val323•4mo ago

Pushed a roll of Portra 400 to 1600 and got a surprise

I shot a whole roll at night in my town, figured I'd push it two stops in development. My usual mix is D-76, but I was out. Had some old HC-110 syrup in the back of the fridge. Mixed it up, went for the 1600 time from the chart. When I pulled the film out, the shadows were way thinner than I expected. Almost no detail in the dark parts of the street shots. The highlights looked okay, but the whole roll felt flat. I think the developer was maybe too old, or that chart time was wrong for my water temp. Learned that pushing film is more than just adding minutes, gotta check your chems first. Anyone have a solid time for pushing Portra in fresh HC-110?

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3 Comments

holly634mo ago

Man, that's rough. Was your syrup super old? HC-110 goes bad eventually, even concentrate. I had a bottle go weak on me and it looked just like that, flat with dead shadows. Those massive dev chart times are a starting point, but your water temp and agitation change everything. For Portra 400 at 1600 in fresh HC-110, I'd start at 11 minutes in dilution B at 68 degrees, agitate normally. But test a short strip first next time.

6

thomas834mo ago

Wait, how old is too old for the syrup?

1

iris_stone283mo ago

Oh boy, yeah. Once HC-110 gets that weird metallic smell and turns into a dark brown sludge, it's done. I've pushed it way past the expiration date before, but it's a gamble every time.

6