Ah, the nervous apprehension of those first rolls, I remember it well. From loading the film onto the reels to mixing up a strange concoction of chemistry. Lot of hit and miss rolls at first, and the process of developing your own can be a humbling one in the beginning.
To be honest though, I can't say I don't enjoy it overly though, and I find the process of somewhat of a chore. It is a well learned one now though, and with the use of larger tanks something I can crank out 4/ 5 rolls of film in about half an hour (after I've set up and mixed the chemistry).
The process is important to me though, and as one who has come to film from shooting digital, I appreciate the structure the process offers along with the freedom from the computer. Likewise, I can understand film shooters who have embraced digital and the freedom it offers them.
I intend to begin wet printing in the next few weeks, having pigeonholed myself a dedicated darkroom space, and that I do not see as a chore. Perhaps my attitude to film developing will seem less chore-like as I will be developing in that same space, and won't have the additional task of setup that I have at present.
It's funny, with the hassle many film shooters associate with developing their own film, you would think there would be a decent market niche to support a company who made film processors. If the present used market for film processors was not so fraught with risk, I have no doubt I would have automated my own film developing by now.
