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Can you develop 35mm film with energy drinks?

Most film photographers know that they can use certain household items to develop black and white 35mm film. Hardcore film aficionados have even tried it themselves using stuff like beer, tea, or even red wine.

If you’ve ever wondered if you could do it with energy drinks, Sweet Lou Photography has tried it so you don’t have to. In his recent video, he experiments with two energy drinks in an attempt to develop two rolls of film. Can it be done? Well, sort of – so let’s jump straight into it and see where the catch is.

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Here’s how to make your own paper developer from scratch

The George Eastman Museum has already shared some darkroom magic with us. For example, they taught us how to make a 35mm daguerreotype and guided us through the salt printing process. In this video, historic process specialist Nick Brandreth teaches you how to make your own paper developer from scratch in the comfort of your home.

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Ilford’s Darkroom Guide teaches you all you need to know about developing your own film

Getting started with something completely new can be overwhelming, and film developing is no exception. Film and paper manufacturer Ilford has published a series of videos that will help you to get started. From loading film to producing your very first print, this series will teach you all the basic darkroom techniques that you need to know.

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Here’s how to make your own film developing “stock cubes”

In the last couple of months, the whole world it seems was on hold due to the rampages of COVID-19/ Corona Virus. In the Facebook groups I’m in many users were seeing shortages in supply. Some online stores stopped shipping Rodinal (caustic liquid) and other stuff was just not to be found.

Adding to this was the fact that a lot of users were not consuming chemistry as quickly and were looking at spoilage/oxidation of partially consumed jugs of developer turning brown on the shelf.

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How I removed base fog from old film stocks

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A lot of us analog film photographers love to shoot film but new film stocks can be pricey. A 100ft roll (30meters) of fresh Tmax is about $80 US these days. Deals can be had on “vintage” (expired) film but many purists will disregard this as results are inconsistent and sometimes just awful. I teach on the side and I am always looking to save student monies but give them a positive experience so there is no discouragement.

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The SP-445 is a 4×5 film developing system that can fit in your backpack

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It’s safe now to say that film is anything but dead. More so now than ever, it seems photographers young and old are looking to get back to the days of darkrooms.

Recently, we shared with you the Filmomat, a completely automated film processing machine created from scratch.

Today, we have for you a less automated, but equally as interesting contraption. It’s called the SP–445 and it’s a compact and portable 4×5 film processing system.[Read More…]

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