5 ms·

Hey! I know that clicky clicky sound well as you ratchet on the film onto the wheel I even have a similar style developer tank only a bit smaller. I really mis

Hey! I know that clicky clicky sound well as you ratchet on the film onto the wheel I even have a similar style developer tank only a bit smaller. I really miss doing that it's been I get 20 years since I've developed any film it's amazing how time flies. Digital photography just doesn't have the soul of actual film photography it's missing the physical connection. Although I don't miss the stink of the fixer. It's 120 rollfim too for medium a format camera which would give a nice image since it quite a bit larger and has more surface area than a 35mm negative. For such old film I figured this would have been done in a lab not in a kitchen I'd be concerned with water temperature with such old film. Maybe even soak the film in water to let it hydrate a bit maybe since he indicate they rolls may stick they've been rolled up for so long. I do wish I had a better method to scan my old negatives and skip the printing part I did try it without much success in the mid 1990s with my first flatbed scanner. Interesting stuff! It makes me want to pick up the old cameras again.

sharkweek 12y ago
I know this sounds a bit "get off my lawn" even for only being in my late 20s, but I REALLY enjoyed darkroom time in high school photography classes and photography personally lost some of its magic to me when I switched. I was a senior just as digital was making its moves, but nothing was quite as satisfying as the trials and tribulations of meticulously processing film in that tiny little room. Nothing quite as cool as dropping what seemed like a blank piece of paper into some chemicals and watching it transition into an actual photograph.
- aaronbrethorst 12y ago
  I'm 32, re-discovered film photography only about 12 months ago, and almost exclusively shoot film today. You should check out a website I built a couple months ago that has a fairly extensive list of public darkrooms and photo labs that can still process film: http://www.ishootfilm.org/businesses http://www.ishootfilm.org/businesses.
- ghaff 12y ago
  Yeah, on the other hand, I never had easy access to a good darkroom after leaving school and pretty much ended up shooting color slides for a number of years--which meant, in practice, that I pretty much just shot slides on some vacations. The combination of digital photography and the ease of sharing really got me back into doing photography as a more routine thing. And the capabilities of modern digital gear are just so amazing. I still remember all the chemical manipulations I would go through to get decent results from B&W at ISO 1600 or maybe a little faster. Today, I can easily surpass that in color with the twist of a dial.
- 59nadir 12y ago
  You know no one is disallowing you from using whichever tools and methods you want, right? Just as people are welcome to write assembler code, you are allowed to go back to oldschool photography. There is a reason, however, people generally will move on to more convenient things.
Zaheer 12y ago
The clicky clicky sound triggered my memories of B&W film development as well (although it was only 5 years ago) :)
justincormack 12y ago
Unfortunately good negative scanners for 35mm and 120 are hard to get now. A modern flatbed of good quality will probably give decent results though.
- pmcjones 12y ago
  My Epson Perfection V600 Photo scanner (for $199) does a pretty good job for 35mm and 120 (6cm).
scoot 12y ago
"Although I don't miss the stink of the fixer." Oh, wow! Those words triggered an immediate visceral recall of that very smell from some 25 years ago. I'd forgotten about it, and wouldn't have thought of it until you brought it up. Oddly, since I associate it with good times and fond memories, I don't find the smell offensive, but the accuracy with which your words triggered its recall is fascinating!
- jacquesm 12y ago
  Smell is an extremely powerful memory trigger.
pdardeau 12y ago
> Digital photography just doesn't have the soul of actual film photography it's missing the physical connection. Indeed! I just recently bought a couple of old 35mm SLR bodies and lenses to get back into film photography. With film, photography is certainly more deliberate and slower-paced. I also enjoyed darkroom work (years ago) as much, if not more, than taking photos. The darkroom was a nice, quiet place that was very relaxing.
ghaff 12y ago
>I do wish I had a better method to scan my old negatives and skip the printing part I did try it without much success in the mid 1990s with my first flatbed scanner. You can get this done for you relatively cheaply (about 25 cents per frame). I actually have a slide/neg scanner that's out on loan but I decided a while back to just send my scanning out. It was never going to all get done if I waited until I got around to it.

sharkweek 12y ago

I know this sounds a bit "get off my lawn" even for only being in my late 20s, but I REALLY enjoyed darkroom time in high school photography classes and photography personally lost some of its magic to me when I switched. I was a senior just as digital was making its moves, but nothing was quite as satisfying as the trials and tribulations of meticulously processing film in that tiny little room. Nothing quite as cool as dropping what seemed like a blank piece of paper into some chemicals and watching it transition into an actual photograph.

aaronbrethorst 12y ago
I'm 32, re-discovered film photography only about 12 months ago, and almost exclusively shoot film today. You should check out a website I built a couple months ago that has a fairly extensive list of public darkrooms and photo labs that can still process film: http://www.ishootfilm.org/businesses http://www.ishootfilm.org/businesses.
ghaff 12y ago
Yeah, on the other hand, I never had easy access to a good darkroom after leaving school and pretty much ended up shooting color slides for a number of years--which meant, in practice, that I pretty much just shot slides on some vacations. The combination of digital photography and the ease of sharing really got me back into doing photography as a more routine thing. And the capabilities of modern digital gear are just so amazing. I still remember all the chemical manipulations I would go through to get decent results from B&W at ISO 1600 or maybe a little faster. Today, I can easily surpass that in color with the twist of a dial.
59nadir 12y ago
You know no one is disallowing you from using whichever tools and methods you want, right? Just as people are welcome to write assembler code, you are allowed to go back to oldschool photography. There is a reason, however, people generally will move on to more convenient things.

Zaheer 12y ago

The clicky clicky sound triggered my memories of B&W film development as well (although it was only 5 years ago) :)

justincormack 12y ago

Unfortunately good negative scanners for 35mm and 120 are hard to get now. A modern flatbed of good quality will probably give decent results though.

pmcjones 12y ago
My Epson Perfection V600 Photo scanner (for $199) does a pretty good job for 35mm and 120 (6cm).

scoot 12y ago

"Although I don't miss the stink of the fixer." Oh, wow! Those words triggered an immediate visceral recall of that very smell from some 25 years ago. I'd forgotten about it, and wouldn't have thought of it until you brought it up. Oddly, since I associate it with good times and fond memories, I don't find the smell offensive, but the accuracy with which your words triggered its recall is fascinating!

jacquesm 12y ago
Smell is an extremely powerful memory trigger.

pdardeau 12y ago

> Digital photography just doesn't have the soul of actual film photography it's missing the physical connection. Indeed! I just recently bought a couple of old 35mm SLR bodies and lenses to get back into film photography. With film, photography is certainly more deliberate and slower-paced. I also enjoyed darkroom work (years ago) as much, if not more, than taking photos. The darkroom was a nice, quiet place that was very relaxing.

ghaff 12y ago

>I do wish I had a better method to scan my old negatives and skip the printing part I did try it without much success in the mid 1990s with my first flatbed scanner. You can get this done for you relatively cheaply (about 25 cents per frame). I actually have a slide/neg scanner that's out on loan but I decided a while back to just send my scanning out. It was never going to all get done if I waited until I got around to it.