Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 19

We have another installment for our darkroom series, this time from David. Thanks a lot for contributing, David!

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

It is a storage room, no running water, very dark with overall constant temperature. Small space.

What is your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky!

Stainless steel Kindermann tanks. Agitate 1st minute continuously, then 5 seconds per minute up to 10 minutes, then 10 seconds per 2 minutes after 10 minutes.

What is your go to developer?

AGFA Rodinal or Kodak HC-110.

What is your all time favorite film/developer combo?

AGFA APX 100, Rodinal. 1:50 68F/20C.

What kind of look does this give you?

Crisp.

Have you tried any or are you interested in any alternative processes, such as cynotype?

Palladium, salted silver. (1986)

What is the best processing tip you can give?

Cleanliness, constant temperature, correct times, patience.

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 18

We're back this week with a new installment of our dark room series from Ron. Sounds like a good set up and a reoccurring theme in the advice column definitely seems to be STAY ORGANIZED and be meticulous about recording what you do. Thanks, Ron!

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

When it comes to developing film I use my whole house. The Laundry room (loading reels), the Main Bathroom (for drying the film) and the Kitchen (for mixing the chemicals and "souping" the film).

My darkroom does double duty as a laundry room. It works well since it has no windows and I've set a curtain before the door so no light sneaks through from the outer hall. The top of the washer and dryer make a good large workspace. I haven't expanded into printmaking yet. (I have an enlarger and all the accessories, but I need to build a proper darkroom before I can use them.)

What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

I like to keep my process as simple as possible. I use two 2-reel Paterson tanks which I load in the darkness of the laundry room.

Before loading I check Massive Dev chart (http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php) to ensure that the films I am developing have the same development times (not a concern for colour but important when developing black and white)

I make a note of each roll and its position in which tank.
ie. tank 1 - Top: HP5 - Olympus OM 10 - March 5 - Gastown

Bottom: HP5 - Canon QL17 - Feb 3 - Strathcona

I often check filmdev.org to see what other people are doing; but, for the most part, I like to stick to the tried and true methods found on the Massive dev chart website.

I don't do stand developing, not because I don't like it but because I haven't the patience to sit around waiting :) My general rule of thumb is agitate for the first 30 seconds and then 4 or 5 inversions every minute after that.

Sometimes I will pick up Ilfostop, but if I run out I do a water stop for two minutes (30 seconds agitation/empty/refill and repeat)

I use Ilford Rapid fix as my go to fixer and, even though it says three minutes is adequate, I like to fix for 6 - 7 minutes using the same agitation as in developing. I've read that it is difficult to over fix and I haven't yet.

Once the film is developed, I hang dry it in the main bathroom (I run the shower for about 15 minutes before hand to keep any dust from ending up on the film as it dries)

Once dry I scan it to my computer with an Epson V550 scanner and store the negatives in archival sheets and binders.
What is your go to developer?

I like Ilfosol 3 because it's low maintenance. I can mix it and go. Unlike a powder mixes like D76 where I have to mix it ahead of time and let it cool.

What is your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

I can't give an opinion on this as I haven't been doing this long enough to have experimented with different combinations. I often use whatever I have in the house. Currently I have enough Ilfolsol 3 for two more rolls and a liter of D76 mixed/ready to go. I just picked up 3 - 5L mixes of Xtol and am excited to give it a try.

What result/look does this give?

I will say this... When I've developed HP5 in Ilfosol 3, I've found the results to be grainy with a nice contrast; however, Ilfosol3 with Tmax 400 ended up with a nicer grain and less contrast. Now, take it all with a grain of salt since, like I said, I haven't got the years of experience that many, more knowledgeable, folks may have.

Have you tried any or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

I haven't done anything like cyanotype, but I have had great fun playing with caffinol. If you're unfamiliar... Caffinol is a process in which you create your own developer using instant coffee, vitamin C, and washing soda. (It smells as revolting as it sounds) A great video can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjOqcbBEco and many different recipes and guides can be found at http://www.caffenol.org/

What is the best processing tip you can give?

1) Leave your phone, smart watch etc outside the darkroom! I learned this lesson a couple days ago when I forgot to take off my watch and, half way through loading some 120 film on a reel, it lit up.

2) Invest in a film puller - makes life soooooo much easier.

3) Set everything up the same way every time. Its so much easier to find the reel, scissors, film rolls etc... when you put them in the same place.

4) Label your film - often it will be weeks or months before you process some rolls (Gary Winogrand would let his film sit for a year) and it sucks trying to archive your stuff when you can't remember when/where the photo was taken, or what camera/ lens combo was used.

5) Make a note of what film is where in the tank and keep track of where it hangs when drying ( I work top to bottom/left to right - so when hanging the film the top roll in the tank is always on the left and the bottom roll is on the right (tank 1 is left, tank 2 is right.))

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 16

This week we are excited to bring you a new installment from our series all about Stephen's darkroom and soon to be darkroom. Sounds like a very unique set up! We'd love to see photos once the new kitchen darkroom is going! Thanks a lot, Stephen.

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

My darkroom consists of two moving blankets on either side of my windowless bathroom door, for the time being. I have recently purchased some blackout fabric. The panels are going to be sewn together to create walls and are then going to be attached, floor to ceiling, with 2” Velcro around my kitchen. It will have everything I need in there. Ventilation (oven fan), Wet side (sink) and Dry side (counter space). Now I just have to figure out where I am going to do my cooking. Yes I live alone.

What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

My process is very standard. I use Paterson tanks and reels in 35 and 120 formats. I always pre-soak the film for 1 minute or so in 20.5-21C water then add my 20C developer. I agitate by inversion continuously for the first minute then 1 inversion every 30 seconds thereafter. My stop bath is also at 20C, continuous agitation for 1 minute and the fix is somewhere close to 20C, continuous agitation for the first minute and 1 inversion every 30 seconds thereafter again. The film is rinsed thoroughly in water. I then let it sit in a water bath for 10 minutes and repeat this step 3 times for a total of 30 minutes. I am trying to reduce the amount of water I use. Then hang to dry in my bathroom that I had a shower in to get any dust down.

I also stand develop film and love the results with this process. I will let it sit for 60, 90, 120 minutes, just for fun. I have even put borax in my developer at times and I am going to try using salt water with my developer as well just to see what happens.

I will cross process anything by stand developing.

What is your go to developer?

My go to developer is Blazinal. Love this stuff. I just purchased some Xtol and mixed that up the other day.

I will shoot a roll of 35mm film of 24 or 36 exposures, go in my darkroom and cut the film in half, put each half on a separate spool and process in different developers.

What is your all-time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

I haven’t figured that out yet.

I jump around with so many different combinations. I use Blazinal and Xtol, which I mentioned, as my developers and I shoot Ilford Pan F, HP5+ and Delta 100. In Kodak stock I use Tri X 400.

What result/look does this give?

So far the look that I am achieving with all these different combinations is just what I have been hoping for, Black, White and a bunch of different tones of grey.

I need to focus on one developer and one film for a while to find what really speaks to me. I am going to work with Blazinal, HP5+ and see what happens.

Have you tried any or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

I have played around with the gum dichromate process and produced one piece from that. When the time comes I will do more of it but for now I am consumed with the B&W process.

What is the best processing tip you can give?

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Film is cheap and even mistakes are to be learned from. Experimentation keeps things from getting stale.

Don’t drink anything when you are in the darkroom!!!


Below is a sample of the Gum print Stephen tried out.

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 15

For this week's Red Light in a Dark Room we are very happy to learn more about Russel and Wendy's wonderful home darkroom.

Wendy and Russel Kwan are fine art photographers, exclusively producing their limited-edition work as toned fiber-based silver-gelatin prints in their studio and darkroom. Their work has been exhibited in Canada and the US in commercial and academic museums and galleries. Their next scheduled solo show, "Space + Time" will be at Visual Space Gallery in Vancouver, 21 Aug to 5 Sep 2015. They are the black-and-white darkroom instructors in Continuing Studies at Langara College (next course "Basic Darkroom PHTG 1003" starts Tue 5 May 2015), and independently operate their Photography MicroSchool (these courses have nothing to do with darkrooms!) in Vancouver (next courses start in May 2015).

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

We have a darkroom tour page on our website: http://NewMythographs.com/pages/rwpMainframeDarkroom.html .

Our darkroom is a purpose-built 9x13 foot room with a custom stainless-steel sink running the length of one side, and cabinets / enlarger workstation on the other. It is built for efficiency, so we can make mistakes really fast.

What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

We use a variety of processes, including some secret home-brew chemistries - but the basic stuff is what many people use: Paterson tanks and reels and a traditional print tray-line. We do have a film processor for straight photography - it's a Photo-Therm SSK-8, and it's a trouper.

What is your go to developer?

Russ uses a variety of home-brews, none of which are published, as well as Kodak HC-110. HC-110 works much better when it's been aged a lot. So does Blazinal. Wendy uses Ilford Perceptol.

What is your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

Russ uses HP5 & HC-110, and Rollei IR & HC-110 a lot. Wendy uses Delta 400 & Perceptol, and Ilford SFx & Perceptol. It probably should be noted that we don't use any film or chemistry (other than fixer) according to the manufacturer's instructions.

What result/look does this give?

It's a total light-path thing. Everything matters, from lens to camera to film-format & film to development regime to enlarger type to enlarger lens to print paper to print processing to toning. Neither of us has a single "look" - rather, we invent new looks for every body of work. There's no way to assess a look online - to see it, you'll need to see the finished prints.

Have you tried any or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

We've tried lots of things, including gum, lith and cyanotype - but silver remains the most flexible and malleable medium for both of us. Home-brew chemistry can totally transform silver, allowing the medium to do completely new things.

What is the best processing tip you can give?

Keep ridiculously complete and detailed notes. Be consistent with everything. Change only one thing at a time. Make copious mistakes and keep close track of the cool ones. Bravely and ceaselessly experiment.

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 14

Thanks a lot to Nigel for his great darkroom info this week! It's interesting to learn about some different alternative processes as well.

 

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

I'm fortunate to have light-proof, interior bathrooms in the places I've lived - which makes handling film, controlling dust and keeping a steady temperature a lot simpler. With 4x5 film I'm really careful about dust, a bit OCD with vacuuming the bathroom ceiling to floor, the film holders, the camera and so on.

 

I've drifted away from silver-gelatin printmaking over the years but after seeing Lee Freidlander's wonderful show at Presentation House, I'm seriously thinking about squeezing a 4x5 enlarger into that bathroom.

What is your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

There's nothing very special about my developing routine. Good control over the processing time/temperature is the most important thing. Lately I've been using a cool little iPhone custom timer app from Kodak Film which beeps on cue and has a safelight display. To control temperature, I start with the room - I aim to keep temp in the bathroom at 20C, and stand my processing drum, chemicals and large bucket of water in the room overnight, so everything is at 20C. I use that water to make up the develop/fix solutions, also for a rinse to halt the development. Sometimes in colder weather I'll use an aquarium heater to maintain the water temperature. I use a Jobo drum for 4x5 processing - nothing fancy, fill with a funnel and roll it gently back and forth on a towel on the floor. I also have a couple of reel/drum tanks for roll film. For washing, I use a Polaroid P/N film bucket, originally intended to hold and clear Polaroid Type 55 negs in the field. But it also works great to wash reels and sheet film. After washing under the tap (also around 20C but not so critical) for an hour or so, I dip the film in Photoflo solution and clip on a line rigged in the shower to dry overnight.

What is your go to developer?

Early on I tried Rodinal at 1+25 and I've stuck with that. I've also used Xtol for roll film, and have dabbled with PMK (pyrogallol metol staining developer) under full hazmat protocols :-)

What is your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

HP5+ and Rodinal.  

What result/look does this give?

HP5+/Rodinal gives me a solid 4x5 neg with good density and tonal separation in the mid and light grays. The light and shadows here on the west coast are fairly blue - especially strongly lit seascapes/mountainscapes - so I generally use a 2-stop yellow-orange lens filter to improve sky definition and shadow contrast. With HP5+ I end up with a handy working speed of 100 after the filter factor; with Rodinal the whole analog image chain just seems to fall into place.

Have you tried any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

I've experimented with PMK processing and the ziatype (platinum/palladium) printing process to make 4X5 contact prints. It's a neat but finicky process that relies on a slightly damp paper emulsion. It's quite a bit of work to get the paper and coating routine dialed in. I also ended up building a UV light hood to guarantee a source of "sunshine". But the prints turn out to be wonderful, gloriously tactile objects.

I’m very attached to polaroid processes and have had some nice results using the Impossible SX70 film. I sincerely hope the New55 project eventually comes to fruition - I have about a box and a half of old and now rather dodgy Type 55 left - it's a bit of a personal ritual for me to expose a few sheets every year just for the experience.

What is the best processing tip you can give?

Be methodical and keep notes. Get a good thermometer! Have fun and don’t process any critical images until you’re well dialed in.

 

 

Here area  few examples of Nigel's work.

 

For more, check out his website: atmosphericlens.com

 

 

HP5 in Rodinal

 

 

HP5 in PMK

 

HP5 in PMK/Ziatype Print

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 12

This week we hear from Kevin who has an interesting traveling dark room set up that he can take along on all his travels. Thanks for sharing with us, Kevin!


What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom?

The kind of photography I have done for the last number of years might best be described as urban hiking. Therefore I need a camera that is simple, easy to use, can do both architectural photography, as well as point and shoot and doesn't weigh a ton! The answer I found was a Speed Graflex. These cameras are much underrated but nothing comes close for ease of use and versatility. I acquired one that was fully functional with a coupled rangefinder for less than $500 at an estate sale. One photo at the bottom is a hand held shot (boy on tightrope) and the other is of architecture.

I have shot large format for over 20 years and have learned if you want to survive at this sport you need to keep things simple and straightforward. After trying all kinds of exotic developing methods, I found that four sheets face up in the bottom of a tray works best. I made a special tray by gluing plastic guides to an old paper tray. As I often travel and needed a way to develop the film in the hotel bathroom - and this fits the bill.

What's your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo and what results does this give you?

My preferred film/developer combination is Ilford Delta 100 and Kodak Xtol. This gives a nice smooth evenly stepped tonal scale and allows for 4X enlargement of the negative without the grain showing. Although I have tried platinum printing, which produces a beautiful image, I find that having a large neg and then using split contrast printing produces what I am looking - generous detail.

What is the best processing tip you can give?

When it comes to processing film I have found that slow is best. I usually dilute the developer and use a semi-stand method when I have a 5 stop or greater of dynamic range. I keep the time negs are in the developer at about 30 minutes - which is sufficient for the negs to "stand" several times for 5 minutes preventing the highlights from going off the scale. When I have 4 stops or less then I use a 1:1 dilution, shorten the time and use continual agitation. Even though I use variable contrast printing I still follow the basic rule of 19th century photographers "expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights."

Below are a couple of examples from a recent trip to Lisbon.

Consignment 110 Cameras! $5.00 each!

Recently added to consignments in the Film department is a giant basket of 110 Cameras! There are many more where these came from and each of them are only $5.00. If you've ever wanted to try one out, now is the time!

You can still get 110 film from Lomography and we have it in color negative, black & white and slide.

We also have a few other, higher end 110 cameras available in consignments as well if you'd like delve deeper into the miniature world of 110 film!

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 10

This week we take a look at how and where August develops her film. Thanks for sharing, August! Your alternative process ideas are also very interesting! Good luck, and we'd love to see how they turn out.


What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

My darkroom is in the basement of the Dunbar Community Centre; it is one of the last public darkrooms in the Parks Board system, let alone in Vancouver Proper! It has a quasi-high school sense about it. The space itself is about 6x10 ft. It's cozy, but well equipped-everything you need for a black and white set-up.

What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

My process is pretty basic; I strive to create master prints and consistent negatives. I've had to get a little creative with my film developing, since we don't have much space or a print dryer in the darkroom. So far, the best place to dry film is the ladies shower room, since it has separate metal stalls that you can sneakily lock from the outside.

What is your go to developer?

Hands-down, Kodak's D-76.

What is your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

It has to be the now extinct old-formula Agfa APX in Kodak X-Tol developer. I made such amazing contrasty black and white prints with the perfect amount of grain and tonal range-I've so far not been able to replicate it. For the last few years I've switched between Kodak T-Max and stand-by Ilford HP5, usually processed in D-76.

What result/look does this give?

HP5 gives a nice tonal range that allows a fair bit of latitude when adjusting contrast. I love TMAX when I'm shooting landscapes and urban scenes-it is fun to push and pull this film to play around with the grain.

Have you tried any or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

Yes-I have started to experiment with making some of my own chemistry, starting with a recipe to develop film using instant coffee! I'm also planning on making my own toner dyes if I can source the chemicals, and I also want to make a film developer formula that was intended to use to record nuclear blasts in the New Mexico and Nevada test grounds.

What is the best processing tip you can give?

When it comes to processing black and white, the most important detail is the temperature of your film developer. Get a film thermometer and make sure you're exactly on. Nothing ruins a roll of film like over and under-exposure, and you have only one chance with negatives. It's a good idea to have all your chemistry at the same room temp, but the developer is critical.



  

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 9

This week we are excited to take a look at Doug's darkroom! Looks like he has a great set up for printing. Thanks for the photos too, Doug.

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

I have a Saunders LPL 6x7 Dichroic Enlarger that I set up in my bathroom. The enlarger is on top of a kitchen trolley bought at Home Depot and modified to roll over the toilet in the bathroom. I use a tray rack that lets me stack three trays on top of each other to save counter space. I also have an old 8x10 print washer for washing fibre prints (my preferred material is Ilford Multigrade FB). The challenge in my situation is that the bathroom gets hot very quickly and sadly the ventilation fan is very noisy. I am considering replacing it with something much quieter, but proper ventilation is key. I have not been printing a lot recently, but the recent purchase of a 5x7 camera is going to allow me to contact print, which I find very exciting.

 What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

I process roll film using the Paterson tanks. They use a little more chemistry, but I find the reels much easier to load (but they must be really dry) than the stainless steel systems. Sheet film is processed using Jobo drums. My preferred developers have been Ilfotech HC and Kodak D76. They give different looks but I find both pleasant. I have also used pyrogallol developers for landscape photos but understand the Pyrocat is a superior alternative to PMK. My developing routine is extremely repeatable. For roll film tanks, I agitate for the first 30 seconds of the first minute and for 10 seconds at every minute thereafter. Sheet films are processed in drums on constantly rotating roller bases. Developing times shift around based on how contrasty the situation is or if I am looking for extra “pop” in terms of contrast. It is valuable to test your film and developer combinations but too much testing takes away from taking pictures. I don’t really use the Zone System, but I try to understand the effects of the variables in the process. Henry Horenstien’s “Beyond Basic Black and White Photography” is an excellent book for folks who want to go further.

What's your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

Right now, I really enjoy Acros 100 in Ilfotech. It provides sharp, punchy images and the grain is minimal. HP5 in D76 is a real smooth combination. It’s a good general purpose combination that yields easily printed results. For longer scale scenes, the staining developers with pyrogallol are great for the separation of highlights and provides a lot of subtle gradation. I used to use it with TMX 100 (which would blow out highlights pretty easily) shot at 50 ISO.

Have you tried any or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

I’m a bit of a nut for the alt processes and have printed both cyanotypes and platinotypes. I have done a workshop in carbon printing, but don’t have the space for the process at home. I recently completed a wet plate workshop and found the process to be fascinating and worth the effort.

The 5x7 camera I plan to be working with was bought to encourage me to work with the alt processes. The negative size is, in my opinion, the smallest that is comfortable for viewing as an image on a wall, or in a portfolio. The result of all this is that I am starting to look for a space to set up a dedicated darkroom where I can work with chemistry without wrecking my apartment (silver nitrate stains are the mark of the wet plate photographer).

What is the best processing tip you can give?

My best advice for new darkroom people is to be consistent. Make as much of it as repeatable as possible. When you want to make a change, change one thing at a time. Otherwise, you will never understand how you got something. I also feel that you should go out and shoot rather than chase magic bullets in the darkroom. Only optimize your processing to the point that you can see a difference in your prints. Though I enjoy the darkroom, I prefer to photograph.

Here are a few samples of Doug's work.

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 8

This week we start you off with a look into Spencer's darkroom set up, where he mainly processes C41. Thanks for sharing your insightful notes and ideas with us, Spencer. Not to mention the photos! It's nice to actually see your set up.

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

I develop my photos in the bathroom of my basement studio apartment. There’s not a lot of space, but that doesn’t really matter since I’m not printing or really doing anything except the actual development of my film. I usually try to warn people who come over for the first time so that they don’t freak out when they see all of the chemical containers and beakers, etc. lying all around my bathroom.

What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

I load my film onto reels to go into a 1L Paterson tank after the sun’s gone down, so I don’t have to worry as much about ambient light sneaking in. I fill my bathtub with water at the required temperature to pre-heat the chemicals and then get going. I find that the water temperature from the bath tap is much easier to control than from the sink tap. I’ve started putting down an old shower curtain on the ground to keep spills from leaving residue on the tile floor. I recently bought the Massive Dev Chart Timer app for my phone, which reminds me when to agitate the tank and when to go on to the next stage. It’s great for someone like me, who tends to space out a lot and forget an agitation cycle or take too long to move along to the next step of the process. I have paperclips hanging by string from the bar that holds my shower curtain, which I use to hang my film up to dry. I reuse my chemistry until it expires, then I take it to a pro lab for them to properly dispose of. I scan my negs at school with their Epson v500.

 

 

What's your go to developer?

I primarily shoot colour film and develop it in Tetenal’s C-41 chemistry. I used to use the Arista kit, but I find that I’m getting much better results from the Tetenal. They also have a 5L kit for a reasonable price, which I use and would recommend to save some money. For the B&W that I do, I’ve mostly been using X-Tol, but I recently bought some Blazinal (Rodinal) that I’m eager to try out.

What's your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

One of the nice (or not nice, depending on your point of view) aspects of C-41 is that it’s a standardized process that works the same with all film, which means that I can develop 100iso Ektar with 400iso Portra in the same batch without any problems, for example. I shoot a lot of Kodak Ektar and develop it in my Tetenal C-41 developer, so I’ll call that my favourite.

What result/look does this give?

Colourful!

Have you tried any or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

C-41 seems to be a crazy alternative process to some people, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore. I have a book somewhere that my grandparents gave me, which outlines the twenty-something steps of developing colour film. I think that’s why my Dad, who got me into photography, and my teacher at Emily Carr, who got me back into film photography and developing, both politely tried to dissuade me from trying to develop my own colour film. After completely ignoring them, I found that it isn’t really any harder than developing black and white film. I guess photographic technology has advanced and been simplified since the 50s? Two summers ago, I was in a camera store in Toronto and asked the guy where their C-41 stuff was, since I couldn’t find it with their B&W chemistry. He seemed to think that that was the craziest question he had ever heard, saying that no one does C-41 anymore and then went back to his conversation with another customer about how great shooting with a Holga on expired film is. We should all appreciate how much better Beau is.

Outside of that, I’ve been meaning to make a batch of caffenol and try that out. I haven’t been able to find washing soda, which doesn’t seem to be as commonly available here as it is in Europe and the UK, where a lot of the articles on caffenol are written. I might be completely missing it, though, so please let me know.

What is the best processing tip you can give?

Developing your own colour film isn’t that scary! Seriously! Next time you’re in the store, I’m sure Nicole will be happy to tell you how generally clueless and inept I am (she might also be able to give you more useful information like where the Tetenal kit is and what the best containers to use are (accordions)). That should be proof that anyone can do it. I believe in you.

On a more technical level, make sure to pre-heat your developer to the temperature you want for at least 5 minutes before you actually start developing. Not doing this was the main reason I wasn’t getting good results when I started out. One of the biggest differences between B&W and colour development is that colour is (usually) developed at a much higher temperature for a relatively short period of time. I develop at 100º F, starting at 3:30, then increasing :15 for each time I reuse the chemicals. It’s important to get your developer up to that temperature before you start developing or else you’ll end up with a lot of underdeveloped photos. Also start running the water for the rinse stage before you finish with the Blix, so that it has time to warm up to the required temperature. Make sure to keep a log of your development times and results so that you can tweak your process from what the instructions say to what actually works for you. I also recommend using demineralized water rather than tap water.

Here are a few samples of Spencer's shots, straight after developing and not retouched.

You can see more of Spencer's work on his blog at: http://megamonkees.tumblr.com

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 7

This week's darkroom post is care of Kevin, who also does some printing in his home darkroom. Thanks for the great details, Kevin!

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

My darkroom is my 800 square foot apartment's only bathroom, because Vancouver. I'm a member of the West End Photographic Society, and as such can use their darkroom in the West End, but I live in South Burnaby so the occasional hassle of monopolizing the bathroom is kind of fun. It does mean that I can only really print when my girlfriend isn't home for a long stretch of time, but anyways...

The enlarger sits on the floor, a couple of trays are in the tub, and one is next to the enlarger. I process one print at a time due to space requirements. I have a home-built print washer that I can set up elsewhere to do hour-long plus archival washing for FB prints, or if I'm really excited, I could get some Ilford Washaid to make it quicker.

In short, it's fun. I'm working with some colleagues who may wish to re-start a darkroom co-op, so if you are someone who has space that we could rent for an affordable rate, or wish to learn more, Nicole at Beau could probably put you in touch with me. (She sure can! Email film@beauphoto.com if you are interested.)

What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

Developing is both a lot of fun and the bane of my existence. For colour, I ship it all out to the Lab because I'm so terrified of temperature control it's not even funny.

For B&W, I tend to use trendy experimental methods I find online. I haven't done a Caffenol-C experiment yet (soon, soon), but for a while I was doing extremely dilute HC-110 stand development. I started getting edge density issues, so I've changed to a fancy combination of Rodinal and HC-110 (the so-called Rodin110) which is 4ml of Rodinal and 1ml of HC-110. Developing time is 30mins for any film, and any ISO at box speed. 30 seconds initial agitation, followed by 3 inversions at 10, 20, and 25 minutes. I have had no significant issues with this method, though I haven't tried to push it, yet.
      
What's your go to developer?

For the longest time, it was HC-110. Now, it's Rodinal/HC-110 combined. I'm enlarging up to 11x14 at home with a 6x7 negative, so I haven't had massive grain issues at all.

What's your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

Oh, I'm so split right now. I was, until very recently, all about Acros 100 in HC-110. Smooth, smooth, smooth. Acros is still my heartfelt favourite film, and I'll curse Fuji the day they discontinue it, which is why they never will, I'm sure.

As of late, however, I've had exceptionally good luck with Shanghai GP3 film. Clear base, seems to have nice tonality. I haven't run into the same problems others have had with it (backing numbers chemically etched into the emulsion).

What result/look does this give?

The Acros/HC-110 combo has been beautiful tonal gradation. That continues with the Rodin110. Shanghai GP3 has been interesting because it's been tonally great lately, too.

Have you or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

I've a 4x5 camera that I really want to do wet plate photography with. I'm tempted by emulsion lifts, or homemade paper negatives. I've never done any of this, sadly.

What I have experimented with is stand development. It's great for low-contrast, compensating developing. However, I had some real problems with edge density, due to lack of agitation. I've got a happy medium at the moment with Rodin110 and regular agitation.

What is the best processing tip you can give?
Don't underestimate the importance of agitation for not ruining your prints.
  

Friday Featured Film Spotlight - Kodak T-MAX

This week Nicole talks a bit about her experience with Kodak TMAX 100 & TMAX 400 black and white films.

For the longest time my fellow film fanatics would tell me how amazing Kodak's TMAX TMX100 & TMAX TMY400 film is, and for the longest time for my personal work I didn’t totally agree. I found my work lacked contrast when I shot with TMAX. On paper its characteristics read as follows: extremely fine grain, good tonal range and Tabular grain structure for super sharpness, all good attributes. But I was not really seeing these results when I shot the film, even in different situations. I shot other films as well in the same types of situations, so I knew it wasn't in how I was shooting the film.

However, I soon realized my dissatisfaction with TMAX film was perhaps because I’d only ever had it processed in Kodak XTOL. Perhaps that wasn't the right film and developer combination for me. I decided to load a roll of TMX100 in my Pentacon Six and have it processed in Blazinal/Rodinal. Much to my delight I found the Blazinal gave it the contrast I like my film to have while keeping the finer grain look that the TMAX is known for. This is why it is always a good idea to try out different combinations of films with different developers. You might think you don't actually like a certain film, but it may be more in the way it reacts with certain developers than the film itself. If you don't develop film yourself, it is a good idea to ask the lab you are having it done at which developer they use so you can keep track. It's not that easy to find labs to develop film these days, but it is an interesting experiment to take the same type of film to two different labs, using different developers, and see what it looks like!

If you have tried T-MAX in different developers and have found a noticeable difference, we'd love to hear about it! You can leave a comment below, find us on Twitter @beauphotostore or mention it on our Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/beauphotosupplies

Here are a few shots I took with the TMAX 100 developed in Blazinal.

 

 

Friday Featured Film Spotlight - Kodak Tri-X

 

This week's Friday Featured Film Spotlight is about Kodak Tri-X 400 black & white film.

 

Kodak Tri-X high speed panochromatic black and white film used to be widely available in both 320 and 400 ISO. The 320TXP is becoming more and more difficult to find however. That being said, Kodak 400TX is still extremely popular! This is because the 400TX, like Ilford's HP5, has a wide exposure latitude making it perfect for push or pull processing or simply a forgiving film for someone to learn on. You are almost always guaranteed an image with Tri-X. If you are a bit under or over in your exposure, you can usually quite easily still pull a great image when developing or printing with Tri-X. A lot of schools give their students this film to learn on for that reason, but it's also great if you are doing journalistic style photography or street photography where you are constantly moving into ever changing situations. This was how Tri-X got to be so popular and was a favorite of journalists and professionals, especially in the 60s & 70s. With the gritty results Tri-X provided, it really changed the tone and look of that era of photography. In more recent years, the film was redesigned and has a more fine grain quality to it, but still remains one of the most versatile black and white films available today. All of these factors have contributed to Tri-X becoming the best selling black and white film.

Tri-X can appear grainy and contrasty, depending a bit on how it is shot and developed, but it still has a unique depth to it and allows for a lot of detail in the shadows and highlights. The cubic grain shape helps render clear, sharp detail in those areas. However even if you’re not the photo journalist type this film works wonders in all lighting types and for other categories of photography. Photographing animals is great with Tri-X as well, as they tend to move and the lighting situations can change quickly. The versatility of this film really helps compensate for any misstep in exposure you might make in such situations. It's also great in Dianas, Holgas or any of the Lomography or plastic cameras! These cameras tend to play fast and loose with exposure and sometimes you're not sure what you'll get. Tri-X works really well to compensate for this uncertainty.

Here are a few shots we've done with Tri-X.

Nicole's images: shot on a Pentacon Six, developed in Ilfotec DD-X.

Meghan's shots done on a Diana F+, developed in Blazinal.

 

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 3

This weeks post for our darkroom series, where we are finding out more about some of our customers home darkrooms, is from Chris. He has some interesting methods with different developers, as well as some intriguing tips... 

 

Thanks for the information and sample photos, Chris! 

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

My darkroom is in the bathroom. It's quite handy if I have the sudden urge to go. Not so handy when someone else does.

What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

I shoot with my crappy toy and pinhole cameras during the day and develop at night. I have some stainless steel tanks and reels that I stole from my sister. I load them in a changing bag since my "darkroom" can't actually be made dark. (Stupid skylight!) I have an iPod Touch that I use as timer. I use the Massive Dev app which automatically times the developing and has numerous film/developer combinations. (I used to use the clock on an old Tamagotchi as a timer, but I forgot him on the counter one day and he died.) After developing I hang the film to dry in the shower and hope that no one decides to have a late night shower or cover themselves with talcum powder. From there the negs are scanned with an Epson Perfection V750 using SilverFast 8.

What is your go to developer?

I use Diafine if I'm feeling lazy. You don't have to mess with temperatures and you can develop different films in the same batch. I also use Blazinal, a.k.a. Rodinal, Ilfotec DD-X and occasionally I mix up my own Caffenol.

What is your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

I've developed a lot of Fomapan 100 in Diafine recently. I also Like T-Max 100 in Caffenol.

What result/look does this give?

With the Fomapan in Diafine I get nice even tones, highlights don't get blown out and shadows have nice details. It's especially good when shooting with pinhole or toy cameras.

Have you or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

Caffenol is the most alternative process I use. 10 tsp washing soda, 1 tsp Vitamin C powder and 16 heaping tsp of no-name instant coffee in 32 oz of water. 12 1/2 minutes at 20 ℃ develops T-max 100 and gives the film a nice stain. When scanned in colour the results can be interesting. Just hold your breath when using it, it smells like concentrated dog vomit.

What is the best processing tip you can give?

If you can afford it, pay someone else to do it. Otherwise, experiment and go with what works for you. Oh, and don't waste too much time reading the advice of idiots online.

Here are a few great examples Chris has sent us!

Fomapan 100 in a Debonair toy camera and developed in Diafine.

 
 

 

 

T-Max 100 shot in a Diana toy camera, developed in Caffenol.

 

 

 

 

Red Light in a Dark Room - Part 2

Below is the second installment of our dark room spotlight. We were curious as to what kind of home darkrooms people have set up and what they are using to process their film and in some cases even print too! In Part Two of our series, we talked to Jesse. Thanks a lot for your input, Jesse, it's great to learn a bit more about different developers and hear about alternative processes people are doing (or have done as the case may be!)


What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Please tell us a bit about it.

For simple developing, for now my 'darkroom' consists of a bathroom/closet combination. Film is loaded onto reels in the closet and processed in the bathtub. This is how I develop 35mm, 120, 4x5 and motion picture film. As I take baths in the same vessel (not at the same time), I prefer to stick to developing only and any further processing is completed off-site.

For printing I'm a member of Cineworks and use their fantastic facility, The Annex. Cineworks’ focus is preserving the art and science of cine film, but they also have a tray line, developing tanks, enlargers and of course 8mm and 16mm processing tanks for cinephiles. I just turn up with chemistry and paper. It's an invaluable resource.

What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

It’s all tanks. With sheet film, I use a jobo tank with MOD-45 and constant agitation. For 120 film, standard 120 reels in a tank. For these I use intermittent agitation or semi-stand development, agitating only every 4 to 30 minutes depending on the dilution. Recently, I started processing my own motion picture film; for this I have a Russian Lomo tank that can process up to 100ft at a time. I am currently testing film/developer combinations for this setup.


What is your go to developer?

My preferred developers are high dilution pyrogallol and pyrocatechin formulations. They’re economical and give fantastic results. But which one really depends on the subject and the camera format. For years, my go-to was Gordon Hutching's PMK; I was shooting 4x5 and 8x10 sheet film and tray developing with constant agitation. This method gave me great results. But recently I’ve been shooting much more 120; with the smaller gauge, the need for higher acutance and experimentation with high value placement has opened a new avenue to semi-stand development. But in PMK you risk uneven development with semi-stand. This was part of the motivation to move to Sandy King's Pyrocat-HD, which has become my new go-to while I learn it’s capabilities. I've been moving more and more to higher dilution/longer development times, so I'll use up to 1:1:300 with 60min semi-stand development. This has given me great results, but I'm still refining, testing and experimenting with this combination.

What's your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

Again, for years my favourite combination for landscapes was Kodak T-Max400 rated at ISO200 with PMK. Recently, I've been more focused on documentary style photography and for this my new favourite is Ilford Delta-3200 rated at ISO800 with Pyrocat-HD. Interestingly, during this new phase I learned the hard way that Ilford Delta films don’t intensify very well with sub-proportional intensifiers. I like the flexibility that sub-proportional intensifiers provide when shooting very low light, so I may go back to T-Max400 yet... I need to do some more testing!

What result/look does this give?

Pyrogallol and pyrocatechin are both staining developers, so in both cases, you can achieve two things... Superb acutance that really give a three dimensional quality to the prints and a beautiful staining action that masks grain and adds density. The stain itself diffuses into the space between silver grains; the makes clouds and fog silky smooth, smoothing out areas that might otherwise show more grain.

Have you or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

I love alternative processes; there’s something magical about the process of making your own light sensitive materials and creating permanent photographs from scratch. My senior year portfolio was actually a series of 16"x20" cyanotype landscapes. I was drawn to cyanotype because it is so widespread, so common; people take it for granted. But the process, even the traditional formula, is capable of some absolutely stunning imagery and beautiful, subtle tones. For my portfolio, I shot the original negatives on 8"x10" film, from which I made full exhibition quality 16"x20" FB prints. From these I created a 16"x20" internegative using lith film which I used to print the cyanotypes.  

I also spent several years making daguerreotypes. The original practitioners used to call them ‘a mirror with a memory’. If you haven’t had the experience of holding and viewing one in the flesh, you’re in for a treat. Optically, they’re different from every other photo process ever made, relying on the reflection of light rather than absorption. With a well made daguerreotype in the right lighting, the subject appears to float in space. I made my own plates and constructed a portable darkroom and fume extraction unit that fit into a rooftop box on my Volkswagen Golf. 

Perhaps not quite alternative, while Kodak Aerochrome 2443 colour infrared film was still in production, I would buy 10-20 meters of 9.5” short ends from aerial photographers at a time. In the darkroom, I cut them into 4"x5" and 8"x10" sheets and used them in my 8"x10" camera. I wasn’t happy with the contrast of standard cross-processing (as a colour negative), so I created my own custom AR-5/E-6/C-41/C-22 hybrid process. This required hand processing colour films in trays in complete darkness for over 1 hour at a time. But it made some fascinating imagery, helped demystify colour processing and once I made my first print from an 8x10 colour neg, I was hooked.

I haven't done any alternative processes for a while, but I took a series of images back in 2004 that I've been waiting to print, I just hadn't found the right medium. By chance I recently encountered some opportunities and so have started working on printing them in a particular iron-based process, but I don’t want to release details… yet. But I'll let you know when they're done!

What is the best processing tip you can give?

I have a few:

1. Know your materials. Always test!

2. Spend the time to understand how processing actually works.

3. Don’t fear the chemistry: respect it. Understand what the constituent chemicals actually do!

 And the most important of all: Have fun! Never lose your curiosity.

Film Spotlight - 3200 iso Black & White

3200 Black & White Film

Nicole & I both really love shooting 3200 iso black and white film. Nicole has shot quite alot with the Ilford Delta 3200 film, and I have used the Kodak TMZ 3200 more. It's our go to film for low light shots when you don't want to or can't use a flash. I don't mind a bit of grain when it comes to black and white film and as you'd expect in a 3200 iso rated film, there's a bit of grain to either of these films. However it's not as crazy as you might think and the beauty of black and white film is that you can really develop it and print it how you like it. It's fun and easy to manipulate most of the time. I have found that the Kodak TMZ has quite a bit more contrast and when printing my own photos I usually went with a really high contrast look, with deep blacks and hard highlights. I always loved shooting bands in a dark, smoky bar with the Kodak TMZ. The Delta 3200 seems to show a bit more highlight detail in high-contrast shots and it still manages to keep good detail in faces under bright stage lights. You generally are never allowed to shoot bands with flash photography. When I was a student and lover of crazy celtic bands, I loved the non-invasive tactics of shooting film with no flash and spent most of my 4 years in Art School extensively photographing my friends' band in every pub in Winnipeg. It was a great time to learn to play around with it, when I could get up close and personal and the guys were not up on a high stage. Nicole played around with the Delta in much the same way, also shooting bands and night club shows. We have both found that when shooting in this type of situation you really have to be careful to still not shoot this film wide open, as you may be tempted to do, because it then becomes very difficult to hold focus within the shallow depth of field.

Here are just a couple of shots Nicole and I have taken with each of these films under similar lighting situations.


Nicole's shot of David Usher; Delta 3200.

Meghan's shot of Men in Kilts; Kodak TMZ 3200. This is two shots together actually...


















These days we don't shoot much in the way of band photography, but Nicole & I both still love using 3200 for night scenes of a different artistic value. Parties that include crazy costumes, street scenes, or interesting photo shoots that we create ourselves. The versatility of these films makes it so easy and fun for action, because you don't have to think as much about the situation and you can easily capture a moment as it happens. Though we don't often shoot 3200 with a flash, you definitely can! In situations where your subject matter may be moving fairly fast, a flash is a good option so you don't have to shoot wide open and allow for a larger depth of field.

Nicole's shot from the Parade of Lost Souls 2014. Delta 3200.

When developing 3200 film, in particular the Delta, we have found that Blazinal does not work the best. It seems to really bring out the grain in the film even more and creates a fairly thin negative. Kodak Xtol seems to work much better.

Unfortunately, Kodak has now discontinued the 3200 TMZ film. However you can still find stock of it around and we currently have some in the store.

If you have any photos you've shot on 3200 iso film, we'd love to see them! The best way to share with us is on twitter and you can tag us @beauphotostore so we can see your work. Stay tuned for more film blogs, as Nicole and I will continue to shoot different films to review and compare.

Red light in a Dark Room - Part 1

It seems like more and more people are doing their own home film developing these days and so we were curious how some of our customers had their darkrooms set up. We've decided to make it into a regular blog series to showcase a wide variety of darkrooms. In addition to wondering how people set up their dark rooms (and where!) we wanted to know more about what chemistry combinations they use to get the results they enjoy or the various effects different developers have on different films.

Nicole has put together a short interview style questionnaire for our willing participants and here is our first installment from a regular customer of ours, John Brunstein. He's also kindly included some sample images that he's developed. Thanks so much for your contribution, John!

 

 

What is your darkroom? A room, closet or bathroom? Tell us a bit about it.

Strictly speaking, I don't have a darkroom - I have a changing bag which I use on my dining table to load exposed film into the developing reels and then into their tank (Jobo 1500 series, Patterson, Yankee Clipper II, or Minox depending on the film and process). I also find it ok for loading 35mm bulk spools into a bulk film daylight loader. Then, I do my actual developing in one of my bathrooms, which has windows and isn't dark at all.

For the Minox, Yankee Clipper II (110 film) or B&W in the Patterson tanks, I do the actual developing just at the bathroom sink and hang the film to dry in the tub. For E-6 or C-41 processing, I have a Jobo CPE2 with a lift kit. (That's not super big tires; it's a lever which enables you to dump the tank contents easily during the process). I have the Jobo system set up on a couple of sheets of plywood cut to fit nicely over the tub in that bathroom, with a big Nalgene container sitting in the tub with the Jobo waste line running into it, so it neatly collects all the chemicals.

If I have guests coming who might want the bathroom for its intended use as the ensuite to my guest bedroom / office, everything can be lifted out and stored away in maybe 15 minutes.

The reason I can get away with no additional darkroom space, is that post -developing I go digital. I scan the negatives on an Epson V500 (I have commercial grade holders for Minox, 110, 127, as well as 35mm and 6cm wide medium format film). Post digitizing, I print via inkjet (HP machines, I have the 8150 which does up to 8.5x11" and the 8750 which can do 13x19", and can have the greyscale and photo colour cartridges installed at the same time).

The point for me was explicitly that my house wasn't well set up to have a traditional darkroom - but this hybrid approach lets me shoot and develop film, and have total control over the digitizing, retouching, and printing, without one!

What's your process? Tell us a bit about your developing routine, especially if it's tricky.

All of my developing is pretty straightforward. For B&W hand tanks, I invert 5x at the developer fill point, then 5x every 30 sec or 120 sec depending on the film - I experiment a bit to find what works for me in terms of time. I use distilled water (I have my own still) but everything is just room temperature, and I just use my phone as a timer. Maybe because I try a range of times before finding what I like, once I have something that works for me, I stick to it and don't experiment much with other developers. For E-6 I like the Arista kits - in my hands they're literally close to foolproof, I could prove that but the story is too long for here - and for C-41 I've only tried the Tetenal liquid kit, which seemed to work fine. Honestly, given the choice of E-6 or C-41 at home, since I digitize post developing, there's not much point in C-41.


What's your go to developer?

For B&W, Ilfosol 3. As I said above, once I got it to work well for me, I didn't see much point in experimenting. However it has a short shelf life after opening so I've recently acquired a bunch of HC-110, which is supposed to have a better shelf life, and I'll give it a try.


What's your all time favorite Film/Film developer combo?

Do I have to have only one? For B&W it would probably be Kodak Tech Pan with Ilfosol 3. Yeah, I know, Tech Pan isn't made any more, but I was lucky and got a whole lot of it in 120 format, freezer stored. Expired in 1988 and still takes beautiful, crisp shots without any time adjustment. In 35mm I would also have to say I've been very impressed with some of what I have gotten with Ultrafine Xtreme 100 with Ilfosol 3.

What result/look does this give?

The Tech Pan is just super fine grain, with a very wide tonal range. (TechPan 047 attached; shot with Rolleiflex 6008i with 80mm Planar lens). The Ultrafine gives great moody shots with a 1930's feel, or maybe that's just my subjects (2014-11-03 attached; shot with a 1956 Kodak Retina IIIc on the 50mm lens).


Have you or are you into any alternative processes, such as cyanotype?

Not yet. I would like to try a tintype plate in an 1899 Rochester Cycle Poco camera I have on the shelf, but haven't gotten around to it yet.


What is the best processing tip you can give?

If you're going to use a changing bag, and try to work with medium format film - WEAR LAB GLOVES! If you don't, the humidity from your skin in the tiny space of the bag quickly makes the wide film sections jam up in the spools, and it's a disaster. Wear the gloves instead and make sure the spools are absolutely dry, and the process is really simple - even loading 2, 120 formats onto a single spool without jams.


Here are the two examples John mentioned above...

TechPan, shot with Rolleiflex 6008i with 80mm Planar lens.

 

Ultrafine, shot with a 1956 Kodak Retina IIIc with 50mm lens.