Do you develop your own B & W films

[David R Munson]

I've mostly always developed my own B&W film, but I'm moving overseas within the month and I'm not sure when I'll be able to get set up to develop again. Between the cost and risk of labs, though, I'll probably just let it accumulate and have a big developing binge when I am able to do it again.

 

[monochromeimages]

I always develop my own films. I scan them all but only for a quick to view record and so I can have a good look at what I've got before going into the darkroom to print them. For me doing the whole job myself is what it's all about. If I had my films processed by someone else there would probably be no point in taking the photographs in the first place.

 

[johannielscom]

1:100

1:100

Doing all of them myself since I found the 1:100 Rodinal thread.

And loving it. Even outdated ORWOpan 400 comes out pretty! Great stuff!

 

[djonesii]

I develop all my 35mm, 120/220, and almost all my 4x5, IF it is a quickload, I have the lab to that, as I really don't want to experiment to get a negative out of a quick-loader.

Dave

 

[Nokton48]

Yes I develop my own B&W film, most recently mostly 35mm and 120 sizes. I often run them together, in a large stainless steel tank, which can do eight rolls of 35 at a time, or other combination as needed.

I used to hate developing film. Now I sort of enjoy the process, although I need to be a bit quicker about getting it done.

 

[blindlemon]

I develope my own 35mm 120 & 4x5. I'm in the process of building a dark room so I'll be doing my own printing as well soon. If you have the space, I would recommend having a dark room as well. Enlargers and other developing gear is easy to come by at the moment as everybody is ditching them in favour of digital. I have enlargers to cover every format, most of which were given to me by people only to happy to unload them. I did have to pay all of £5.00 for an opemus 670 colour enlarger at my local carboot sale. I could never see the point of taking film and developing it only to scan it . If what you end up with is a digital image, why not take a digital photo to start with?

 

[eli griggs]

Everything B&W I shoot, I develop; to do otherwise really undermines the whole process/experience, IMO.

This includes making my own contacts and prints, though I guess I'll eventually try scanning negatives and using an inkjet.

 

[thomasw_]

Developing film has nothing to do with fun. It is a chore. But something that I do because I don't trust anyone else to do it like I want it to be done. Ran 12 rolls today.

Sometimes I see it as Bob does when I let myself avoid developing for a while. I know for certain that I would see it as Bob does if I had to develop ~ 12 rolls/week like Bob. Truly, that just starts to look way too much like "work", which is not a free-time state of being; for me there is a world of difference between doing fly fishing or photography and being at work. Being a teacher with film photography as one of my two main free-time activities, developing the rolls of film is something of a lighter load for me. It is a part of the process that I take delight in doing well, because, as Bob and others have written, there's just no one else who I want trying to help me work on my creative endeavours.

 

[rphenning]

definitely do my own. the local guy scratched the **** out of everything he touched and left water spots, all for $10 per roll plus a $5 charge per roll if I pushed or pulled.

 

[rphenning]

wouldn't even begin to think about giving him sheets to develop either, plus I actually like developing film so it all works out. I just wish I was ballsy enough to do my own color.

 

[novum]

I develop all my B&W and C41 film, from 135 to 4x5 (tortilla method). Love developing B&W in pyro (PMK and Pyrocat-HD), Rodinal, Diafine, and my latest fave, Clayton F76+. C41 I don't enjoy, but I love the savings and quality control.

 

[CCCPcamera]

For sures on that eh. I like the darkroom, computer processing is too complicated and I think it's kind of cheating. The picture should be what the camera made, not what photoshop made. That being said, photoshop is pretty amazing.

I don't see why I would go to a lab to get prints, takes less time to do it myself than to walk to the shop, wait for development and walk back the next day. Plus, ya, it's more fun...

 

[Damaso]

Just finished processing my backlog of 100 rolls of Tri-x. The processing wasn't too bad but the cutting and sleving took forever...

 

[ronnies]

Used to do all my own b&w in the early eighties and then for a short spell around 2003. I was getting the odd film done at a local pro lab but I'm now getting back into doing my own at a photographic facility in Edinburgh called Stills. Saves me trying to set up a darkroom in the bathroom at home.

Ronnie

 

[Erik van Straten]

Since 1970 I develop the films myself. First TriX and from somewhere in the 1980's, when it was introduced, Tmax400. Recently I returned to TriX, but it really does not match the quality of Tmax400 so I've dicided to return to Tmax400 for the rest of my life.

Erik.

 

[tritiated]

Yes as of a couple of months ago - it's great fun!

 

[tonyonions]

Home development

Home development

After a gap of several years I recently went back to developing my own B&W negs, but I was put off by an inability to avoid drying marks (and, to a lesser extent, dust). Any tips on this? I would like to go back to home developing, but I can get a pro service for around £5 per roll, so that makes me lazy about it.

 

[Greg M.]

developing B&W

developing B&W

​

After a gap of several years I recently went back to developing my own B&W negs, but I was put off by an inability to avoid drying marks (and, to a lesser extent, dust). Any tips on this? I would like to go back to home developing, but I can get a pro service for around £5 per roll, so that makes me lazy about it.

I'd need to know more about what the drying marks look like...

But... common remedies are;

a.) Get a small bottle of Edwal LFN wetting agent, and put a drop into the last of your wash water. If you can't find or order the Edwal, a VERY small amount of liquid dish soap will do. I mean SMALL, like smearing a fraction of a drop onto your finger, and wiggling the finger into the final wash. A whole drop is TOOTOOMUCH!!!

I don't recommend Kodak's Photo Flo... it's a laquer, designed for old machine processors, that displaces water and makes a hard finish on the negatives. I have found (empirically) that it makes its own set of marks on film, in my various home darkrooms, and is more of a problem than not using a wetting agent.

b.) Don't dry with heat (film dryer, hair dryer). Hang 'em on a line, and then go out, or watch TV for an hour or two, or go make more pictures. Let 'em dry s-l-o-w-l-y.

c.) A lot of "marks" on film happen during the processing... don't use too elevated a temperature, and endevor to keep the developer, stop, fixer, and WASH WATER at within a degree of each other, in temperature.

Many people are scrupulous about developer temp, and then use room temp fix, and cold water to wash. This can leave marks on emulsions, and lead to "grain clumping".

HTH... Greg.

 

[capitalK]

Processed my first 120 film today... unfortunately it was for someone else.

My heart sank into my stomach when I pulled them out and they were almost all clear... I thought I screwed up his negs but upon closer inspection that I realized he was taking pictures of the fireworks earlier this month.

 

[AgentX]

Always did my own b/w in school. Been, oh, a few years since then. Had the occasional roll of b/w put through a camera in the meantime. Got back into film and tried chromogenic while in Europe just to see how I liked it. Now I'm developing my own b/w again in the spare bedroom/restroom.