to reduce spots.

The other issue is mostly about style I guess. When I shoot black and white I tend to look for shapes, not so much textures.