Develop 35 mm Film
While we live in an age of digital photography, many amateur and professional photographers still prefer the look of traditionally developed film. Developing film at home is fairly straightforward, but it can be a little tricky for a first-timer. The cost of the necessary chemicals and equipment can be a little high, but making the investment now can lead savings in the future. Before digital photography was the norm, the development process was considered a part of the art form, and today's amateur photographer can enjoy the craftsmanship and sense of accomplishment that goes into developing his own images.
Instructions
1. Find a dark room in your house, a windowless bathroom or closet works well. Cover any cracks around doors with tape to prevent light from entering the room. You'll need a source of clean running water, ideally in the dark room or very close to it.
2. Wash your developing tank and all associated parts in hot running water, dry carefully with an old towel. Gather all of your materials, including your undeveloped film in its protective canister, and place them directly in front of you on a counter or table.
3. Turn out the lights. Carefully remove your film from its canister, handling only on the edges. If necessary, cut the "leader" off the end of the film. This is a thicker piece of film; you should be able to easily feel it. Feed the first few inches of your film into the reel. Once the internal mechanism has grabbed the film, rotate the reel until all of it is loaded. Use the scissors to cut the small spindle off the other end of the film.
4. Place the loaded reel into your developing tank and close the lid tightly. Turn the lights back on. Fill the developing tank with room temperature water and let it sit for one minute, then dump out the water.
5. Read the label of your developing liquid; it will tell you properly dilute the chemical with water to get the proper solution for your film. The label will also state how long to soak your film. Carefully pour the diluted developing liquid into your tank. When you've filled it up, put the cap on your tank and shake for ten seconds. Agitate the tank in this way for 10 seconds of every minute for the length of the recommended soaking period.
6. Pour the used developing liquid out of the tank, immediately fill with water. Shake the tank for a few seconds, and then dump the water out. Dilute your "fixer" liquid according to the instructions on its label and repeat the movement of shaking the tank for 10 seconds of each minute for five minutes.
7. Open the tank and pour out the used fixing solution, fill once again with water and shake vigorously for 30 seconds, then pour out the water. Repeat this filling and agitation sequence for 10 minutes, then remove all water from the tank
8. Pour a small amount of wetting agent into the bottom of the tank, then carefully fill the tank with water. Allow this to sit unmoved for 30 seconds, then pour out. Remove the film from the reel taking care not to let it touch anything. Attach the film clips to either end of the strip of film; the weighted clip goes on the bottom. Hang your film to dry in an out-of-the-way place such as a shower or closet. In eight to 10 hours, the film will be dry and ready to be made into prints.
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