Well done! The first roll of B&W I developed was under the supervision of a very experienced film user at a camera club I joined in the mid-late 1970s. At the time, I didn't even realise that it had to be loaded in complete darkness, in a changing bag! I made a complete pig's ear of the first couple of rolls but I got a couple of usable shots. When I did my first solo run, my backside was twitching like a rabbit's nose - but the tuition paid off and I got 36 decent negs.
These days, I no longer have access to a darkroom, so I have a good lab process the film. However, I now have a Valoi Easy 120 rig with which I scan 35mm and 120 negatives to RAW files using my digital camera. It's an absolute doddle. Converting from negative to positive can be done numerous ways. Capture One has recently introduced that function and there's some (B&W only) stand-alone software which produces 16-Bit TIFF files which can be tweaked prior to posting / printing.
I’m so glad you conquered your fears! Your efforts look great! - I haven’t developed my film in decades but every now and then I think about starting again. I think what holds me back is the scanning part. I don’t have any equipment to make a good quality scans and I really don’t want to invest in any.
There's nothing, absolutely nothing, like doing the complete process, dear Dave! It's so rewarding. I love that you're taking the leap to develop BW (color is another beast, haha). Congrats. Beautiful pics, and Tri-X looks amazing pushed. Inky blacks rules.
Holy cow David!! I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Reading about how you overcame your own feelings, the technical issues, and the dreaded loading of the film reels are all the same rites of passage we’ve been through (sometimes still going through). I only learned to develop my own film during the pandemic. The instructor made loading a 35mm roll of film onto the Paterson reel look so easy. I can relate to so many of the experiences you’ve described. I still get the “film sweats” sometimes when loading a roll of 35mm film, but the. I just start over until I succeed. Thanks for sharing your experience. Wait till you start developing 120 film rolls. So much easier!!
Well, I guess it’s different. There’s a lot of peeling of paper involved. I use a different reel that has a little “shelf” on it. The shelf helps with getting the 120 roll into the reel. Here’s the reel I use for 120: https://a.co/d/07wVJo3S
Well done! The first roll of B&W I developed was under the supervision of a very experienced film user at a camera club I joined in the mid-late 1970s. At the time, I didn't even realise that it had to be loaded in complete darkness, in a changing bag! I made a complete pig's ear of the first couple of rolls but I got a couple of usable shots. When I did my first solo run, my backside was twitching like a rabbit's nose - but the tuition paid off and I got 36 decent negs.
These days, I no longer have access to a darkroom, so I have a good lab process the film. However, I now have a Valoi Easy 120 rig with which I scan 35mm and 120 negatives to RAW files using my digital camera. It's an absolute doddle. Converting from negative to positive can be done numerous ways. Capture One has recently introduced that function and there's some (B&W only) stand-alone software which produces 16-Bit TIFF files which can be tweaked prior to posting / printing.
Thanks Paul! I’ve been using Negative Lab Pro for a few years now. I do enjoy scanning with my digital camera more than with a flatbed.
I’m so glad you conquered your fears! Your efforts look great! - I haven’t developed my film in decades but every now and then I think about starting again. I think what holds me back is the scanning part. I don’t have any equipment to make a good quality scans and I really don’t want to invest in any.
Thanks for the comment! That’s totally fair. I already had a Sony with a macro lens so I’ve been scanning even lab developed negatives for a while.
There's nothing, absolutely nothing, like doing the complete process, dear Dave! It's so rewarding. I love that you're taking the leap to develop BW (color is another beast, haha). Congrats. Beautiful pics, and Tri-X looks amazing pushed. Inky blacks rules.
Thanks, Rick! It really is fun and scary and rewarding.
100%. Give it 2-3 more times, and suddenly you will start playing with new developers and automatic processors, haha.
It ain't the complete process unless you print. Contact sheets *and* finished prints.
My dream is to have a proper Darkroom. Someday, but not for now as I don’t have much space in the apartment.
Holy cow David!! I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Reading about how you overcame your own feelings, the technical issues, and the dreaded loading of the film reels are all the same rites of passage we’ve been through (sometimes still going through). I only learned to develop my own film during the pandemic. The instructor made loading a 35mm roll of film onto the Paterson reel look so easy. I can relate to so many of the experiences you’ve described. I still get the “film sweats” sometimes when loading a roll of 35mm film, but the. I just start over until I succeed. Thanks for sharing your experience. Wait till you start developing 120 film rolls. So much easier!!
Thanks so much, Ruben! I thought loading a 120 roll was even harder?
Well, I guess it’s different. There’s a lot of peeling of paper involved. I use a different reel that has a little “shelf” on it. The shelf helps with getting the 120 roll into the reel. Here’s the reel I use for 120: https://a.co/d/07wVJo3S
Awesome. Thanks!
Bottle opener for the cassettes.