the joys of rolling your own (…film developing that is)
In a recent post I’d mentioned struggling with exposures in the world of manual cameras that don’t have built-in light meters and using a true light meter and some thoughtful compensations in order to obtain a good exposure. This is a bit of an update on that.
There are a myriad of variables when you’re developing your own film. From the stability of the chemicals, the temperature of said chemicals, timings, agitation cycles, etc… Reviewing the last two rolls that I developed it became suspect just how similar they were (flat - very gray, no black or white). Being the insecure photographer that I am, my first suspicion was that I totally pooched the exposures on every frame of two rolls of film, despite my efforts to get a slightly better ratio.
Well… upon some reflection, and a bit of discussion I’m now casting my suspicions on exhausted developer (xtol). I’m a hack and I often don’t bother to jot down the date that a chemical was mixed - because I think I have a mind like a steel trap! HA! I recall doing fresh batches of stop bath and fixer recently (3 months) but can not say for certain if I did a fresh batch of xtol at that time as well.
I’d intended to mix a fresh batch over the weekend to test my theory, but ended running short of time. Tonight, a new batch and a couple of test rolls are on the menu - results should be ready to post within a couple of days (need time to dry before scanning).
Here’s hoping I’ve learned my lesson… mark the date on the damn bottle!
September 10th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
So… does that mean you can re-develop your two rolls, or are they now “pooched” thanks to potentially expired developer fluid?
September 11th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Another thing I’ve learned is there’s a lot of compensating you can do on the printing side of things - utilizing filters and such.
So, the shots are all usable - the *alarm* on my part has to do with conceptually grasping, understanding and reading a meter properly so I can compensate my exposure in the most flattering way in order to generate a good source image.
Once I’m achieving that, then I know I’m understanding things more fully, enabling me to manipulate things to my liking.
ASIDE - no, you can not re-develop a roll of film. You get one shot - screw it up and you have to recreate the whole scene again in order to get another chance to capture it.
September 11th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
kb - for reference sake, the mushroom shots are from the so-called pooched roll.
September 12th, 2007 at 5:50 am
or, shoot more film so the developer never gets a chance to go bad. which is what i think you should do. just sayin.