I want to learn to process B&W on my own

mich8261

mich8261

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Today I learned about a lab that rents out darkroom time. As I live in small New York City apartment, this is my only option to ever doing my own. Problem is I have never done it. I would love to learn, but would prefer one on one or at least in a small group. ICP is too expensive for me and unfortunately I travel for work on an erratic schedule which makes signing up for a class a bit of a crap shoot.

Does anyone offer this service?

Thanks.
 
I'm not sure about any services; however, you can easily develop your negatives at home. You'll need a changing bag (or tent), tank, reels, and chemicals (none of which takes up a lot of room) and you can do it in your kitchen (just clean up carefully!).

If you did the film at home, your time at the lab would be more productive as you would only be printing. Only a suggestion.

Cheers and good luck!
Alex
 
thanks for the suggestion Alex, but you wouldn't believe how tight space is in a NY apt, plus we have birds and chemicals of any kind are forbidden. I might change along the way, but I am initially only interested in developing the film at the lab. I intend to do printing either online or at home.

By service I guess I mean someone who is willing to teach for a fee.
 
How 'bout a local Camera Club?...

How 'bout a local Camera Club?...

There's got to be a photo club around, and often there are workshops/classes available through them that are either free or low cost. Sometimes, there's even a darkroom available...

Regards!
Don
 
If chemicals in the apartment are out -- my sister keeps birds and they can be very very sensitive -- dare I suggest you shoot Ilford's XP2 Super and have it processed-only at a one hour lab (same C-41 process as color neg films). Should cost $4-$6 a roll. You can ask to have the negs uncut.
XP2 gives a B&W neg with a nice tonal scale that prints very easily in an enlarger onto B&W paper.
If you want to process conventional B&W yourself at the lab, there's a good tutorial on Ilford's web site. Once you destroy a couple test rolls trying to load them on the reels, it gets pretty easy.
 
thanks for the recommendations. I also found the School of Visual Arts course outline for 2007. Maybe I'll go that route. Or I may go/continue on the C-41 path as Joe suggests. I like the Kodak BW stuff, but I haven't tried the XP2. Can these two films be pushed? If so, how far?

Thanks again.
 
The chemicals don't really get all over the place, and if your birds don't live in the bathroom you can just do all the stuff involving pouring in there with the door shut or something, and put them in containers with lids.

I just started developing it yesterday, the stuff from a local camera store came to a little over 80 bucks (Changing bag, tank with reel, thermometer, developer, fixer, two 16-oz measuring cups). I got it home, practiced twice with a roll of cheap color film in the light, threw it all in the changing bag, and 30 mins later I was hanging the first roll in the shower to dry. We'll see how the scans come out but they looked like negatives to me 😛

I wasn't really scientific about it, guessed at 10 ounces for the tank and put 8 of water and 2 of developer in, measured the temp, looked at the time and pretended the film was t-max 100 since the actual film wasn't on there. Didn't time it precisely, but it worked fine.

This article is good, it has a lot of pictures and I appreciate the way it's written, it helped my confidence that I wouldn't screw the film all up.
http://www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=344&Itemid=92
 
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