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Shaky hands... first roll of film after a long time
Friends, I finally got back to developing my own film, after years of XP2 and pro lab (no complaints, it's just that I wanted to get everything back into my own bathroom).
I started all over again: new film (FP4), new developer (Ilfosol 3), something to start with on the forgiving side, I hope. Ilford Rapid Fixer, Ilfostop and Ilfotol for the rest, known stuff, just new bottles.
Shakiest part was the usual one: sitting in the pitch dark of my bomb shelter (yes, swiss homes do have one, great thing to store wine and build darkrooms), right on the cold floor, and could not get that darn film into the Jobo spiral! Tried two times, hoping I would not leave too many fingerprints on the film, than I succeeded. And then with all those monsters I had not seen since childhood, 40 years ago, watching me in the dark...
The rest was quite easy, I just have to get back to a standard workflow, too much panicking with wrong liquids in the wrong bottles, but I sorted things out all right, I hope.
The film itself is hanging in my wet shower cabin now, drying until tomorrow. On first sight it looks good, no fog, clear and contrasty. Hopefully not too contrasty. Camera was my old Rolleiflex 3.5 F, one of two films I shot in the italian speaking part of Switzerland, on the Lago Maggiore and the Verzasca valley. I am lucky enough to have a project and a customer down there, right now the days are still long enough so I took my tripod, the camera and went up to the beautyful places after work.
And it's mainly thanks to APUG and the wonderful analog people here that I found my way back to film. Thanks a lot, it is fun, much more fun than shooting away as I did before.
Holger
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It's always good starting out anew. I cannot imagine how refreshing to be reborn to film process. Good news. I'm happy for you. Now, pop a cork will ya!
Thank you
-C
Fear not the future of which you were deprived. Be thankful for the past which has been bestowed upon you. - Me, five seconds ago
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Great start. As a newcomer to this process in 2003 I can say that it does take a bit of practice. With hindsight I'd recommend exposing and developing the next film as soon as possible or at least loading a blank film every day in the dark. It isn't just practice that's important, it's the frequency of doing it that really helps the whole business of film developing. Even when you can do it in your sleep and it becomes almost automatic, the thrill of looking at the developed film stays the same. Well it has in my case and its seven years now.
pentaxuser
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Well done and keep enjoying it.
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