riffeym Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>How many of you went nuts when you first started developing your own film? I have just started and it seems that I just can't quit shooting film.<br> <br /> Seems I'm always looking for an excuse to take pictures, I am consumed with the urge to expose film! Sometimes I think I do it just so I can play in developer to push, pull, poke or prod just to see what kind of image I can make.</p> <p>Is this normal?</p> <p>Mike :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>I shoot about 4-5 rolls a week.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug grosjean Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>1-2 per week, which was a slight increase from before.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffeym Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 <blockquote> <p><em>I shoot about 4-5 rolls a week.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>That's good to hear. I thought I might be going a little overboard myself!<em> </em></p> <p>Mike :D<em><br /></em></p> <p><em><br /></em></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce_erickson1 Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>Mike: If you don't mind my asking, what, mostly, are you taking pictures of? </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotohuis RoVo Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>2-3 films a week (35mm and 120 roll film, B&W and sometimes C41). Developing 5-8 films a week ( Also for other people).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffeym Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>Bruce, right now I find myself taking my cameras out for walks on our farm and also shooting "still life's" inside the house. I'm trying to get a feel for how I expose film and how I process it and how they both work together to make the final image. I find myself taking pictures of varied subjects.</p> <p>Robert, you are a very busy fellow!</p> <p>Mike :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_4754088 Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>Michael,</p> <p>That's how you learn. Keep it up.</p> <p>I have scheduled shoots for the portraiture work I do, and on those I usually will shoot three or four rolls of 35mm and two to three rolls of 120, all B&W. Then I have my "carry around" camera which I shoot two or three rolls of Tri-X with each week. So your numbers aren't at all extreme. And again, that's how you learn.</p> <p>Best,<br> -Tim</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gammill Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>When I got my first 35mm camera in high school I already had access to a darkroom. Started shooting a lot of film and never slowed down. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>Mike, Like it ever stopped being a kick in the last 35 years.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffeym Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>Tim, Mike <em>and</em> Mike, thanks for your replies.</p> <p>I see now that I'm not obsessive, I'm just a willing participant in the world of film! I know a long time ago, someone once told me - "you want to learn photography? Take a lot of pictures.."</p> <p>I know there is a formal aspect and science behind learning photography but "doing it" has to count for something too.</p> <p>Mike :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjferron Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>bout two a week for me. 2-35's and 1-120 on average.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug grosjean Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 <p>When I was just starting, I'd also note exposure info, and then carefully go over the images when I got prints back. My learning curve was pretty steep. But now I worry a lot less about that, due to 30 years experience.... I open or close the aperture based on depth of field required, and don't write it down.</p> <p>Meanwhile, a younger friend just got into photography. And when he asks older guys like me our exposure settings for a particular shot, he's bothered that we don't have them memorized. I think it's a phase.... :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffeym Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 <blockquote> <p><em>I think it's a phase.... :)</em></p> </blockquote> <p>LOL!</p> <p>Mike :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossb Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 <p> I shoot film but I have a lab develop and scan it for me. I probably shoot 2 rolls per month unless I am on vacation then I shoot more. I do not want a darkroom as I have no place for it and I do not want to deal with the chemicals. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffeym Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 <p>Hi ross! I used to have mine done by a local 1hr lab but the results I got from them were inconsistent at best. I would only shoot 1 or 2 rolls per month also mainly because I hated to spend the money on usually disappointing results locally or having to send it out to a "professional" lab and wait for the results. Unfortunately where I live there is nothing close to me.</p> <p>Now that I have discovered that indeed, I CAN develop my own film (B&W) I find myself shooting a lot more. Do I get better quality? Probably not always - I'm just beginning but, if a mistake is made it is MINE. I scan my negs on my old HP 3310 all-in-one so I know I'm not getting the image quality from my scans but I can make it work. Maybe someday I can invest in a decent scanner and maybe I can even get a darkroom built, which would be the pinnacle of achieving quality images, IMHO.</p> <p>In the meantime, I'll just be having FUN!</p> <p>Mike :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_wilson1 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 <p>Yep, when I first started I was keeping Kodak in business, lol. Now, mine runs in spurts. A few rolls for a project, then nothing, then a few more rolls and more nothing.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karim Ghantous Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 <blockquote> <p>I know there is a formal aspect and science behind learning photography but "doing it" has to count for something too.</p> </blockquote> <p>Doing it is 75%! The formal aspects are a result of asking why certain photographs work. There are consistent patterns and so we have 'rules'. But the rules came from successful photographs more so than the other way around.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 <p>And Rules are made to be broken. Using a fisheye lens well putting your subject in the center of the frame is the one I can think of off the top of my head. OK second top a fisheye on a Holga too. LOL</p> <p> Then though offsetting it too works at times also. You never know until you break the rules.</p> <p><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5087/5358833966_c93b66a012_z.jpg" alt="" width="632" height="640" /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffeym Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 <blockquote> <p><em>You never know until you break the rules.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>How true Larry, how true!</p> <p>Mike :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 <p>The thing is about developing your own film is you can not only break shooting rules but rules that say you can't develop a film that way or even use a type of film for what you used it for.</p> <p> I mean come on Pushing a film to 3200 from the normal 400 and still being able to read print on a news paper? Yes I have done it and not with a fancy smanchy TMAX film but with Diluted Acufine and Tri-X.</p> <p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/3125144872_c963979c19_z.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p>And don't let people tell you you have to lose all tones and shadow details.</p> <p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3125147444_ed2a54e4b8_z.jpg" alt="" /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffeym Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 <p>Wow, I've pushed Tmax 400 to 1600 but not 3200... I like those results Larry.</p> <p>Mike :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffeym Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 <p>Forgot to add an example pic. Tmax 400 pushed to 1600.<br> <img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5162/5377874929_b5b34aa89a_z.jpg" alt="" width="449" height="640" /></p> <p>Mike :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 <p>Oh I have pushed it farther too. I have recently refined a multi developer method that uses Diafine and Dektol with some HC-110 and Rodinal. It takes 2 hours but I got 12500 with no problem. T-Max 400 or TMY2 is a native 800 film to began with as the times for 400 and 800 are the same. so a one stop push is well about nothing.</p> <p> But then again if you follow the rules you will never screw up as many times as I have but then again when I do screw up doing it myself I can figure it out much faster and not let others screw it up for me and wonder what intern messed it up. :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffeym Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 <blockquote> <p><em>T-Max 400 or TMY2 is a native 800 film to began with as the times for 400 and 800 are the same. so a one stop push is well about nothing.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>Well, and here I thought I was really doing something! LOL! I didn't know that Tmax 400 was native 800 - I guess I need to know my films better!</p> <p>Mike :D</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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