FILM DEVelopping TUTORIAL

Simplified

Affordably from home, without a darkroom

I’d love to have my own darkroom, but this hasn’t been possible hopping from apartment to apartment. I haven’t let that stop me from developing my own black and white film from home. I work with a basic toolkit, which I hope can inspire new or amateur film developers; removing any intimidation, and keeping us from spending too much money right away.

Besides the precision necessary in the chemistry portion of this tutorial, everyone has their own style. This is my experience and what’s worked best for me. There is also room for growth, as you can learn more advanced methods of developing, such as pushing or pulling your film. That’s a tutorial for another day. I suggest starting here with these materials.

“WHO IS THIS TUTORIAL FOR?”

Photographers who’ve never developed film, or never outside of a lab. Enthusiasts, especially if buying a quality DSLR is out of the question. Anyone who is isolating from Covid-19, looking for new hobbies. Even parents interested in a chemistry based activity to do with their kids.

LIST OF MATERIALS | And the cheapest places to buy them

Film changing bag | Available on Amazon

Scissors | Every home has scissors, right?

Bottle opener | Dollar store, Only if developing 35mm film

Paterson Universal Dev Tank | Available at B&H

Large plastic basin Dollar store

3 plastic graduated cylinders | Available on Amazon, or measuring cups

Thermometer | Dollar store

Clamp / clothes pin | Dollar store

Developer | Available at B&H

Stop Bath | Available at B&H

Fixer | Available at B&H

Photo-Flo | Available at B&H, Recommended but optional

Negative Archive Sheets | 35mm at B&H or 120 (medium format)

Cotton gloves | Available on Amazon

Dust Blower | Compressed Air at B&H or Air Blower on Amazon

TOTAL MINIMUM COST: $182.05

“WHAT CAN I DO WITH MY NEGATIVES?”

For our purposes, we want to develop without sending our film to a lab, and without a darkroom where one might print straight from the negatives. Therefore I suggest purchasing a film scanner. Cheap scanners are available as low as $129, and go up significantly. Years ago I purchased Epson’s V500. It’s fantastic value for our purposes. The V600 is available at B&H.

“TOO MUCH MONEY? BUT WAIT”

My husband, who has no background in photography, asked “Couldn’t you just take a photo of your negative and invert it in Photoshop”? I probably gave a snide response for even asking the question. Later on, I gave it a try. I held my negative up against the bright sky, uploaded the image into Photoshop, converted to black and white, and inverted. This stunning image came back!

Film should be held down on the edges when scanning so that it lays perfectly flat, and it’s necessary to scan at an extremely high DPI since the negatives are very small. However if it pinches the wallet too much to buy a scanner right now - this will at least get you to start shooting and developing film.

STEP ONE

Load your exposed roll of film into the tank using the film changing bag. Everything at this stage must be done by feel, within the bag. It takes some getting used to, but you’ll become familiar with it quickly. You’ll need scissors to help load the roll more easily onto the spool.

You’ll want to practice loading film onto the spool outside of the bag so you can see how it works and get comfortable doing it. I suggest trying to find expired film, or a roll that’s been compromised.

WATCH AND LEARN

ADJUSTMENTS FOR 120

STEP TWO

Set up at your sink (bathroom, kitchen, or bath tub). I was taught never to bring food or drink into the lab where we developed our film. Keep this in mind when developing; start with an exceptionally clean work space, make sure to keep tidy during the process to avoid contamination, and rinse everything thoroughly after use. It’s also recommended to use gloves as you are handling chemicals.

You’ll want to measure your chemicals in graduated cylinders. You can see that I’m using measuring cups from the dollar store that are well marked. The chemicals are all diluted with water. All liquids must be at 20°C/68°F, so you’ll need your thermometer.

Important: Dilution and develop time varies based on a variety of factors. Ilford has all this information listed for you. If using Ilford’s chemicals, visit this PDF to calculate for your ‘Developer’, for your ‘Stop Bath’, and for your ‘Fixer’.

Let’s get started.

1

Fill your basin a couple of inches with water that is 20°C/68°F

2

Measure your chemicals in your graduated cylinders (or measuring cups) and dilute as necessary. Careful not to cross contaminate.

3

Place the measured chemicals (inside of their containers) into the basin of water. The layer of water around them should help to stabilize the temperature.

4

Prepare your stop watch to keep track of time. I use my iPhone and let it run so I don’t have to touch it again.

5

Poor your Developer in the tank. Once transferred, immediately start the clock. Seal the plastic cap onto your tank and ‘agitate’ for the first 30 seconds. Agitation is done by rotating the tank whilst flipping it upside down, to swash over the film inside the tank. Tap the sides of the tank to release bubbles from your film. Set your tank down and agitate again for 10 seconds every minute, and tap. In the last 15 seconds, discard your Developer. Tip: Don’t keep the tank in your hands between agitations, as the warmth of your body can warm the liquid inside.

6

Immediately add your Stop Bath to the tank. Seal, and agitate constantly for a minimum of 10 seconds. I always do 30 seconds, timing isn’t as precise. Discard your Stop.

7

Add your Fixer. Agitate exactly as you did with the Developer. Fix can be reused multiple times before it loses strength, so feel free to store it in an airtight container after.

8

Once your Fix has been pored out, your tank can now be opened completely, and film can be exposed to the light. Run a constant flow of clean water into the tank for 5-10 minutes.

9

Optional: You can now rinse with water and a few drops of Photo-Flo. Agitate for about 10 seconds and discard. Photo-Flo is a safe form of detergent that will allow the film to dry without water streaks.

10

Now you may unroll, and catch a first glimpse of your stunning negatives! You’ll need to clip your film up to dry completely. Avoid dusty areas or direct sunlight.

11

Once completely dry, you can trim the frames into strips that will fit inside your archival sheets. Use cotton gloves if you have them to avoid finger prints. Label your archive. Use the dust blower or compressed air before scanning.

For visual learners who prefer to see the process, I highly recommend this video. There are a few items that don’t fall under our modest tool kit but should help to broaden your knowledge.

“You’ve done it!
This might seem a bit daunting at first, but trust me when I say it will all become second nature.
Enjoy!”