First Time with Film

So, as alluded to in the last post, I’m one of a decreasingly shrinking (i.e. it’s getting bigger) group of photographers who has never done film before. Ever. Shot it, developed it, paid for it, et cetera. That is, until a couple weeks ago when I bought my Holga 120N. And I’ve got to admit, I thoroughly enjoy it. 

Since I am not Thomas Hawk and have no desire to publish a million photographs before I leave this world, going back in time to the [somewhat] long-gone days of film isn’t much of a hindrance on some larger task. Having gotten used to digital where I can take a shot, see if it’s exposed properly, and shoot it again, using film was- let’s face it- absolutely bizarre. What do you mean I have to wait to see what I just shot?! I want to see it now!

What’s more, it’s a Holga! I have no earthly idea how the final photograph’s going to look, focus is dependent on one person, three people, a group of people, or a MOUNTAIN. Aperture is a lie and there is only one shutter speed. The viewfinder doesn’t even frame the shot! The only thing I really control is the film (in this case, Ilford Delta 400). 

But regardless, I have to admit- it’s a helluva experience. 

I actually developed two rolls of film the other day when I developed this roll. The first, as mentioned, was a roll of Ilford FP4+ 125. And I absolutely botched it. I couldn’t get the damned thing onto the steel reel, and with the exception of half of one shot, nothing came out as more than a milky white blob. Not a big deal as it was the first roll I ran through the Holga and didn’t really have anything spectacular on it anyways.

Anyways, as for the actual developing, I was hoping that the darkroom on campus would have Rodinal (I heard it was forgiving) or Diafine (I like the contrast I’ve seen in shots using Delta 400 and Diafine), and took some numbers with me for both of those, but alas, they only had D-76. Again, no worries- I don’t really have preferences yet. This particular reel was soaked for 10.5 minutes, with 60 seconds of continuous agitation and an additional 3 inversions every 30 seconds. I used water as a stop bath (30s continuous agitation), and some unknown fixer for 6 minutes (same agitation as developer) followed by 8 minutes of washing. I actually skipped the Photoflo altogether, but that was due more to forgetfullness than intent, but there it is. 

Now, the local photo store didn’t have any archival sheets for 120, so for the time being, I scanned in the shots and rerolled the film back in between the paper that 120 comes backed with and put that into the box. So much for preservation. It shall continue to live digitally at the least. (*knock on wood*) What can I say? I live in the digital age, and even when doing something analog like film, it’ll end up in the realm of the digital anyways.

So what are my thoughts? I think I love it. Or at least, I could, and will, given that the reeling process gets easier. You can’t see it in these scans, but even this second roll was imperfectly reeled. And I totally manhandled the film in the process. The whole process after reeling is quite enjoyable; I get to talk to other people in the darkroom with me all while shaking a metal can and eyeing a clock- we must seem ridiculous to a casual observer. Also, it’s probably the only bit of chemistry I’ll ever actually enjoy, so there’s that.