Good Film Developer example essay topic

Basics of film developing This step, basics of film developing, is very important that can make a person becomes a great photography. After knowing how to use the camera and how to take the pictures, the next step is learning how to develop the film. Although the person has a good negative; but a person doesn't have a good develop's skill, or doesn't know the right way about developing, how can that person makes a good picture. He / she should know how to develop film and how to roll the film. Basic things about how to develop the film are listed in the book entitled, INTRODUCTORY & PUBLICATIONS PHOTOGRAPHY written by Dr. C. Wm. Horrell and Robert A. Steffes.

That is 1. Turn off all the lights in the darkroom and unwind the film. (Roll film, except 35 mm, must be separated from the protective paper). And then unroll the paper until the end of the film is reached which is not attached to the paper and will, therefore, form its own roll when separated. 2. Unroll until the other end is reached, which is attached to the paper by tape.

Tear film gently from the paper when loading the film onto a reel or into a plastic apron. 3. At this point, handle film by the edges to avoid fingerprints on the film's picture area. 4. Fingerprints inflicted by pressure or moist fingers may show up on the negative and in the finished print. 5.

To remove the film from a 35 mm cartridge, pop off the retaining ring with a bottle opener, allowing the roll to be removed. 6. The film is now loaded on a reel. This procedure is the best learned by practicing with a film provided for this purpose, or an uncut, discarded strip of negative. Cut the leader of 35 mm film square with scissors before loading.

7. Some tanks use plastic apron instead of reels. 8. With the reel or plastic apron now placed in the tank, and the cover secure, turn on the lights and proceed to develop the film. needed chemicals and equipment are pictured below. 9. Determine the temperature of the developer, then in turn determine the time in minutes necessary to develop the film using a time-temperature development chart.

Set timer for recommended time. 10. Start the timer running. Then pour the developer into the tank. Tilt the tank slightly so that air may escape. Don't let an air-lock mislead into thinking the tank is full when it isn't.

11. Agitate the tank vigorously for the first 15 seconds. Then agitate for about 5 seconds during each 30 seconds of development thereafter. 12.

After developing time has elapsed, pour developer back into the bottle. Do not pour it into the sink unless using a " one-shot " developer. 13. Immediately fill the tank with a short stop rinse and agitate for about 30 seconds to a minute. When acid rinse is omitted, the film should be rinsed in running water for about 30 seconds.

14. If acid rinse is to be re-used, pour it back into the bottle; otherwise, pour it into the sink. 15. Fill tank with fixing bath solution and agitate vigorously for about 15 seconds. The lid may now be removed from the tank. The film should be left on the reel in the tank for twice the time it takes to clear the film of its milky appearance.

16. This illustration shows the milky appearance of a film just after it is placed in the fixer. The film is opaque, and all of this mildness must be dissolved out for proper fixation. Any hint of mildness, general or localized, is a positive indication the film is insufficiently fixed.

If the film takes too much time to clear, the fixer is exhausted. 17. When properly fixed, the film is transparent and clear, as shown below. 18. The fixer is then poured back into the bottle. Do not pour it into the sink.

19. Place the tank under a cold water faucet or insert a hose into the center of the tank and wash for 15 or 20 minutes. If the wash water is colder than 65 degrees, it is advisable to treat the films in a hypo clearing agent before washing. 20.

After the film has been thoroughly washed, place about one drop of a wetting agent in the tank of water. Agitate gently for about a minute. The wetting agent will help prevent the formation of water marks on the film and speed up drying time. Empty the tank of water and remove film from reel. Wash the wetting agent off the tank, reel, or apron by rinsing thoroughly with hot water.

21. Attach a film clip to each end of the film and hang up to dry in a dust-free area. Using a windshield wiper as a squeegee, make two wipes down the film on each side before hanging up to dry. Warm forced air will speed film drying. Ordinary electric fans or hair dryers are suitable in the absence of film drying equipment. (Horrell 15) The steps taken to improve the product After knowing how to use the camera, then it's time trying developing the film.

The person should do it many times until he / she is sure that he / she knows how to do it in the right way. It's good to ask the mantel or the professor or someone that knows how to develop the film to help at the first time doing it. Because he / she can advise and tell what that person is doing wr on, so that a person will not make a serious mistake or break the equipment. The first time it's hard to make a good picture, but if that person does it again and again, that person will have more skill and get better.

It takes a long time to be a good film developer. The more times he / she does it, the more skill he / she will have. Here are 15 hints for better film processing which was written by Dr. C. Wm. Horrell and Robert A. Steffes in the book called, Introductory & Publications Photography. 1. Although the temperature of the developer is a critical matter, it is not necessary to keep all processing solutions at the same temperature.

However, avoid temperature differences as great as 10 degrees. A sudden change in temperature between developer and rinse, for example, may result in reticulation of the negatives. Reticulation is a wrinkling or puckering of the emulsion which may ruin the image. 2. When film is wet, the emulsion is soft and delicate. Avoid touching the image area, or allowing it to scrape along the bottom of sinks.

3. Agitation recommendations should be followed carefully. Don't place your films in the developer and take a break while they are in the "soup". Stay with them and agitate at regular intervals.

4. A simple but effective method of altering the temperature of the developer is to place the container in a pan cold, or hot water, stirring with a thermometer to constantly check on it is change. If it is impractical to alter the temperature, which is roughly between 65 and 75 degrees, the developing time can be altered to compensate for the deviation from the optimum 65 degrees. Consult the time and temperature chart which accompanies the film.

The following is a typical time and temperature chart. A typical time-temperature chart. Other film and developer combinations may have time-temperature characteristics which differ sharply with this one, thus the need for consulting the data sheet packed with film which usually contains such a chart. In using the above chart, if the temperature of the developer was 68 degrees, developing time would be 8 minutes.

At 75 degrees, it would be 6 minutes. Caution! Development at too high temperatures may cause the emulsion to slide off the film base. If necessary to develop film above 75 degrees, a pre hardener is required with most film-developer combinations. 5. Negatives accidentally placed in the acid rinse instead of the developer may be transferred to the developer without serious harm if the acid rinse is thoroughly washed out of the film.

Likewise, negatives assi dentally placed in water first may be transferred to the developer without damage. But if he / she accidentally immerse the film first in hypo, that person is almost sure to ruin the film. 6. When pouring developer into daylight developing tanks, tip the tank slightly to allow air to escape, otherwise an air pocket inside the tank may prevent the tank from filling. It may appear the tank is filled when actually it isn't.

This will result in uneven development, or complete lack of development in some areas. 7. When pouring solutions back into stock bottles, be certain pouring into the proper bottle. If fixer is poured into developer, the latter is ruined and should be discarded immediately. Developer poured into fixer is less fatal to film, but fixer thus weakened should also be discarded.

8. Label all chemical bottles clearly, and read this label each time using the bottle. If a solution is accidentally contaminated, inform the instructor. Failure to do this may cause a person to ruin valuable negatives.

9. Check the level of the solutions in cut film developing tanks by inserting and emptying the hanger in the tank to be certain the level is above the hanger bar. 10. When developing a quantity of cut films, count them when placing them in the developer. Finding an undeveloped piece of film on the loading bench after turning on the white lights 11. If the negatives are consistently flat or thin even under well- controlled conditions, the cause may be in development.

With care and some experimentation he / she should either increase the developing time beyond the recommendations or add additional replenisher to the developer. 12. If negatives are consistently contrasted, decrease the developing time or dilute the developer with water generally no more than 25% additional water, however. 13. A safelight is safe only when used with caution. Consult film data sheets for safelight inspection recommendations.

14. Developers are generally most economical and effective when used with replenishers. When used without replenishers, developers rapidly lose their strength, and unless a systematic increase in developing time is observed, each subsequent film processed will become thinner and flatter. 15. When developing particularly important negatives, it may be wise to process just one sheet of film first as a check on procedures and chemicals. With roll film, some photographers shoot the last one or two exposures as test shots, taken under same conditions as the previsions exposures.

This portion of the roll and developed first. Should such a test reveal a thin negative, some compensation can be made when developing the remainder of the roll. (Horrell 19) Practicing is the most important thing in becoming a good photographer or film developer. Besides that willing to be what that person wants to be is also important. A person can't be a good photography or film developer if that person doesn't love it. Everyone has the own dream.

So don't give up making the dream come true! Bruce, Helen Finn. Your Guide To Photography. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1965.

Goodwin, Karma. Personal interviews. March and April 1997. Horrell, Dr. C. Wm. and Robert A. Steffes. Introductory & Publications Photography. Wisconsin: American Yearbook Company, 1972.

"Photography". Internet site web Science and Technology Illustrated Volume 19. The World Around U.S. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 1768.