Film Selection, Development and Creating Prints
Some photographers believe that true black-and-white photography is only possible on film. You can certainly have a long discussion about that. The great thing is that you can carry out this entire process yourself, and it's not even particularly difficult. That's why we're taking a look at it in video form.
What's important is my personal path to the finished image. For many points, there are certainly other possibilities, such as the choice of developer, about which I would of course be happy to hear in the comments.
Film Selection
The films mentioned in the video:
Film Development
Accessories for Film Development
Among other things, Adox and Kaiser offer ready-made sets that contain the most important parts, but you can of course put the items together yourself.
Developing Tank
The developing tank is essential for development; without it, nothing really works. It is available in various sizes from different manufacturers.
I use a tank from AP. It is one of the cheapest, costing around 20 euros. You can develop up to two 35mm films or one medium format film with it. The only drawback with this model is the lid; if it gets a little damp inside, it's not 100% tight and a bit of liquid comes out, but that's not really a big deal.
Developer
Without black-and-white developer, nothing works either. Here the selection is even larger. Which one you choose depends, among other things, on the film and the desired look.
I would recommend Rodinal to beginners. I started with this developer myself. The advantages in my eyes are that it is very easy to handle, keeps well as a concentrate, and is otherwise quite uncomplicated. It is available under the names Adox Adonal and R09 One Shot.
Fixer
The second important chemical is the fixer. However, the choice here is not as critical as with the developer. I use Adox Adofix, which can also be used for paper development.
Thermometer
With the thermometer, we measure the temperature of the water, as a specific temperature is required for development. The only important thing is that it goes down to at least 15 degrees.
Bottle for Chemicals
Two bottles for storing the prepared developer and fixer.
Graduated Cylinder
A graduated cylinder for measuring developer and fixer.
Measuring Cup
One or two measuring cups for measuring water should also not be missing.
Container for Used Chemicals
Since the chemicals are not really healthy, I would recommend collecting them in a canister and disposing of them at the appropriate city collection point. I like to use 5-liter distilled water canisters for this; you can use the water for development if the water quality is poor, and then you have the canister for used chemicals.
Scissors
Clock or Smartphone with App
A stopwatch for precise time measurement. For common smartphones, there are now apps that do this for you. You can set multiple times, calculate the mixing ratios of the chemicals, and some have their own database with various development times for films. I can only recommend it; it makes the whole thing much easier.
Massive Dev Chart Timer (Android, iOS); Darktimer 2
Other Things You Don't Necessarily Need
Changing Bag / Dark Bag
A really practical accessory that you don't necessarily need but is very useful is the dark bag or changing bag. I'll explain exactly what it's for later; I would definitely recommend it.
Disposable Gloves
Protective clothing is not really necessary if you work carefully, but a pair of disposable gloves can't hurt.
Film Canister Opener & Film Leader Retriever
There are also film canister openers and film leader retrievers. With these, as the name suggests, you can open the canister or retrieve the film without opening it. I don't use either and don't miss them.
Stop Bath
I also don't use stop baths, which go into the developing tank between developer and fixer. Instead, I simply use water.
Paper Development
The "Analog Starter Kit Complete Darkroom for 35mm" from Adox, which Adox kindly provided for this video, contains the following items:
Enlarger
The enlarger itself can also project medium format negatives onto paper, but additional accessories are required for that.
Lens
A 50 mm lens with screw thread for the Adox enlarger.
Two Light Bulbs
One for the enlarger and one for the red light in the darkroom.
Developer and Fixer
Specifically, one small bottle each of Adox Adotol NE and Adofix.
Two Trays
For the developer and the fixer; a third tray for a stop bath, if needed, can also be useful.
Two Tongs
To remove the paper from the respective baths.
25 Sheets of Adox MCP 312 Photo Paper
A satin-matte PE photo paper in a nice size of 18 x 24 cm.
Conclusion
Personally, I come to the conclusion that neither developing nor making prints is particularly difficult. Printing your photos large is already great, but making them yourself is something else entirely.
Your image appears on the paper as if from nowhere, priceless. That alone makes the effort worthwhile.
You really lose track of time. After what felt like 20 minutes, I had my first four prints, which turned out to be two hours. And the great thing is that you can get decent results quite easily right from the start if you've done a bit of research on the subject. So I can only recommend that everyone start and prevent the extinction of the darkroom.
