Shooting with studio lights in film cameras requires some method of "proofing" before exposing to film. Originally many people relied on Polaroid products for this purpose. Their contrast range and ISO ratings were very reliable; a good proof virtually guaranteed good film. With the advent of very high quality digital cameras, proofing with instant film should be unnecessary. However, putting the digital camera in the shot and then replacing it with the film camera always leaves tiny differences in perspective and field of view. Moreover, many digital cameras are biased to give brightness and contrast that is not really in the original scene. In my case, I shoot subjects with shiny surfaces and tiny shifts can easily introduce reflection and glare problems.
My reliance on Polaroid proofing for exposures on TriX 320 has been disrupted by the demise of both of these products. This blog shows some results of proofing with the replacement instant film, Fuji FP-100B, for use with the replacement Kodak film, TriX 400. I'm using a Nikon D90 for the digital set-up and a Hasselblad with 80mm lens for the Fuji and Kodak exposures.
First I set up some parts that could present tricky reflections for my test subject. The D90 color output looks like this:
Then I replace the digi-camera with the Hasselblad. The perspective is slightly different as determined by the closest focus for this lens. Experience with Polaroid products suggested that I would need about 1/2 stop more light, even after adjusting for ISO and a yellow filter on the Hasselblad. The Fuji FP-100B confirmed this and gave me a proof like this:
Then I replaced the instant film with TriX400. This film is relatively new for me also, so I wanted to make sure that my (evolving) normal development gave me a decent contact sheet. The frame that was exposed +1/2 stop, corrected to the ISO of TriX versus FP-100B, gave me this contact on Ilford MG IV RC paper under a #2 1/2 filter:
Finally, I printed this frame of TriX to my standard paper, Ilford MGIV FB with 25M filtering in a Beseler diffusion head enlarger. This quickly gave me a good print:
This experiment has re-established my standard shooting process from digital proof, instant film proof, to final film. It also confirms that I have a working development time for the TriX 400 that matches the Ilford printing paper.
I'm sure that hundreds of other photographers have done this for themselves already. However, until I have done this using my particular equipment and darkroom processes, I cannot feel comfortable with my prospects for success in complex shooting projects. Now, out to the real world!
If you have been going through these steps yourself, tell me where your blog is and I'll check it out.
