A lesson in knitting - B&W

Ok...I'm not sure how I feel about this one yet. Any comments or suggestions? Do you think the big white area works out ok or should I burn it in?

Hello
I think you should burn it in as it is very dominant in the shot. Could be a little sharper but nice idea.

CB

This one is not working for me.The contrast is a bit to high, especially for a nice "soft" scene...at least that is the feel I get from this photo.
The composition seems a bit off too...my eyes never rest on anyone, sometimes I like that, but on this photo I think it needs more focus, an individual to concentrate on.

A good moment captured tho.
Cheers.

You need to do something with that big window. Darken it. Another trick is to define the limits of the photo with a thin black frame line. That holds the eye in.

I've been having trouble lately developing my film because I lost my thermometer and I'm too cheap to go buy one. So, I think that might play a role in the contrastyness. It's not completely in focus because I tend to like to press just how slow a shutter speed I can use without a flash and a tripod. I'm going to go back into the darkroom on Friday and I'll burn that window in and see how that turns out. I'm also thinking of using a different paper and seeing if that makes a difference. This will just give me an excuse to use all the new paper I bought :). Thank you all for the comments and suggestions, I appreciate it!

I agree that it's too contrasty. Did you use any contrast filters when printing? You might want to try a lower one, in addition to burning in the light area.

If this shot was printed with no contrast filters, then you overdeveloped significantly. Sorry if this is obvious. I had similar problems when I started developing. You really should replace your thermometer...they don't cost much more than a roll of film, and you can't control the process with out knowing the temperature, and thus, developing time.

Good luck,
Paul

You are one brave lady. I haven't touched a darkroom for 20 years.

Hi Liz,,,this is a tough one..You put in a lot of work to get the image you have..Yes it is too contrasty and the blown out window is just wasted space...My eyes wander around a bit looking for somewhere to rest until I get to the little girl in the foreground..It will be difficult burning the window in,,all you will prolly get is a grey blob..There is no detail in the highlights of the window...Honestly Liz I wouldn't waste more paper on it...

Sorry for being too harsh..

Jurgen
Australia

Oh, I'm sure I overdeveloped it. I won't deny the fact that I could probably use another photo class or 2. The majority of what I've learned has been from experimentation.

No skin off my back, feel free to bash away. It certainly wasn't my favorite of the photos I took that day, but there was something about it that I liked. I actually contemplated slicing it into two separate pictures. I still might. I haven't decided yet.

Actually Liz slicing this image in two might work...You definitely have two points of interest here..I would even crop nearer the little girl...Give it a go,,can't do any harm..

Jurgen
Australia

Hello Liz
Had you not mentioned the knitting bit I might well have missed it on the photo. This was never going to be easy in the first place with all that weird light.
Knitting is wonderful and perhaps a few close ups of the fingers and needles at work would also have worked well.
Tom