The course itself has kicked off with a module that is to be shot in film, allowing me to do something I've yet had a chance to; process and develop my own black and white film!
As I knew last week would start with everyone on the course developing their own films, I'd used some of my (out of date film stocks) taking odds and sods around the university and in town and walked into the developing room with my pockets brimming with exposed film (two 35mm and four 120). The onus was on 35mm so I pulled out a roll of FP4 (that old it's not even FP4 Plus), loaded it into the cassette, popped it into the dev tank and busied myself with the various steps...An hour or so later, after washing the film, and with a great deal of anticipation, I took a peek at the fruits of my labour... only to find a blank film, frame after frame of nothingness*, frustration turned into unknownsnapper position #1**.
What could have gone wrong? Instantly I and others around me decided to blame the age of the film***,it was either that or my inexperienced bumbling and fumbling in the darkroom had just plain mucked it up.
With this in mind, the next day with two other students I wandered back into university to process some my other 35mm and 120 film. The 35mm was in date Ilford Delta 100, so I was expecting some nice results (quite a few frames of street photography taken around town), the 120 rolls were made up of random images taken as I learn to use the Bronica I've borrowed (again using out of date FP4 - so not much was expected).Surprisingly this time again the 35mm was completely clear (further inspection of the ancient**** SLR I use has shown that it or I have some not previously encountered issues with loading film), but the 120 rolls all yielded results; I spent the next half hour or so hopping from leg to leg like a child needing a pee until yet more peeking could take place as the film was transferred to the drying cabinet. Apart from the the dubious subject matter, the only real problem found was with, what I now know to be, reticulation which only occurred on the roll at that was at the top of the dev tank (see image at the bottom of this post).
Unfortunately the only equipment I could scan with was a rather poorly maintained flatbed (I didn't know, until yesterday, that we have a dedicated scanning suite here at Newtown Uni), but the results are still good enough for the web and this blog.I know I've only touched on the world of developing, but there's something about it I really like, knowing that generations before me only worked this way; a heritage if you like. It's hard to describe the elation I felt as I realised that I could create an image from shutter to negative without a memory card or the even the opportunity to chimp at a screen - a pure process if you will. The future for me must, and will, be digital, but bloody hell this felt good!
*This is obviously quite dull and not the breathtaking demonstration of my photographic skills I had hoped for.
**The intensive head scratch - imagine a macaques monkey, absent mindedly scratching it's balls, but move the scratching hand up to the top of the head and you're about there.
***The majority of the other students were around 4 years old when it went out of date.
****Manufactured the year I was born.
Reticulation - possibly adds to the image.
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