Bolster my confidence, please!

feilb

feilb

Film noob
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Aug 10, 2007
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Being a child of the digital age, my first entry into photography was a prosumer digital camera. Electronic zoom, auto focus, LCD preview etc.

I soon moved onto a DSLR and had success and satisfaction from its use, for a while, with my Sigma zoom lens.

Then i moved to fast primes to focus my composition and shooting.

Then i forced myself to stop looking at the LCD screen.

It seems every step toward a simpler, more manual process brings another little bit of photographic satisfaction.

Recently, i picked up a Canon G-iii QL 17 as an entrance into the world of film. I was initially excited about the prospect of film, developing it, etc; however, i am overwhelmed!

For me, starting out digital and mastering pshop was no problem. I have been around computers and electronics my whole life. Now, with this new prospect of film work, i feel a bit intimidated by the whole development process, though i would love to be able to develop my own film and even someday to wet print my photos.

I need some advice on how to get started in this process, some first steps to take, film to use, chemicals to develop with (and the equipment to make it happen), as well as any suggested reading on the topic to give me that confidence boost to get me started!

- Brandon
 
Thats a lot of ground to cover. Is there a community college or art school nearby where you could take a beginners class? If you do a search here you can find a lot of information. Good luck, it's worth the effort.
 
That's a big topic, Brandon. Try to find a book on basic darkroom technique, it will provide you with equipment lists and technical advice but the product recommendations will probably be out of date. The local library or second hand bookshops should have something.
The best quick tip is to use one film and one developer until you're happy with the results. I'd suggest Tri-x and HC-110 as easy to get started with, in fact the results can be so good you may never want to change :)
 
Get a copy of Henry Horenstein's photo text book "Basic Photography"- and maybe the follow-up book, "Beyond Basic Photography". These are very good solid text books, used in many high school and college photography classrooms. He covers all the relavent information, clearly and correctly. If you read them- especially the first book thoroughly and follow the examples and excercises he lays out, you'll learn a good deal about film photography.

That said, I will second pesphoto's suggestion of seeking out a good community college or art school where you can take some basic photography classes. There's really no substitute for learning this stuff from a person who knows it. Much of what's different in film photography from digital are the manual physical skills, (all aspects of handling film; agitation; pouring chemistry without creating bubbles, etc); the chemistry; and developing your eye for the subtleties of film- none of which are especially difficult things to learn, but it really helps to have real live people helping you along with this stuff.

The main problem you may encounter is that so many photo programs have gone entirely digital, and no longer teach the skills you want to learn. You may have to search for someone who can offer what want; but it's well worth the effort to find and study under someone who can teach you the basics of film photography. It's a very rewarding practice, and you'll soon discover that there's a different look to film, and a different practice of image making using these older tools and techniques which yield many rewards. It seems like you are already naturally on the path to understanding the benefits of shooting film- I encourage you to follow your curiosity, and to learn to be as adept with film photography as you are with digital. Good luck!
 
keep it simple, and take it in steps, as you did during your progression from digital to film. For now, forget about the full blown printing process and pick up a low cost flatbed film scanner, and concentrate on developing black and white film, finding a combination of film and developer that you like. Scan the results and edit on your computer. That's the hybrid process. After you've done this a while, then see which direction you want to go. You can go darkroom printing, or inkjet printing.
 
I'd suggest Tri-x and HC-110 as easy to get started with, in fact the results can be so good you may never want to change
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I'd strongly second that. As well as having a very versatile film and developer, HC-110 is easy to work with because it's a liquid concentrate (and much less hassle than dissolving powders in hot water). And yes, you may never want to change - I've used Tri-X on and off for around 30 years (and I have a load of it in my bag right now), and it's simply one of the best films ever made.

And while the whole thing will seem intimidating at first (especially coming from a digital background), it's really quite easy to get acceptable results quite quickly and it's enormously satisfying to see your first film come out of the tank (to this day, I still remember the excitement I felt developing my first film way back when I was 11).
 
Brandon, most importantly, here you get a support group who will cheer you on when you feel down. As well as a wealth of knowledge that is hard to get elsewhere.

Take advantage of it.

I started just like you did, but I know myself enough to slow it down to my level. At this point, I still do hybrid workflow like RayPA outlined above.

Shoot, develop, scan, publish.... (repeat and rinse) :)
 
Bobfrance said:
Stick with it.

The saticfaction when you develop your first roll is immense.
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And conversely, the disappointment, frustration and lack of satisfaction that you experience the first time you destroy a roll (inevitably taken during that family vacation in an exotic place you will never visit again) is also immense. :(

But don't let that you discourage you! It's a lot of fun souping your own films. Good luck.
 
To start with one kind of film and one developer and stick with it for a while is fantastic advice. The Horenstein book is also good advice- I use this for my Photo 1 classes. Mistakes will happen, but I take satisfaction in knowing that the mistakes are mine not my softwares or due to a power failure.

A class can make the basics a lot easier to learn- and you might look into auditing a class rather than taking it. One thing I say to all my classes is that it really is about practice- much like riding a bike- at first it may seem impossible, but after two weeks it becomes almost second nature.

That first time you took the camera off P you took a leap- running film is no harder.

The process is the same one used every day by every newspaper all over the world for at least 40 years, so how hard can it be?
 
I started with Henry Horenstein's "Black and White Photography", a steel tank, a steel reel, a changing bag, a thermometer and a bag of D76 and Kokad fixer (the only chemicals I could find locally). Get a cheap graduated cup or two from and you're on the game. And don't be intimidated by some naysayers, loading 35mm film on a steel reel is very easy (and I'm clumsy :) ).

HC-110 or other liquid concentrate is probably better if you can find it. You can also try Diafine and skip the thermometer :). Get an Epson 4490, they are selling for peanuts now a days, and give nice results even with the bundled software, get cheap film and practice, practice, practice. All of this will set you back about $200 if you buy used/refurb, and 90% of this is one-time cost, so just develop a lot of rolls!

I wouldn't bother with a class just for film development, it will probably cost more than the basic lab equipment! But a class if you decide to do a proper darkroom later can be useful.
 
Thanks for all the advice! I must say, the wealth of knowledge and quality of member here is phenomenal. I look forward to developing that first roll sometime in the future. I'll be sure to get some photos up asap.
 
Film: any film made by a major company, of course B&W, Stick with one film until you get confident and competent with it.

Chemicals: I use HC-110, I use dilution H just to have longer development times. Double the time for dilution B to get times for H. I use it because it is one shot and then discard, it is no trouble to mix, it doesn't go bad quickly, and it is reasonably priced

Equipment: changing bag or dark area (I use the bathroom at night), graduated cylinders for the fixer, developer, stop bath, and hypo clear (I got mine a Walgreens, $0.99), a good thermometer, a timer, photo flo, a syringe if using HC-110 to measure the syrup. Also maybe a funnel, and a large container for 68 degree water.

I did digital but it didn't give me what I had with film so I went back. i spent a lot of money on digital equipment. I could have bought a M8 for what I spent. But now I'm very happy that I tried digital just to prove to myself how much I like film.

Try to do this with digital, if you can you are better than I. I'm not bragging, I still have a long way to go with film, and I probably always will be searching for the best. But that makes it fun.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carter3john/1195478135/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carter3john/997939582/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carter3john/509661189/
 
oscroft said:
I'd strongly second that. As well as having a very versatile film and developer, HC-110 is easy to work with because it's a liquid concentrate (and much less hassle than dissolving powders in hot water). And yes, you may never want to change - I've used Tri-X on and off for around 30 years (and I have a load of it in my bag right now), and it's simply one of the best films ever made.
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I don't agree that a liquid concentrate is easier than D76. D76 is most commonly mixed 1:1, which allows for extremely difficult concoctions such as 8 oz. of water to 8 oz. of developer. :) :) Seriously, there are two reasons why D76 is most often the developer of choice for beginning photo classes: 1. it's forgivingly easy, and 2. it's the standard upon which just about every developer is compared against. A lot of developers were created in an effort to improve or vary the results achieved with D76. Often, developers are described as "like D76, but with yadda, yadda, yadda."

Learn your processng chops with D76 and then progress onto other developers. I'd bet that years down the road you'll still be using D76. It's just too good and too versatile a developer not to have some experience with.


:)
 
I choose the developers I use for their characteristics in how they render my images, and little else. D76 is indeed a fine developer, but I don't use it. I don't always use up film developers that quickly (I switch developers a lot depending upon what effect I'm after, and what film/speed I'm processing) and D76 can fail if it sits around too long.

Often, those other developers labeled as "like D76 but with yadda yadda yadda", that "yadda yadda yadda" is trying to adress this short-coming. Some specifically try to address the gradual pH change and resulting sudden failure.

Anyway, some developers I choose happen to be sold as liquid concentrate, and these tend to last very well for quite some time. Take Rodinal. This developer lasts virtually forever in the bottle. More importantly, I really like it's look- slightly gritty, with great sharpness and beautiful, long tonal range. With slow or slightly pulled films, it's my favorite developer. Negs from it are always gorgeous. They have maximum sharpness and nice grain. I also like HC-110. Like D76, it's an incredibly versatile developer. It has a nice balance of speed, contrast, tonality, and fine grain- but still yeilds good sharpness. Besides this, it's pretty cheap and easy to work with. I'd happily use either HC-110 or Rodinal as my only developer.


In any case, the salient points for a beginnner are first, that almost any developer will give good results once you learn how to use it well; and second, pick one and pick one film, and shoot plenty of it. Once you feel you've mastered the combination you started with, you can branch out and try others. Do plenty of research; there's loads of info out there. Have fun.
 
A beginner should not choose a developer based solely upon convenience, nor should he or she choose a developer based on the results achieved by someone else. Convenience is a factor, but avoiding a standard/basic developer because someone else thinks mixing dry chemicals is a pain, or because someone else prefers a developer with a long shelf life is silly. When you learn to develop film, it's not just about the end result. It's as much, if not more so, about the process, managing the variables.

It seems that this year's big developer on RFF is HC110. There was a big Rodinal phase, and a year go it was Diafine. Unbelievably, the motivating forces behind Diafine was that you didn't need to use a thermometer and it had a long shelf life! :) Beginners were rushing off to use Diafine.

HC110, Rodinal, and Diafine are all fine developers, but they all have shortcomings, so there's as much yadda, yadda, yadda with these developers as there is with D76. There is no perfect developer, but I think D76 is just about the most versatile developer there is, and that alone makes it great for beginners and advanced photographers. Easy to use. Great for pushing. Easy to dilute to change its characteristics. Easy to mix from scratch. It splits. It can be modified. It has manageable developing times, yadda, yadda, yadda. ;)
 
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Personally Sprint Dev, stop and fix is the best. I dont use anything else.
Easy to mix, safer for environment, and gives me great results with my TriX.
 
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