Response to Overexposed HP-5: How Do You Preserve Contrast?

Reinhold,

About two weeks ago, I accidentally overexposed a sheet of HP5 and also overdeveloped it by 2 minutes. I was able to make beautiful prints from it anyway. The reason is that I developed it with PMK. You've probably heard this before but With PMK it is very hard to block up highlight detail. Conventional developers will not adequately handle your negative. I would develop it in PMK for 11 to 12 minutes at 21 deg. Celsius. I would also expose a negative the way you exposed your subject negative and test develop it. It is very hard to appreciate Pyro developers until you have tried them in contrasty situations. The above recommendation of another Pyro developer is also a good one. I wish you success.

Greg

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