Notice the grain in the photograph of Myra from last year. I was using a Pentax 645 back then, and probably exposing the film at ASA 3200. The lights in that German hotel room were fluorescent bulb replacements that appear bright but meter about half the light that the tungsten bulbs they replace would. They also confuse B&W film in that they are missing much of the red part of the spectrum, making light skin appear darker than it is. Myra is a very white girl, but appears dusky in this series of photographs.

Now my practice is to go buy tungsten bulbs if the hotel only has fluorescent replacements. I like to use 100W soft white bulbs to minimize the necessary film speed and exposure time. Often I'll remove lamp shades to give more and harder light. I'm also using a 6x7 camera now, which gives something like 50% more film area, minimizing grain even further.

Myra, photographed in Kiel, Germany, early last year. I also photographed her a second time when I stayed a week in Hamburg. Her hair color always changes and her tattoos grow quickly. I'll shoot her again, next opportunity.