The Process of Learning How to Develop Your Own Film

Learning how to develop your own film can save you money and time. Learning about the film developing process for the type of film that is being developed should be done before you attempt to find a film developing kit. The process of developing black and white film is different from the process for color film. There are chemicals involved in the development of film that should be familiarized along with the safe use and cleanup methods associated with them.

Developing rolls of film is different from the development of digital film. There may be courses at a local college or online to teach you how to develop film at home. Photographers typically learn to develop film when they are first starting out. Both amateur and professional photographers. Understanding the process and materials used during the process are important in the success of film development.

A film developing kit should include the basis supplies that you will need to begin the process. The supplies should be set up where the developing is going to be done before beginning. The chemicals, containers and any cleaning supplies should all be ready for use or within easy reach for when they are needed. The tank should be disassembled, cleaned, allowed to dry then reassembled. The manual for the tanks should be read to ensure that the steps are followed correctly.

The film developing process requires a dark room that does not have any light at all entering into it. Loading the film into the clean tank is the first step. A bottle opener, scissors, film and the tank should all be available since the door does not need to be opened during the development process. The film will be placed on the reel notch of the tank and wound around the reel. The entire thing is then placed into the tank and the lid put in place.

Learning how to develop your own film includes learning how long to let the film sit in the water. The type of film will have an impact on the time it stays in the plain water. The water should be emptied when the specific amount of time for the type of film has passed. The type of solution that will be used should be determined before starting as well as the time it will have to be left on the film. This solution will be placed into the tank. The sealed tanks contents will be agitated every so often while the film is being developed.

The film should be put in a stop bath after the developing solution is used on it. Water or the actual chemical for a stop bath can be used. The water would be put in the tank as soon as the developer was taken out of it, shaken and poured out of the tank. The process should be repeated three times before the fixer is used. The fixer will be prepared according to the instructions before putting it in the tank. The final step is to rinse the film which may expose it to light creating a purple tint. This is normal. The negatives should be allowed to dry before anything else is done.

Learning how to develop your own film takes time and patience. The basic supplies all have instructions on them for those that are learning on their own. There could be courses available at the local college that can be taken to aid in the process of film development. Taking a photography class could be useful as well since the development of the film could be included in the typical curriculum.

Category: Photography