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  #1  
Old 16th May 2017, 07:55 PM
Nikitha Nikitha is offline
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Smile Need help, opinions and suggestions on developing film

Hello everybody,

I'm Nikitha am working on a research project on finding out the pain points in analogue photography and I'm looking forward to know your views, opinions and process that you follow. I have put down a couple of questions below although feel free to share as much information as you can.

Also, please do add in your name, age and experience (in analogue photography).

1. How do you develop your film?
2. How do you pass time as you wait for your film to develop?
3. Do you also print your film, What's your procedure?
4. Have you experimented developing a color film? Why?
5. Have you developed your film at home? Why and how
6. Any applications that you refer to help you.
7. Do you prefer color or black and white

You could reply on this thread as we could have an open discussion or you could send me an email at n.suresh-16@student.lboro.ac.uk

P.S : I am very new to this picked it up as my research topic and am still exploring it, wasn't successful with finding participants if you have read my post earlier I apologise for not replying to you I have been very busy with my coursework. However, am available now so please do help me.

Thanks & Regards,
Nikitha

Last edited by Nikitha; 16th May 2017 at 08:09 PM.
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  #2  
Old 17th May 2017, 05:24 PM
SanMiguel SanMiguel is offline
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Email sent Nikitha - good luck with your research.
Michael
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  #3  
Old 26th May 2017, 10:50 PM
EdmundH EdmundH is offline
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Hi Nikitha, I'm surprised to see that you haven't had much response to your request! Forum members are normally very keen to share info.

So to perhaps encourage others I'll answer your questions:

I am mid 50s, although that's not relevant as to why I use film; In fact I exclusively used digital cameras for a number of years, but after amassing around 10,000 images on my iMac, I realised that I was dissatisfied with the look of them. So I looked out an old Pentax K1000 camera, and was immediately hooked on the more organic results. Having set up a darkroom around 18 months ago, I can now take pictures, develop the film and print images on the same day - For me it's a complete Artistic cycle. As for 'pain points', I don't know really. The experience of making 'real' photographs is a magical process quite unlike sitting at a computer with Photoshop, and you have to be prepared for some inconvenience.


1. How do you develop your film? - I use a standard Paterson developing tank. The film is loaded into it in the darkroom, this can be a tense stage, especially if the film jams as it is being wound into the spiral holder (or if I drop a vital item on the floor in the pitch dark. The film is then safe and is processed in the kitchen sink because of the inevitable spillage of chemicals. Overall time including setting up and cleaning up afterwards is approx 1 hr.

2. How do you pass time as you wait for your film to develop? - It's not hard, the film tank needs inverting for ten seconds every minute during the actual developing stage (Typically around 10 minutes), so you only have 50 seconds per minute to do anything else.

3. Do you also print your film, What's your procedure? - After the film has dried, I examine the frames on a light box to see which images look good. In the darkroom (lit by a safelight this time) I load the first negative into the enlarger, make test exposures onto a part sheet of photographic paper, and develop to see the result. For Black and white prints, the paper has to be laid in each one of a set of three trays, containing respectively; Developer to make the image appear, stop bath to halt development at the right point, and finally fixer to make the image permanent. I may need to make several test prints, each taking 3-4 minutes to produce, before arriving at a result I like, and making a final print. By various methods I can control overall contrast, darken highlights, lighten shadows etc. Making colour prints is very similar, but there are additional controls on the enlarger to adjust and balance the colour of the print.

4. Have you experimented developing a color film? Why? - Not yet, but soon

5. Have you developed your film at home? Why and how - See 1.

6. Any applications that you refer to help you. - The Massive Development app from Digital Truth is invaluable, I normally use this to time film development, as it indicates when to agitate the film, when to pour in the stop bath etc.

7. Do you prefer color or black and white - A couple of years ago I would undoubtedly have said Colour. However, after shooting a lot of black and white, I can say that (for me) they both have equal merit. Colour is great where something needs to be expressed in terms of colour. Conversely, B&W can be useful to remove the distraction of colour. Using B&W film has taught me to create more interesting pictures, because without colour you have to look for visually arresting forms to create interest.

I hope this helps

Edmund
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  #4  
Old 27th May 2017, 08:46 AM
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CambsIan CambsIan is offline
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Hi Nikitha,

Think I must have missed your original post, but in answer to your questions, as strange as it seems, Edmund could have written my reply for me.

However for what it's worth to your project here are my thoughts.

I use a Patterson tank and the inversion method most of the time, but if I have a batch to do I use a Jobo processor, which gives consistent results.

Passing the time, well not a lot really, why do anything, any chance of slowing life down for a few moments, is not to be missed.

Making prints for me, a relative beginner, is a lot of trial and error, but the satisfaction when you get a print that you like, makes it all worth while. Show one print to 20 photographers be prepared to get 20 different opinions, beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder.

Also time in the darkroom is another chance to remove yourself from the rush of everyday life and relax with in my case, just me, the radio and my prints.

As I still have masses to learn I tend to develop less important films myself, but if I have a film that I really don't want to make a mistake on I send it away to be developed and printed. I can always have a bash at another print at home using the already developed negatives.

Colour or black and white ? Hmmmmmmmm, difficult, I tend to shoot both. Black and white home develop colour always sent away for developing.

No Idea if this is of any help to you, but i hope so.

Ian
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  #5  
Old 27th May 2017, 09:16 PM
JulioF JulioF is offline
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Hi Nikitha,

1. How do you develop your film?

At home, in small tanks.

2. How do you pass time as you wait for your film to develop?

It does not take that long and with intermittent agitation you must be ready for an inversion each minute. But I have the TV on so I may look while I develop.

3. Do you also print your film, What's your procedure?

I do not print my film, as I do not have the equipment or space to do it.

4. Have you experimented developing a color film? Why?

Never - chemicals are not available in my neck of the woods.

5. Have you developed your film at home? Why and how

Since I was 8 years old. Always in small tanks.

6. Any applications that you refer to help you.

While developing I use my cell phone timer.

7. Do you prefer color or black and white

Both, but I am constrained to B&W because of film and chemicals availability.
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Old 30th May 2017, 06:49 PM
MarkH MarkH is offline
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Hi Nikitha, I'm extremely new to developing film a matter of about a year and only a couple of months darkroom printing. Very much the new boy on the block, but the forum has been very helpful. As many of my generation, I'm 57, film was the only option when I was younger, but I was never a keen photographer then. High Days and holidays and took the film to the chemist to be developed.

1. How do you develop your film?
A. In black bag and a Paterson light tight canister.

2. How do you pass time as you wait for your film to develop?
A. Usually double checking I have all my times right or watching YouTube videos

3. Do you also print your film, What's your procedure?
A. I only have a 35mm black and white enlarger, I black out the bathroom to make my darkroom. I have to make sure everything is easily reachable and a good height for me to work at.

4. Have you experimented developing a color film? Why?
A. I do develop C-41 film as I was a comprehensive understanding as possible, and I have a Bronica ETRSi with two backs so one for B&W and one for colour. But I can't do e-6 film as I believe the fumes are strong.

5. Have you developed your film at home? Why and how
A. I do all my developing at home. I have a health condition that affects my reliability if I rented a darkroom etc. So I could easily be letting people down or losing money. How, as above.

6. Any applications that you refer to help you.
A. There is the Massive Dev app, but I'm tight and use the website for free.

7. Do you prefer color or black and white
A. I prefer black and white, which surprises me a bit. With digital B&W is usually used when a photograph doesn't come out right or the lighting is flat. But with film there are so many different options, contrast, grain etc as well as speed. Then when you are developing you have further options. You can develop for tones, shadows, contrast, sharpness and other things that I'm sure I haven't yet discovered.


I hope that helped, sorry I couldn't give more expansive answers, but I'm the guy with 'L' plates on my back.
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  #7  
Old 30th May 2017, 08:47 PM
JOReynolds JOReynolds is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkH View Post
4. But I can't do e-6 film as I believe the fumes are strong.
The fumes from E6 are no worse than C-41 or RA-4. I find B&W chemistry to be quite smelly, for that matter.
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Old 30th May 2017, 09:04 PM
SanMiguel SanMiguel is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JOReynolds View Post
The fumes from E6 are no worse than C-41 or RA-4. I find B&W chemistry to be quite smelly, for that matter.
I'm blessed with an extremely weak sense of smell. In case of doubt (e.g., my haphazard labelling on a bottle of some chemical or other) I call in my wife, who lives in another world (that would be the one with an olfactory sense lol).

Thankfully my eyes are still reasonably OK, though.

Michael
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  #9  
Old 31st May 2017, 06:13 AM
John King John King is offline
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1. How do you develop your film?
Jobo tank and temperature controlled processor for colour Negative. Jobo tank and hand process for B&W

2. How do you pass time as you wait for your film to develop?
I am always in attendance because some of the steps are quite short.

3. Do you also print your film, What's your procedure?
In a darkroom with a colour/B&W enlarger Kodak Chemicals and Kodak paper for RA4 and Ilford Chems for B&W and both Ilford and Kentmere Paper.

4. Have you experimented developing a color film? Why?
I have been doing colour both C41 and E6 since 1991 (E6 not used now)

5. Have you developed your film at home? Why and how
Satisfaction, that what I have produced is all my own work and simply because I can.

6. Any applications that you refer to help you.
I could not process colour without the use of my DUKA Safelight I am Entirely self taught and now and try to help others when asked.

7. Do you prefer color or black and white
No preference, I choose the medium to suit the subject, however when processing and printing colour once I get the colour balance, I find this easier than B&W

Last edited by John King; 31st May 2017 at 06:18 AM.
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  #10  
Old 31st May 2017, 06:25 AM
John King John King is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JOReynolds View Post
The fumes from E6 are no worse than C-41 or RA-4. I find B&W chemistry to be quite smelly, for that matter.
I will concur with you on that point.

I don't do E6 any more because of the poor choice of the films available and the cost of the initial purchase of the film and the small amount I would use means E6 chem don't have a long shelf life once opened.

However there is absolutely nothing to equal a well exposed saturated slide, it knocks a PDI into oblivion.
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