My lab guy told me my "creamy" highlights were just blown, and honestly he was right
So now I underexpose by half a stop and push in dev instead, but a buddy swears pulling gives better shadow detail, and I can't decide which is right. Anyone here actually tested both side by side on the same roll, or am I overthinking a look nobody else notices?
Did you actually shoot the same scene both ways or just run two rolls through different setups? Tbh I burned a whole weekend on this exact test last year, same model, same light, one roll at half a stop under pushed one stop, the other rated a stop over and pulled one. What I found was the push gave me brighter mids but the shadows went muddy fast, while the pull held way more detail down low but my creamy tones went flat and kinda gray. Ngl though, at normal print size nobody could tell which was which, so the "right" answer depends on if you want punch or smoothness. If your lab guy is scanning and editing anyway, half the difference gets wiped out in post. Pick one, shoot ten rolls with it, and stop guessing.