The Craft of Composing Black and White Film at Home

The Craft of Composing Black and White Film at Home

            Despite the plethora of digital cameras today, black and white film medium has been resurgent popularity, nonetheless. However, resources for film development and processing labs have dwindled in number, kudos to digital photography. Due to limited and costly areas, developing film can be done in the comfort of your own home. There are typically three forms of film, but the format that will be discussed is 35mm black-and-white negative film, as it is the easiest to work with. While the process can be perplexing, it becomes flexible. By following specific steps provided, it will successfully result in a well-developed monochrome film.

Before getting started, all materials should be gathered to fulfill each step of the procedure. Start by collecting the necessary chemicals: black-and-white photo developer, stop bath, and fixer. These can be found online. You will then want to acquire a few measuring pitchers to ensure proper amounts of solutions for developing. It can be risky to switch between toxic and food safe wares, so it is advised to have a separate set. A developing tank and film reel are essential to hold the film and chemicals in place. If it is your first time developing, it is recommended to sacrifice an expired or unexposed film to practice loading the reels. Next, is a changing bag, which is a light-free space to safely transfer film from the canister to the reel in the tank. Additionally, a few small accessories that are needed for this process is: scissors and a bottle opener which are both used remove the film from its canister, a timer to keep track of development times, thermometer to ensure the right temperature of the chemicals, clothespins to dry the film, bottles to store the chemistry, and access to a sink or any water supply where developing will ideally occur. As we dive deeper into the process, it is important to plan where in your home you will setup. You will be handling toxic chemicals that give off fumes and or unpleasant smells, so a ventilated spot is preferable. Take into consideration that having a clean, dust-free flat surface is ideal for handling film. When everything is set in place, it is time for developing! The process can be easily broken down into these steps—loading the film, developing it, stopping the development, fixing it into its correct state, and rinse to dry.

Furthermore, you are now going to mix the chemicals. To prepare for this, you will have to follow the desired instructions of your developer. This is most likely going to involve your measured pitchers. A certain amount of solution is needed in the developing tank which will be specified according to instructions. In addition, for most developers, you will have to dilute the solution with water. Once all of your chemicals are prepared, next will be loading the film into the developing tank. You then want to gather the film reel, developing tank, scissors, and bottle opener into the changing bag and ensure that it is fully zipped and closed. It is crucial to make sure that there’s no light to seep in the bag because the film will get ruined. When you familiarize yourself with everything in the bag, take the developing tank lid off and the reel out of it. Use the bottle opener to pry open the film canister. Next, you want to uncurl the film from the spool till it reaches the base and then cut the film at the end attached to the spool. Now comes the tricky part. Taking one end of the film, you want to slide it into the opening of the film reel before winding it up. Since it can get a little bit tricky, it is worth practicing a couple times. After the film is winded, place the film into the developing tank and seal the lid tight. You can now open the changing bag and remove the tank.

Thereafter, start with a prewash to prevent air bubbles from forming on the film. Place the developing tank under cold water and let it run for about 2 to 5 minutes. Nudge the tank side to side for a few seconds, then discard the water. Before adding the developer, with the thermometer, check the temperature of the developer to ensure it is at most, 20 degrees Celsius and or 68 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is too cold, you will want to warm the solution by filling your sink with warm water and submerge the beaker within it. If it is too warm, let it cool down. Most developers specify in an agitation routine for developing, thus whatever timing you use, ensure that your agitation times are consistent so that the film is constantly receiving fresh developer. Typically, this process takes about 10-15 minutes. Steadily, pour the mixed developer solution into your tank and once it is full, start your timer and begin agitating the film. Shake the tank gently for ten to fifteen seconds every thirty seconds thereafter. Once that has finished, pour out the remaining developer down the drain and quickly fill with water, then agitate continuously for 30 seconds. This step acts as an alternative to stop the development process whereas using a proper stop bath solution. It works well either way. Empty your tank and fill it with the fixer solution. Similar to the developer stage, agitate accordingly for 5 minutes. After fixing your film, you are essentially finished with the process. It is suggested to run the tank under water for about 10 more minutes just to rinse out all the chemicals completely. After the final wash, you can now remove the reels from the tank, pull the film out of the reels and use the clothespins to hang your film to dry in a dust free space, typically the bathroom, for at least two hours. Wait until moisture has dried up and wipe any excess water marks gently.

All things considered; you have successfully developed black-and-white negative film!

There are numerous things to do with your negatives, but it is up to your desire. A good start may be to enlarge them in a darkroom, have them scanned, or just cut strips and file them.