Is this a processing error?

[EstherC]

(Former discussion: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/film-discussion-q/327149-chemistry-film-photography.html )

In your last post you mentioned about developing my film in instant coffee for me. I thought you were joking! After I read above-mentioned thread, I just realize you were not joking.

Caffenol has its popularity: Caffenol
There is a million ways to develop film but only a several right for you, only you can discover them. That is a journey totally different from digital, the question is, if it will be rewarding for you.

Thank you for the reference! It looks like I have A TON to learn. Is it realistic to self-teach myself all these or do I need to take a film class? I am hoping I can learn it at my own pace and through my own baby steps...

 

[timor]

I never have had any classes, but I had some mentor, long time ago, when I was 16. The rest are books and experiments. Start reading: I believe first 10 pdf-s are free
Download books "Arts & Photography - Photography". Ebook library Bookos.org

 

[EstherC]

I never have had any classes, but I had some mentor, long time ago, when I was 16. The rest are books and experiments. Start reading: I believe first 10 pdf-s are free
Download books "Arts & Photography - Photography". Ebook library Bookos.org

Wish I had a mentor...
Anyways, thanks for the various references. This has become a very educational thread for me. Would you recommend Ansel Adams' three books "The camera" "The negative" and "The print" ?

 

[gsgary]

Calumet Changing Room

Thank you for the suggestion. How do you know what you are doing it without seeing it though? By "feeling" it?

Easy with 35mm you can start loading about 2 inches on the reel before putting it in the bag, 120 is a bit more tricky, 35mm is about 10 seconds and its in the developing tank 120 about 20 seconds, loading a bulk loader is a bit more tricky, i'm good with my hands in the dark

 

[timor]

Start reading with this rather:
Black & White Photography | Henry Horenstein | digital library BookOS
Learn how to load reel with exercises in daylight (with a piece of unwanted film - some cheap color film maybe) with looking after that without looking, then in the dark (or bag) then you will know when you are ready for action.

 

[EstherC]

Calumet Changing Room

Thank you for the suggestion. How do you know what you are doing it without seeing it though? By "feeling" it?

Easy with 35mm you can start loading about 2 inches on the reel before putting it in the bag, 120 is a bit more tricky, 35mm is about 10 seconds and its in the developing tank 120 about 20 seconds, loading a bulk loader is a bit more tricky, i'm good with my hands in the dark

Start reading with this rather:
Black & White Photography | Henry Horenstein | digital library BookOS
Learn how to load reel with exercises in daylight (with a piece of unwanted film - some cheap color film maybe) with looking after that without looking, then in the dark (or bag) then you will know when you are ready for action.

Thank you both for being so helpful. Much appreciated!

 

[timor]

Good luck and have a fun. When in doubt, ask, there is plenty to be discovered.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I've only done B&W darkroom work. Usually unless someone was doing work in photography I don't think too many people did their own color developing at home (but Freestyle and other places I think sell a Unicolor kit, I don't know much about it).

I do a combination of things, it depends on what it is and what I want to do with it. I get film developed and scanned, even B&W - when I was using a shared university darkroom I only had so much time there so my best option was to be able to go thru my negatives ahead of time and pick out what I wanted to do when I got there. I love doing prints but don't have access to an enlarger for now.

Seems like the local camera shops I used to use had to adjust as film went thru the machine but from what I understand now labs don't have anymore because the machines adjust more automatically. The camera store in my area is an in-state chain and they've gone thru bankruptcy so don't carry as much film as they used to, and they had done processing in-store but now send B&W and color to separate labs in-state (actually there's a second one that's regional and opened a location somewhat in my area but not all that close so I haven't tried them yet).

So since my film's going to go across state anyway, I started trying mail order - The Darkroom in San Francisco does dip 'n dunk so they can do odd sized film which is why I tried them in the first place (like 110 etc.). I think most places that develop film offer various combinations of options including developing, scanning, CDs, prints, etc.

I'd done some darkroom stuff when I was young but didn't do any more with it til I took a grad art workshop several years ago. I liked learning first hand and feel like I developed good skills - I've seen some things online that don't seem to necessarily use techniques that I'd consider to be best practice. Like many things, it probably could vary - I've also over the years taken workshops that weren't so good and have found some good learning experiences online.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Remembered you asked about the Ansel Adams three books... I have those and have been thinking lately I should go dig them out; I have a feeling I might understand them now better than when I got them although I think the zone system might be more precise than the way I work, I think I'm more intuitive. He was one of the first photographers I liked; might be worth considering if you have the opportunity to get the set.

I mostly have books about various photographers; Kertesz is my favorite. I got a book recently (online) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art called 'Stieglitz Steichen Strand' from a past exhibit, Strand is another photographer whose work I like.

 

[EstherC]

I've only done B&W darkroom work. Usually unless someone was doing work in photography I don't think too many people did their own color developing at home (but Freestyle and other places I think sell a Unicolor kit, I don't know much about it).

I do a combination of things, it depends on what it is and what I want to do with it. I get film developed and scanned, even B&W - when I was using a shared university darkroom I only had so much time there so my best option was to be able to go thru my negatives ahead of time and pick out what I wanted to do when I got there. I love doing prints but don't have access to an enlarger for now.

Seems like the local camera shops I used to use had to adjust as film went thru the machine but from what I understand now labs don't have anymore because the machines adjust more automatically. The camera store in my area is an in-state chain and they've gone thru bankruptcy so don't carry as much film as they used to, and they had done processing in-store but now send B&W and color to separate labs in-state (actually there's a second one that's regional and opened a location somewhat in my area but not all that close so I haven't tried them yet).

So since my film's going to go across state anyway, I started trying mail order - The Darkroom in San Francisco does dip 'n dunk so they can do odd sized film which is why I tried them in the first place (like 110 etc.). I think most places that develop film offer various combinations of options including developing, scanning, CDs, prints, etc.

I'd done some darkroom stuff when I was young but didn't do any more with it til I took a grad art workshop several years ago. I liked learning first hand and feel like I developed good skills - I've seen some things online that don't seem to necessarily use techniques that I'd consider to be best practice. Like many things, it probably could vary - I've also over the years taken workshops that weren't so good and have found some good learning experiences online.

Remembered you asked about the Ansel Adams three books... I have those and have been thinking lately I should go dig them out; I have a feeling I might understand them now better than when I got them although I think the zone system might be more precise than the way I work, I think I'm more intuitive. He was one of the first photographers I liked; might be worth considering if you have the opportunity to get the set.

I mostly have books about various photographers; Kertesz is my favorite. I got a book recently (online) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art called 'Stieglitz Steichen Strand' from a past exhibit, Strand is another photographer whose work I like.

Sharon, Thank you for your recommendations. I think I am going to try mail out my film to try out some other labs. I am losing faith in the couple ones locally that I've tried. I will also check out the few photographers you've mentioned!

 

[gsgary]

If you want to see some great b+w take a look at "In England" by Don McCullin, "On Home Ground" by my favourite Dennis Thorpe but you may have trouble getting it in the US

 

[EstherC]

If you want to see some great b+w take a look at "In England" by Don McCullin, "On Home Ground" by my favourite Dennis Thorpe but you may have trouble getting it in the US

Thank you for the references! Will check them out.

 

[gsgary]

Denis Thorpe index | | guardian.co.uk Arts

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=i...CHsGn0QXd0YDADg&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1067&bih=533

 

[timor]

Isn't it a superb photography ? Pure joy.

 

[ABrosig]

Just try to hold the strip of negatives by the edges (along where the sprocket holes are) so you don't touch the emulsion if you take them out of the clear plastic sleeve (you might not need to, depends on if you can see it or not). If you hold it up towards a window or a lamp and look thru it you should be able to see if there's a dust spot. That actually can happen to the film in the drying process; doing darkroom work I'd usually dust the negatives using a Beseler dust gun before putting them in the enlarger (which is not as impressive as it sounds, it's a squirt can but you need to use the right kind of compressed squirty stuff and it's not a good idea to blow on them ).
Or it could have happened when it was scanned... The lab should be able to dust the negs if needed (don't try it yourself if you don't have the necessary materials or know how to use them) and/or rescan.

If everything else turned out OK it could just be a fluke bit of dust; if you try the lab again and aren't happy with the results you could consider doing your own developing or doing mail order, or some of both. I've done B&W darkroom but send out film - most places have options of just getting film processed, and scanned, or prints made, etc.

Nice picture by the way.

If it was a speck on the negative, I'd almost expect it to be sharper. It's virtually identical, to my eye, to the dust spots I get on the sensor in my digital camera when I shoot at a medium-range aperture. That would lead me to suspect the lab, as someone else mentioned, scanning the negative with a dusty scanner then printing a la' mini-lab.