And that’s the end of our mini-series about film. Today, in the last article, we’ll tell you how we develop black-and-white. Enjoy reading :)
Black-and-white development schedule
As you probably know, black-and-white scans sometimes take longer than color ones. The thing is, we develop black-and-white film manually and only three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. So don’t forget this when you want to get your shots as quickly as possible ;)
In general, we recommend bringing black-and-white film a day before development. The schedule is simple:
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If you bring it on Monday or Tuesday – you get it on Wednesday;
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If you bring it on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday – you get it on Saturday;
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If you bring it on Saturday or Sunday – expect photos on Monday.
Preparing the film for development
Just like with color - it starts in the store. First, we ask what film you have (manufacturer and type) and at what ISO it was shot. This is important because different films have different development times at different ISOs. There in the store, you can also tell the guys in which format you want your scans – jpg or TIFF. Just don’t forget that TIFF scanning takes more time.
We indicate all the necessary information on the envelope with your film and send it to the lab.
In the lab, we prepare the film for development: remove the picker tab, trim the edge, and attach an individual number to the film and the envelope.
Then, in the special app The Massive Dev Chart We find out how long and in which chemistry a specific film needs to be developed. Mostly, we use Kodak X-Tol developer, but if it’s not suitable (which is quite rare), we use another appropriate one. We write all the important information on the envelope with your film: development time, solution, and its ratio.
Preparing the developing machine
Our JOBO Duolab developing machine gets a lot of attention :) We clean it regularly, take great care of it, and always check its condition before starting work.
Directly before development, we pour "Iceberg" water into the machine, wait for it to heat to the required temperature, and prepare the solutions. Each is kept in a specific jar and mixed strictly according to the instructions.
Everything is almost ready, only the film winding onto the spiral remains. This is done in a dark sleeve so the film does not get exposed.
In the sleeve, we take the spiral, attach the tab to it, and start winding the film. When it is fully on the spiral, we insert the spiral into the tank and close it with a tight lid. Now the film can be removed from the sleeve.
Photos were taken solely to demonstrate the process, which in reality
takes place in complete darkness inside a special sleeve
Black and white film development
When the film is in the tank, the solution temperature is correct, and the time is set, you can start the development process.
In the machine, the film is treated with developer, then fixer, and after that – washed with water. After development and washing, the films stand for a few minutes in in a special solution for final washing. Then we carefully hang them with clips on a line for complete drying.
During drying, sometimes streaks or spots remain on the film – we always remove them :)
Scanning
We already wrote about scanning in the previous article, but it’s worth repeating here. We have three scanners: Kodak, Noritsu, and Epson.
1. Kodak Pakon F-135 Plus
Standardly used for scanning 135 type film (35mm). Scans at 20x30 resolution.
2. Noritsu HS-1800
Used for scanning medium format film (120 type). On the Noritsu, you can also scan 135 type film if you want to print your photos in large size or just get images with higher resolution (40x60).
3. Epson Perfection V550
On the Epson, we scan narrow 110 format film and instant shots on Fujifilm Instax and Polaroid.
After scanning, we upload the photos to the server, send an email and SMS, and pack the film. Some prefer to store the film in boxes, others in sleeves. You can choose the option that suits you best and specify it when ordering.
Cost of black and white film development and scanning
Development + scanning of black and white 135 film - 120 hryvnias
Development + scanning of black and white 120 film - 250 hryvnias
More details on the development and scanning page: https://fotovramci.com/pages/proyavka-plivky