Photography

[Malandro]

Does anyone have any hints on how to start developing your own photo's? I have a suitable room but What other equiptmment do I need? Is it very expensive and can you teach yourself from books and the like?

[xyzzyplugh]

but why, Malandro?, do you want to move away from digital and Photoshop? are you also keen on starting with Daguerrotype? [no offence, just curious..]

[KARL]

Doing your own developing is actually a very enjoyable hobby, and you can get better definition in enlargement than you can with digital (which is why ordinary photography is still in professional use more or less unabated). You create your photos in two stages, first developing the film, then making prints (which also need to be developed). Black and white is tremendously simple, colour not so simple but certainly not prohibitively difficult. To do B&W developing you need a film tank (a few �s) to load your film into, developer and fixer (the two chemical parts to the process) plus a good timer - this will give you a negative film. To print you need an enlarger (probably available second hand for less than �10 - mind that you get the "carriers" (frames) including glass with it, plus a good lens on it), paper, a framing board (sliding rulerlike things on it to mark the edges of what you want to expose - not essential but ultimately you will want this), paper, three print trays of plastic construction (for soaking the prints in and rinsing - metal is generally not OK because of risk of chemical reaction) and developer plus fixer - and a red bulb for low light to work in. Almost all the instructions you need for the process come with the chemicals (Kodak, Ilford, or whatever). Colour has several chemicals, all of which need to be carefully temperature controlled but the process is essentially of the same principle. To make slides or cine film you need even more chemicals and careful temperature contrul, but again not hugely difficult. All three can be done in a small dedicated space, such as an attic cupboard. You must have a means of handling film in total darkness.

[KARL]

Oops, missed out that, yes, you most certainly can teach yourself, particularly in the case of B&W. I tought myself slide and cine developing after having done B&W for years following seeing it done once by another amateur.

[gilf]

Me and my dad did it all the time. B&W is very easy color can be a little more difficult and definatly more expensive (more equipment). Also I would suggest you for go the film development in the early stages because it needs to be totally dark and can be a bit fiddly when you cant see whats going on, a small light and the film will be ruined. Get some basic equipment and B&W film and then get the film developed and use the negatives returned, this will also give you a good idea of what the pictures should look like. But one thing is for sure and thats that its good fun.

[anthomson]

If you don't want to invest in a lot of equipment you could try developing slide film (E6). You can buy the chemicals in kit form (used to cost about �12) and need only a dev tank, a few accordian bottles, a guaduated measure and a funnel. You don't even need a dark room - although it helps.

[chef]

don't do what I did first timeround and imagine that the safe light is ok 2 use when taking the film out of the camera/container - you can always use a changing bag for this. Amateur Photographer - if it's still in print is [or was] always helpful and I'm sure you can get a good book out of the library on "how to" or try your local evening classes or you may even have a local photo club/society you could join.