Something about developing.

As far as we have come, we may be ready to start developing. For now, we know how to use the camera, we also told something about darkrooms, and then a little about developing tanks. The next logical step is going to be doing the develop itself.

The process to develop a photosensitive material is the procedure, in which, we are going to bring the images that are stored in the film, and making it no longer sensitive to light. 

You may look on internet, and almost everyone is going to have it's own developing process, this is because we are free to experiment as much as it suits one. that is why I would like to explain what I think is the standard process. I also will highlight the steps that must be done, and explain why some are kind of optional.

1. Presoak
2. Develop*
3. Stop Bath
4. Wash
5. Fix*
6. Wash
7. Hypo solution
8. Final rinse*
9. Coating
10. Dry

The entries marked with the * means that they must be done. 

Presoak

This step is intended to be done with water. This is to clean the film from any dust particle, finger marks and humidifies it so the developer will not act suddenly. We need to agitate the tank, with water, at least for 30 sec.

Develop

The whole process is around it, and this is going to be the chemical in charge to bring the images stored in the film and become visible, but not just free from light sensitivity (if we take our film out of the tank it will be ruined as the light will still react with the emulsion). 

But when you go to the photo store, and you say to the store clerk: "Could you give me a developer?" he immediately will reply "Which one Mr./Mrs.?". So yes, there is going to be a developer from each major brand, and within the brand they may have several, and each one could be able to be mixed in different ways… what a haze!

A starting point, and one that I recommend most, is to search our film's user manual. This ones do not come with the film in the box, so google it! (the key words are the brand, the name of the film and fact sheet). But for now on I will explain about my own experience with the developers I know. As a big part of the whole, most developers are designed so they work perfect at temperatures between 20 to 24 º C (68 to 75.2 F). I most often try to use the developer as nearest to 20 ºC (68 F), in future references this is going to be the temperature.

Also very important to have at hand, is the developing chart for our film, this one most of the times comes with the original packaging.

Types of developers

Single use

There is a family of developers that will only work for once, and then we have to dispose them. The most popular of this kind of developers is Kodak's D-76. This developer is quite easy to mix, we only heat 3 liters (0.79 US gal) of  water until 52 ºC (125.6 F), pour the powder that comes in the packaging, once all mixed ad more water, 0.8 l (complete the US gallon). When the temperature goes down to room temp. ca. 20 ºC (68 F), we now have a developer in stock, meaning that is at its purest dilution. We are going to be able to mix it with water so we reduce its developing power for making more "softer" processes, in which we could bring more details, but at cost of our contrast.

In this type of developers we may see something like this on the developing chart 1+0, 1+1, 1+3. What do these mean? This is a sum, in which the first number is the quantity of developer we need plus the quantity of water we are going to use to dilute.

1+0 means that we are only use the chemical

1+1 means that we are going to use half developer, half water

1+3 means that we are going to use one part of developer and three of water

Are some developers like Agfa's Rodinal (I do not like it) that uses dilutions like 1+59, 1+60. But how do we know how much do we need. Well, in the bottom of the plastic tanks it says something like 135 x 1 = 300 cc, means that for one 135 film we need at least 300 cc (cubic centimeters) of developer, 100 ml (nearly 10.2 fl. oz.), so 300 is our goal, and we want to do a 1+3 dilution. The first step is to divide our goal by the sum of the 1+3, is 4, so 300 divided by 4, that equals 75. The next step is: we need one of developer plus 3 of water, 75 multiplied by 3 is 225, we take that and then ad the 75 of developer we needed an now we have our developer in 1+3. Single metal tanks need 250 ml (8.5 fl. oz.).

Once our developer is ready for the job, we pour it in the tank, put our clock in the time the chart indicated, at the right temperature, and we start the process. Regardless the type or the brand of developer one of the most recurrent habits is to agitate the tank, there is fact sheet recommendation, that tells us to agitate the tank 10 seconds each minute. You can agitate more often, just to blow up the grain, but you can not do it, this helps that the development process occurs as even as posible. As we cycle the particles inside, moving fresh chemical near the emulsion.

Just one the clocks hits zero, we toss it to the drainage. And be ready to pour the next chemical, but for now is time to explain about the other kind of developer.

Multiple use

It may seem a little bit logical, this developers are able to work even after certain number of uses, this developers are once prepared and there is nothing else to do. The most common developers are Kodak's HC-110 (dilution B, is for film) and T-Max, Ilford's ID-11 and Microphen. These four can only hold 10 processes, after the tenth the results are uneven.

The only problem with those is that with each use the developer looses it power, but it can be compensated with more time. For example with HC-110, we have used it like 6 times, for each use we add 10 seconds to the chart time, this means, if the chart says, the film develops with 5 min, we add sixty seconds to it, a whole minute, our develop time will become 6 min.

While with Ilford is a little bit different, in this case we have to ad percentages, for example it is going to be the 8th process, so I have to ad the 70% of the original time, in this case 8 min. the 70% of 8 is 5.6 min, so we have to sum it to the original time, 13.6 min is our developing time.

Just as a little note, ID-11 and Microphen can be diluted, if we do so, they will become single use developers.

When you become more familiar there exist other classifications to developers, multi-propuse, fine grain, being the most common. In this case I recommend giving each one a try to find the one that likes you most.

Stop Bath

This chemical is the easiest one to prepare and can be switched with vinegar. The job is going to do, is to stop the effects of the developer, so our developing time comes as closer as the chart says. It will only work for 30 seconds and we have to agitate all the time.

Wash

This little wash is to clean all the residues could be left during the developing and the stop bath, it is made with tap water, and it lasts 30 seconds with constant stir.

Fix

The second most important step during the process, this chemical will transform the silver halides to silver salts, that are no longer sensitive to light. So once the film is bathed with this, it will become light safe, you cant take it out and nothing will not happen. It will also give the longevity to your processed film, a well done fix will make your film endure at least 20-30 years.

The fixer I found most easy in Mexico City is the Rapid Fixer from Kodak, I do not know any other, so I am not able to tell you if is fast or no, but I can tell you that it is working properly or not. The time I recommend for the fixing process is to let it be in the tank for at least 10 minutes, with the same agitation scheme as with the developer. You can take out the film and if it is still purplish it still needs fixer, if more than 20 min with this, that means you need to change your fixing solution with new.

Rapid fixer for film is easily prepared, it comes in two bottles, the fixer and a hardener, use 1.9 liters (0.5 US gal.), pour the fixer bottle, mix it well, pour the hardener bottle, mix well and ad enough water to fill 3.8 liters (1 US gal.). This will endure as long as six months in a well closed bottle.

Hypo solution

The fixer tend to left undesired residues on the film, that will cause stains in the emulsion, so this Hypo solution will help to wash it quickly. Before pouring the Hypo, do a wash, just like the one before the fix process. 

This Hypo, here, it is sold in small bags, to prepare just one liter (33.8 US fl. oz.), just heat water, pour the powder, mix it, and presto, you have Hypo solution.

During the process it just needs two minutes with the same agitation scheme as the developer.

Final rinse

This is done with tap water and the time will depend on the usage of Hypo solution, if it was used you have to add water for five minutes, changing the water each minute. With the same scheme of agitation as the developer.

If you have not used Hypo solution, be prepared to left the film almost a day in water, and keep changing the water at least one hour, agitation… try to do it from time to time. This step must be done to wash the film from any residue from the steps before.

Coating

With time, Kodak, created a chemical called Photo-Flo, that is aimed to protect from small scratches and make the emulsion static free, so dust will not stick to it. Also gives the film a shiny finish to it. In this case left it one minute and any agitation, this chemical is soapy, so it will form foam if stirred, so avoid it.

Dry

The last part of the whole process, find a place to hang the film, cloth clippers are good for this, and do not forget to use a counter weight to keep the film stretched and avoid the natural curvature. The drying time will depend on where do you leave it, but for most of times it will take 30 min to one hour.

This has been the steps I usually do to develop a film, as said before there are some steps that are not essential, but aid in making the process cleaner and leaving better results. The next question is how to keep you film, in the US is a brand called Print File, they manufacture special sheets with sleeves to preserve the strips. I think they are the most easy to find and economic too. Just do not forget to find a dry cool place at your house to preserve your films, as humidity will damage them.

The second part of the Triangle Exposure

Last entry was focused on ISO, what it meant and what considerations you should take. This time, I am going to explain about Shutter Speeds or in other words how much time we will expose the film.

In the history of photography Shutter Speed became after the aperture, but I think is easier to understand. Before standardized shutter speeds,  the photographer just put off a lens cap and wait a little time to just cover it again, something that today stenopeic photographers still do. As manufacturing technics advanced, and different ISO sensibilities became much wider, different shutter speeds appeared. Like many concepts in photography, shutter speed was determined by dobles and halfs. So if we take for instance, one thousand of a second the starting point, the double of light we need is: (1/1000)/2 (one thousand of a second divided by two) will equals 1/500. And so on.

1/1000

1/500

1/250

1/125

As long for this seems very straight forward, due the fact that 125/2 will equals 62.5, makes very specific to do mechanisms, they went to the easiest nearest value 1/60.

If you make the division:

1/62.5 = 0.016

1/60 = 0.01666667

so, its the same…

1/60

1/30

1/15

1/8

1/4

1/2

1"

Most old cameras will have a dial with this values, but those, will be without the "1/" and only show the denominator of the division, so you will see 1000, 250, 30, etc.  In later models, the ones with digital displays, will have medium values, for example: one between 1/60 and 1/30, 1/45. These are called half stops, and digital cameras will have thirds of a stop. Also this electronic cameras will have longer times programed, from 1 second (1") all the way to 30". Some old cameras will have different colored numbers. The most commons are:

• 60 Synchronization speed
• 30 or under, shutter speeds too low that are not recommended to shot the camera unless you use a tripod or other stable elements (like a table).
• In some cases only 1 comes in a different color, representing is 1 second

Most SLR, because not all (like the Canon T50) will have a B on the dial. This B means Bulb, this mode or selectable speed is a speed chosen by the photographer, more like the old days, and is used for longer exposures, longer that the slowest time that the camera let. The shutter will be open as long as the shutter button is pressed. But as mentioned with speeds slower than 30, you are going to need extra help, from a tripod, or something else that could keep the camera fixed. In the case of the B, is also recommended the use of a shutter release cord. Older cameras will have more standardized accessories, while electronic ones, in most of the cases, will only accept first party cords. The cord will have a block system, in which there is no need to be continuously pressing the shutter, just to remember when to release it.

As for some mechanical cameras, and all semi-automatic, you could choose freely the speed. In old cameras, some lenses had an A, mostly in green, in the aperture selection ring, and in the electronic cameras, there is a mode called Tv (Canon and Minolta) or just S in Nikon. So by now you are not going to worry about selecting the right aperture value. The next week topic.

There are two major effects created by the shutter speed, blur or still.

Blur

It is said, and it is true, that the whole Universe is in motion, but depending on which point of view we have chosen, things may be moving or may be still. Most of the times people think photography is just a moment captured, although, a photo is able to record the succession of moments in just one shot, it can illustrate trajectories.  This effect is going to give a sense of motion, and it is not very hard to achieve.

The only consideration we have to think about is the velocity of the object we try to photograph. For example: we see a juggler and he is doing some fancy stuff with his toys, we could try to have a sharp still image of his face but not of his toys. In this case his toys are moving way more faster than the juggler, he is standing still and just his hands are moving. The slowest speed in which I am able to shot without a tripod, is 1/30. So if he is standing still, and just moving his hands, the end result may be of some blur on his hands and his toys, while his face may seem still. If I would go with slower speeds, if I had the tripod, I could be in risk of making everything blurry, even the juggler. 

But in shiny conditions, if you are able to do it with sunlight, very long exposures will tend to "erase" the blur, as the original object you tried to blur is no longer in front of the camera, and the objects behind it will start to show in the image. The only sure blur that will last long enough, are when at night, you do it with objects that emit light, like cars or county fair rides, they last because the background is dark, and it takes more time to be exposed.

Still

For many years of advertisements, the still has been the selling point for cameras, even nowadays, in which there are cell phones with very sensitive sensors… Just as in school, the opposite of blur is the still, in which everything that may be in motion will appear frozen in time, that magic moment in which many sport photographers rely on.

Remembering the Juggler and his toys, in this case we want to have everything still, so we are going to go the opposite way in the shutter speed scale, as his toys may be moving in quite a fashionable way, we will try to set it to 1/250, the blink of the shutter may be fast enough to just see the toys just that 0.004 of a second, not letting expose the trajectory.

The next two images are little examples of a blur and a still, it was made with a digital camera, just for didactic proposes.

This image was shot 1/45, you can clearly see how pages overlap above them.

This one was shot with 1/125, maybe it does not see very obvious, but all the pages look like if the were still.

I leave you with the video tutorial in which I show you how shutter speed is controlled by the camera, and how to select it on a semi-automatic camera.

Some examples of different ISO sensibilities

Last time I just explained different ISO sensibilities but I did not give some examples to exemplify what I wrote.

All of the next examples are 8x10 enlargements I made.

This one was shot with Ilford HP5 at 400 ISO, as you can appreciate grain is not so visible, but not invisible. It can handle good detail.

This film was Ilford Delta 400, shot at 400 ISO. Compared with the HP5 grain is smaller and holds better details. This film can emulate the feeling of a 100 ISO film.

This last image was shot with Delta 3200, at 3200, at first glance grain is visible, but as was developed with Ilford Micrphen, grain does not explode, and gives a nice texture to the image, even a warm one. But some details become diffuse 

Sorry if I did not published a 100 ISO photograph, I was not able to find one. 

How to expose

For many this is going to be the core of all the course, because the Exposition is something that has not changed in the digital realm. As for me the concept that I like most is the Triangle of Exposure.

It is like the Combustion Triangle, in which there are three concepts that will support the main idea. I have acknowledge of other concepts like the one with the tap and the bucket, if you want that I explain it leave a comment. To start with, the three concepts that put together the Triangle are:

• Film sensibility (ISO/ASA/DIN)
• Shutter Speed
• Lens aperture

Each one has its distinctive features, effects and priorities, which all will depend on how you would like that your photography is going to be.

I am going to discuss it in the order I have listed them. Essentially because in the film we are restrained to have ONE and only ONE film sensibility, there are some considerations if we intend to do forced or counter-forced expositions, and even in those cases, we have to shot the entire roll in one sensibility, not as in digital, in which we can change at will the sensibility to adjust to our needs in each shot.

This is one of the reasons I like more film photography, you have to choose what film to use, and you are restrained to make each one count as the good, even if you do not enlarge it.

Film sensibility

At the very beginning of photography this was not a very used term, this was photographers were able to use safelight to develop and only existed plates, so to develop them they used trays. They made the shot, with some known time and aperture, and then during the developing process they could see how the image appear and stop the process when they tough it has reached the best image. But as photography was becoming more mainstream, due to cinema and companies like Kodak, research and new technology changed the films sensibility to light and with it, the need to name that sensibility.

In the United States the American Standards Agency (ASA, now is it called ANSI), had the most influence in the Americas and Japan about how to call the film speed, while in Europe was Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN) the one responsible for such labor. It is something like International System of Measurements and Imperial System, both told the same thing but with different scales, each institution made their own experiments on how to determine film speed. As time advance to a much more standardized World, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was born, this Organization decided to use the two systems, so when one buys a film in the box comes as ISO 400/27º. I, as a Mexican, live under the ASA concepts then adopted by ISO. But both scales are direct one with another, interchangeable without any mathematical operation or so, not as 1 ft moreless equals 0.30 m. Most common values are:

ASA        DIN

50        18

100       21

200       24

400       27

800       30

1600     33

3200    36

As you can see ASA scale work with doubles and halfs, 100 being the double of 50, and 1600 being the half of 3600. In the other hand DIN goes in sums of three between each other, as 18 plus 3 gives 21 for the next film sensibility, but as long as now I have not explained what this numbers represent. 

So now going on, the smaller the number the lesser the sensibility is going to be, this means it is going to need a lot of light to be well exposed, and as the number goes higher the sensibility grows with it, meaning you will not need many light to have a good exposure. And the relationship each one with the another is going to be the doble or the half. Ej. lets took ISO 100/21º, if we go to 50/18º this will tell that we are going to need the double of light to have a good exposure, compared to 100/21º, and viceversa with 200/24º, it is going to need the half of light needed for 100/21º to get the same exposure. But the next question is going to be, Why to have different film speeds? If we are able to shot almost in any condition with 800/30º, for example.

Well there are some cons and pros, depending on which film speed we are intending to use. Film speed is also related to the size of the silver halides the emulsion contains, as smaller the number is, the salts are going to be smaller, which is going to be handy if we want to have the most definition of the image we intend to capture, very useful in landscape, product or studio and maybe portraits. But with the cost of needing a lot of light to achieve a good exposure, so in the cases of landscape tripod is going to be mandatory, in the studio, well we are going to be controlling light via lamps, flashes and using an exposure meter, and in portraits, well as we are going to see later,  wide open lens apertures; we also gain better contrast* with lower ISO values. That is why the largest photos ever are made with low ISO values, as it grants the best definition. But in special cases as sport photography, scientific, and places in which light is not the best of all or we need to achieve the photo we want, the cost is a little loss of sharpness and contrast, as higher ISO values have bigger silver halide grains. 

A way to classify higher or lower ISO's is the next: take for instance 100/21º as the mid-point, below that value, even as low as 6/9º they are called slow emulsions or films, as explained earlier, a lot of light is needed. Then, from 100/21º to 400/27º are the mid-term speed films, more likely as the standard, as you have a balance between outdoors and indoors using artificial light (as lamps or flashes), and medium sized grains. Higher than 400/27º are called quick films, as low light is needed to expose.

The last technologies applied to Black and White photography were made by Kodak and Ilford, as they in the late 80's and 90's developed their T-Max and Delta series. They found a way to give the grains certain shape, Kodak saw T's and Ilford saw ∆'s (capital letter delta), which made possible to arrange them better, and with that more sensibility with smaller grains. Both films are marketed as Pro films. As I know Kodak sells T-Max 100/21º, 400/27º and 3200/36ª (really 800/30º, but can easily pushed to 3200/36º), and the best results are given if you develop with T-Max developer (very self-explanatory) and in the other hand Ilford's are 100/21º, 400/27º (can be used as 200/24º to 3200/36º) and 3600/36º (really being 1000/31º, but can be pushed to 12500/42º), the best results with this films are obtained using at least ID-11 developer, but are better using Mircophen.

So before hitting the street with you camera, and if it isn't loaded, stop and think to which situations are you going to be facing, because that is going to be the best parameter to select a film. If you are going to be out in a sunny day, without any trouble you can use ISO 100/21º, but if you are going to be in a familiar reunion inside a house better choose 400/27º, or any sports event better go higher, even if it is sunny.

*Contrast, for me, is like how intense are the whites and the blacks. For example: in high contrast you will only see whites and blacks but not so many grays, in low contrast you will not see white or black just a big range of grays. Depending on what are you going to achieve at the start it is better to look for a medium contrast, the one that is going to have white, black and the variety of grays.

Detail in some Cameras and Bulk Film

The passion of taking photographs has not being limited to just some professionals, but ironically, the best materials are branded as Pro. But what Pro stands for, well at least in photography, or what have I understand, is referred as the knowledge on how to use the camera, and profit at its best the film, during the shooting, the developing and printing of the image.

Most Pro cameras have extended functions, that may not be used by the amateur, even pro, photographers. In the other hand, film marketed as Pro will have a much wider ability to be used, as pro films will have a much smaller grain, compared to the same speed ratio, and a much higher latitude. Latitude means that a film can hold other ISO (ASA/DIN) than the one is marketed as. For example, Ilford Delta 400 film can be exposed as an 200 ISO or as an 3600 ISO, and whatever is in between. So as for film, the extra money gives extra abilities that used properly will be able to make you get better results.

The video of this week will be focused on my cameras, and how to use bulk film.

For the next video in the series, I show how to fill 35 mm magazines with the bulk film loader. For this instance, these are the things you are going to be needing:

• Bulk loader
• Bulk film
• Scissors
• Tape
• Empty magazines with at least a finger wide film out or refillable magazines and some useless film
• Dark Room* or light probe bag

Bulk film may be kind of expensive at the start, but as you go shooting, it is cheaper than buying new film in small packages. A bulk film will produce 19 to 20 rolls, that will cost the half than buying those same 19 or 20 rolls, also you have the freedom to choose how many exposures each load have. This is useful if you like to think each shot and you take some time to finish it, also gives you the easiness of have one themed rolls, so printing may become more easy, as most exposures have little change in lighting settings.

About cameras and film formats

Well as I said before, I will not go into the realm of brands, instead of that, I would prefer to talk about kinds of cameras, by the format they can hold. You will find more precise information through books or the Internet itself. This entry is more focused on what are you going to need after to develop and print your negatives.

Since the start of photography inventors and engineers developed quite a variety of film, in size and form. Today we still have three major flavors of film, and so three kinds of cameras:

• 135 film: The most used film, even before used by photography (its first primary use was to do cinema), from hi-tech SLR to just plastic point-&shot and even disposable cameras. One of the most recognizable format. 
• The pros are:
• Easy to handle, it is self contained inside a canister, last generation cameras (even point-&shot) were able to determine the film speed, thanks to DX codes.
• Easy to find, as the most famous member of the film family it is still available in convenience stores, super markets and photographic materials supply.
• Wide variety of cameras, in the second hand market, flea markets and forgotten attics, you have a great chance of finding a usable cameras.
• Most amateur photo stuff was designed for this format.
• Any enlarger will be prepared to let you print images.
• The cons are:
• It is the smallest of film sizes found near, it captures great detail, but you are not going to be able to print enlargements bigger than 60" (in.) (It is not so con but is the classic one!).
• Without the correct tools, like a film picker, you are going to end breaking a lot of canisters, which can make you spend a little bit more of money. If you wish to save some pennies, it is worthwhile to search for bulk film, is a package that contains 100 ft. (30,5 m) of film, without the canisters. I will discuss about bulk film latter.
• 120 film (or 6x6): This is a bigger film, it was the first to be commercialized by Kodak to easy to use market, it is older than 135. It is the favorite flavor of pro photographers, the cameras are not that big, but thanks to the size of the film you are going to get a lot of details, this was also the favorite size of NASA, most space photographs were made with Hasselblads.
• The pros are:
• Great detail, capable of doing much bigger enlargements.
• Some cameras were able to have 6x6 or 6x4 or 6x4,5, so the photographer was not constrained to just one aspect ratio.
• Most cameras have the ability to change were the film is loaded, so the photographer was able to change from B&W to color to slide, without the need to finish the film.
• The cons are:
• More oriented to pro markets, so cameras are quite expensive, even used ones, do not forget accessories.
• Due to the fact the film is bigger, you may need to have an enlarger capable of hold the format, it is also recomendable to have an 80 mm lens for the enlarger.
• If not very used to it, you are able to spoil the film, because the film is just winded in a spool and covered by a special paper.
• Only 12 photographs by package.
• Plates: The oldest brother from the family, it has evolved through the years but preserves the aura. The favorite of studio photographers, as the cameras are big, bigger than your head, and maybe your chest, you are attached to its stand, hopefully with little wheels so it can move a bit. 
• The pros are:
• Best quality, most plates nowadays are about 6x4 in. (10x15 cm), if you shot slides the colors are the most amazing than any Photoshoped photograph and if compared to a digital realm, a photograph from a plate would be the equivalent of using an 80 megapixel camera.
• No need to do enlargements, photographs can be positive by contact printing.
• Most cameras have a tilting and shifting lens, capable of modify the focus plane and/or the fugue of lines, making them really vertical.
• The cons are:
• Plates can not be developed in small tanks, can be done in trays, but with any kind of light, or can be processed in bigger tanks, oriented to printing processes.
• Cameras are so big, is very difficult to go around with them, is like going out with a mini fridge.
• Also you need to carry out a case for holding plates, as the holder can only have one at a time, later iterations from Kodak were able to hold two plates, one against the other.

This has been quite a fair amount of information. In my case, I use 135 film, mainly because my first camera is that format, then the older cameras from my house are also that format (just some point-&-shots). When I am able to buy a medium format (120) camera, I will inter to that realm, hope so soon. But in both cases, in the developing process are the same actions, the only considering point is about developing tanks. If you get a plastic developing tank, like the ones from Kaiser, the spirals can be size changed, so they can handle 135, 126 (a dead format) and 120, just be sure is the taller tank, the one that can handle two 135 at a time. If you are more likely to have metal spirals, you need to have the tank and the spiral for each format, in the case of the 120 tanks you can develop two 135 at the same time.

As mentioned with the plates, only if you have the tank for print processing the procedure is not that easy, as developing must be done with trays and there is not any safelight to use with. I recommend to start with 135 or 120, so they are the most easy to use formats.