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Monochrome Film Developing
Since the birth of photography there has been little change in the fundamentals of processing monochrome films, despite advancements through out the ages in both film and chemical technology we still rely on the practice of immersing light sensitive material that has been exposed to a controlled light source and then bathing it in a series of chemical baths to bring out the latent image captured at the time of exposure.
The modern photographer is now blessed with an array of films, which he can tailor to his requirements many photographers have their own particular favourite combinations of film and developers whilst others simply use what is at hand. The pros and cons for different combinations off films and developers is outside the scope of this article as it is purely designed as a guide to those contemplating processing their own
films and prints for the first time.
The first task is to select a monochrome film this can be quite daunting to the beginner. A word of warning, you should avoid
Chromegenic films like Ilford XP 2 and similar films at this point as they use Colour film technology and can't be processed using conventional film chemistry. To begin with I would suggest a medium
speed film of 125 ISO Ilford FP4 would be a good choice but there are similar films made by Fuji and Kodak which do the same job. Whilst shooting your film you may like to take note of using filters in front of the camera lens. The more commonly used are YELLOW, ORANGE, GREEN and RED, which have an effect on the film and can influence the appearance of the final print. For further details of how they work and the effects they produce you should consult a good photographic book, which you can find in your local
library.
After shooting your film you will need to assemble the items required to help you process it. You really only need five basic items: -
DEVELOPING TANK, STOPWATCH, THERMOMETER, GRADUATED MEASURE & CHEMICALS
When selecting a developing tank, consider one that will hold at least two films, look also if they are multi format, you may consider going up to 120 film (Medium
Format) Tanks by: Patterson and Jobo are multi format and can be quickly changed to accommodate either size film. Loading tanks can be quite tricky, it would be wise to practice loading with an old bit of film to get the hang of things before attempting the real thing.
Once the film has been loaded in complete darkness a changing bag is a useful item should a darkroom not be available) the next task is to prepare
the chemicals. With powdered developers it is usually best the mix them well in advance of use to give plenty of time for all of the powder to completely dissolve.
At all times follow the instructions given on the manufacturers packaging, once mixed bring them up to the processing temperature of 20°C (68°F) hence the need for the thermometer and graduated measure. Modern processing tanks are designed to process the films in normal daylight, however you should make
sure all lids are fastened on tightly as they will be inverted during the processing procedures.
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