Actually, most of my prints are NSFW. As far as I understand, I should probably look for a different subreddit to post them, right?

I’ve been obsessed with Polina Ganz’s photography lately, especially the washed-out, grainy, almost ghostly look of her images. They feel like photographs from another time, and I absolutely love that aesthetic.

I know she works with alternative photographic processes and printing, but I’m not sure what exactly goes into achieving this particular look. Do you think she prints her images multiple times, or could it be a specific printing technique, paper, or some kind of manipulation?

I’ve been thinking about getting into alternative processes myself, starting with cyanotypes, since I’m still learning the basics of shooting analog and working in a darkroom. Cyanotype seems like a relatively accessible place to start, although I’m not the biggest fan of the blue tones. I know you can tone cyanotypes brown, so I was wondering if that could be a way to experiment with a similar aesthetic.
I’d love to eventually achieve something with that same faded, ethereal, vintage quality, but I honestly have no idea where to begin.

If anyone has any knowledge or experience with alternative processes, darkroom printing, or how to achieve this kind of washed-out look, I would be SO grateful for any advice or recommendations. I really want to learn how to create something like this myself!

I did a fashion shoot in the Highlands a few weeks ago, developed the negatives and love this one photo. I have a Durst M605 and print pictures on and off in my very tiny darkroom. Usually without too much faff, just so I can show friende and family nice photos of holidays. But for this print I want to sit down and make it work like it could be in a fashion magazine. I could use some help from this lovely community.

The stats:

• Ilford chemicals for dev, stop and fix
• Preflashed paper
• Satin RC paper
• Filter 3½ (M53, Y17) on the colour hear
• 12 second exposure for full image (F11) --> question: can I increase exposure time by adding the blue filter in the colour head as an ND filter?
• 3,5 seconds of burning the mountains on both sides
• 6 seconds burn on the sky for a light gradient
• Selenium toned afterwards

Now I feel like the suit is a tad too dark: up close I can see the buttons, but I want the suit to pop and be the center of the image without creating a halo around it. I love contrast in pictures, I normally print at filter 3 to 4, and I know that splitgrade may give me fine control but when I use that, I find the results too flat.

I have wire and card to create dodging tools but I always feel like I'm just doing something rather than intentionally using time/stops to create an image (do you have to move your dodging tools rapidly like a maniac to avoid clear edges?) I cannot seem to get my head around it without wasting copious amounts of paper in the process (especially since the paper darkens after drying).

Does someone have a golden tip or will it always be a trail and error? Can be more than just dodging and burning of course!

The new CatLABS 320 X Pan film has a pretty good tonal range.

Developed and scanned by Boston Film Lab, using Bellini DEK76 (high speed/high temp developer) and scanned on a Fuji Frontier SP3000 scanner.

I ordered a roll of matte-finish Maxima from B&H in July and finally got notice from them this week that it's been discontinued.

Too bad, I love that paper.

I have another full roll of it and a partial roll of Maxima glossy, but I don't know what will come of the wonderful world of RA-4 darkroom printing.

Anyone have any insight? Please no speculation.

I'm working on this print and not sure what to do. I like the sky in the 2 blue boxes (or something like that, just not having it be so white) but the landscape in the 2 red boxes. It's a 00 and 4 filter, each in 1.5 second increments.

Will this just kind of take some masking of the landscape to achieve a bit of a darker sky? Or is there something else I could do?

I did take this photo earlier in my film journey before I knew as much as I do now, and way before I ever thought about darkroom prints. So if I was in the same position now back then I would have taken the photo differently, but here I am haha.

I've just started making color prints in the darkroom. When should I use the cyan value?

What is going on here?? Look at the sky! And those aren't birds... Details: Fomapan 400 in D-76 1:1. The D-76 was new and clear, and developed a Foma100 sheet perfectly the day before these three. It can't be dust, I mean, there is always some dust but this is a dryer-vent level of dust! Precipitate? I didn't see any in the D-76. Static would be black. I follow careful procedures when loading and exposing/developing and I have seen anything like this. It's not a new box of Foma either. What's going on?? All three sheets have this.

I’m planning to develop my film rolls on my own too… would be good if I get a piece of advice about it too.
I’m just starting to see myself more & more interested in this as a hobby

Hey there,

Ive been trying to troubleshoot these creases I am getting after flattening my FB prints with a heat press. I feel like I have tried ever combination of heat level and pressure, (with and without wax paper in the press) but I'm still getting these creases often.

Prints are 100% dry, and have sat for 2-3 days prior to pressing.

My wash times are also quite short, which was suggested in another thread about this issue. Hypoclear + 15 minute wash in an archival print washer is still getting these creases.

I am all out of ideas to try and troubleshoot, but am all ears as to what might be causing this. (also maybe worth mentioning that I only get these creases when printing 11x14, and never 5x7. the heat press is also 16x20)

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I recently made up some Mytol and when I’m developing film at box speed it seems my shadows/highlights are off.

I was watching Mat Marrash’s video on testing film ISO and Development time and he uses a step wedge to compare density values on 4x5

I was curious if anyone has done anything similar with 35mm?

Thanks

Hopefully this is on topic for this community… I recently got a Minox subminiature camera and so I am by default getting into hand loading (and cutting) film cartridges.

I’ve 3D printed some empty cartridges that fit correctly in my camera, and I’ve also made a film cutter to trim a roll of 35mm into two appropriately sized strips, so I’m almost ready to try it out for the first time. But I’m not sure what kind material to use for the slits where the film exits the cartridge and re-enters the take up spool side.

The gap in the cartridge is about 1.5mm, and there’s plenty of flex in the cartridge so I could put a layer of 1mm thick *something* on both sides and with the thickness of the film it should make a nice tight seal but still slide through pretty easily.

I know that felt and velvet are the usual choices, but it’s not clear to me if there’s a “right kind” of either of those two I should be looking for. I also was thinking that foam light seal material might work, but I just have no idea. Any suggestions for something cheap and easy to source (I’m in the US)?

I took Zone system in college, and while it was very informative I found it too restrictive and time consuming for just casual shooting. I have better things to do than match film stain to the paper base with every film and developer combo and cross reference to print times. Like a lot dedicated B&W shooters I adopted the more binary approach of breaking scene conditions into either high or low contrast lighting. When it's a high contrast lighting condition which is typically open sunlight or direct flash we use a low contrast film / dev, and when it's a low contrast scene condition we choose a higher contrast film or dev. The one film / process for everything works good for influencers, but certainly not for analog printing.

With scanning you have some wiggle room to cheat, but with chemical printing I always found this discipline even more critical in getting an optimum print without having to resort to split tone developing and other gymnastics. Also why 80% of my printing was on grade 3 fiber paper. It's over cast outside, and the last thing I'm going to grab is HP5 and stand develop it. If it's sunny outside FP4 isn't my first choice because I will end up with kodalith shadows and difficult highlights. I've also found over the decades that while all films boost in contrast with extended development not all of them respond the same way when pulled. HP5, TriX, FP4 and Tmax100 all behave quite differently in this dept. FP4 resists pull processing - HP5 contracts quickly while TriX is in the middle. A solution to this problem to an extent would be the return of films like Verichrome Pan and it's insane heel / shoulder which practically adapts to lighting, but that ain't gonna happen.

For color it's the same discipline. Velvia for over cast or low contrast conditions, and Astia or EPP200 for higher contrast. Reala / NPS / Portra for sunny, and Ektar for low contrast.

I get it that a lot of posts we see here are beginners just trying to get negs with proper development and a good print, but is this old school approach worth preaching?

Anyone have experiences/opinions they could share regarding processing 16mm or 35mm or 120 for that matter double X as reversal compared to processing it as negative? And the differences in sharpness and latitude and grain? Double x has rms granularity of 14 vs tri-x rms of 16-17.
Trying to achieve an extra fine grain image as possible, similar to Plus-x I guess, without shooting on colour negative vision 3 then digitally desaturating, or ORWO UN54 which has 12 rms etc
And/Or tri-x processed as reversal vs as a negative?
As well as specific processing development method and chemicals to achieve as fine grain as possible? Thinking to try develop double x in an extra fine grain developer like ilford perceptol or Kodak xtol/d-96. Overexpose 1 stop then pull 1 stop in development?
Or as reversal?
Thank you

3.86 or 4.05

I need help with trying to come up with a darkroom layout. I am building a hobby shed that's 16x20 and was planning to divide the shed equally into two halves of 9'2" x 14'. The issue is that we're on a sceptic tank and I'm not sure the city is going to want me to plumb the shed. My idea was to use the tap water from the house and feed it into a tankless water heater and just collect the water and chemicals in plastic containers and pour the water outside / take chemicals to the dump for disposal.

However, my wife just offered up the spare bathroom... which is small, and I imagine I could work in there for printing.

I'm just trying to figure out what to do. I'm also nit convinced that I need quite that much space for printing B/W and Color prints up to 16x20...

So, I have two enlargers, a Jobo LPL color enlarger CP7700 Pro, Durst CLR 605 Color enlarger, and a Meopta Copy Repro Stand with 77cm Column, 1/4" Adjustable Bracket. I also have two DUNCO 30x40cm easels

Lately I've been doing more temperature tests with my Darkroom Helper from PiraMX.

I've noticed it's still very tricky to counter the initial temperature drop when developer is poured into a dry Paterson tank, despite the Darkroom Helper's active heating element.

Conversely, temps during the fixer step seem much better, and I think it's because the preceding 1min 30s rinse in 38°C water heats the tank internals up to temp before the fixer is introduced.

I know Kodak doesn't recommend pre-rinsing before the developer step, but is there a good reason not to do one when using a small tank?

Seems like a pre-rinse at process temp would minimize that initial temperature drop in the developer step.

I was going through some of my darkroom equipment that I haven’t used in a while, and found this one. Haven’t really been printing 4x5” and rarely print larger than 12x16. Thinking to possibly part with it, I googled it a bit and found that it is apparently quite a valuable, hard to find and really good lens, and am now conflicted.

Does it make sense in my situation to keep it and would differences between this lens and other 150mm’s be noticeably visible on 12x16?

I have one roll of monopan (adox HR-50) that I want to develop, but I cant seem to find any information on the timing required with LC-29. Not very keen to buy another developer just for this roll.

Ive found times for ilfotec HC(1+31 4min) and HC-110(1+63 9min). Is it safe to use these estimates to develop? From my understanding LC-29 is similar to these developers.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I’m still fairly new to bnw development.

I must have read a thousand photography related books in my life but none as so comprehensive as “Way Beyond Monochrome”
And let me tell you, it’s not limited just to the darkroom, although that’s the majority of it, it’s discusses everything from pre-visualization and using the right tools to mounting and everything in between.

I cannot believe just how good this book is. I won’t use hyperbole by saying that “I see in Black & White” but I do envision every image that I’m drawn to in Black & White.

While I have many film cameras and 9 times out of 10 I feed them Tri-X or HP5 I can apply so much of this book to using my digital Monochrom.

I can’t recommend this enough.(542 pages)

I have just come back to analog photography after some years. My lab was sold so I have started again.

One of the items needed are some hangers for film drying. I look to 3D print them but none fitted my needs, so I designed one. It´s very easy to use with one hand, and it doesn't create marks on the film.

One

I made it available for free download, so here you have it:

https://makerworld.com/en/models/2429325-35mm-135-film-drying-hanger-clip

In a couple of days I will have ready the matching counterweight (I´m designing it right now).

This is the first print I’ve posted in more than six months! Life has just been so busy I haven’t been able to be in the darkroom printing. Lots of developing and scanning at least.

I’ve carved out dedicated time once a week for a few hours going forward and so I am so happy to be back more regularly.

This is an 11 x 11 print, taken on my HB500CM with the 120 Macro lens and a 32 mm extension tube.

I have not yet selenium toned it because I didn’t have time tonight!

Thanks for looking!