A lab tech in Portland told me my negatives were 'too clean'

Dropped off a roll of Tri-X at this small lab off Hawthorne last month. The guy behind the counter ran his finger over the sprocket holes and said I was wasting my time with a meter. Said real shooters expose for the shadows and let the highlights blow out, then he showed me his own contact sheet full of blown skies. I told him I've shot 400 rolls this way and never had an issue, but he just shrugged and handed my film back. Took his advice on one frame of a street portrait and honestly, the shadows do have more texture than I've ever gotten. Anyone else ever get told their technique is too proper for film?

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finley93922d ago

That lab tech is looking at a contact sheet and thinking it's the final product, but he's missing the whole game of printing and scanning. A "clean" negative gives you options, a blown out sky is a permanent mistake you can't pull back from. His method works for his style, sure, but calling it the only real way is gatekeeping nonsense. The real question is whether you're shooting for the negative or for the final image, and those are two totally different crafts. If your portraits were flat before and they're not now, maybe take the tip and leave the attitude. But don't let some guy behind a counter rewrite a system that's been working for you for years.

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