Was this scanned from a print or a neg (or trans...?). Typically, printers will print for the "average" scene tonality, so there may well be information on the neg that's not showing up in the print that the printer offered (personally, I would much rather have a blocked up shadow than a washed out highlight!). What you're facing is the contrast range of film (about 10 stops for print, about 7 stops for trans) - vs. the roughly 40 stops that the human eye can detect. If given no other choice, I would maybe try shooting with a slower film (higher speed films usually exhibit more contrast than slower). You would still be well within the "acceptable handholdable range" without suffering from loss of depth of field. Just my 2 cents worth.