Steve, I am working...just not with film!Originally Posted by LabRat
I have a Jobo that takes 6 120 reels, and I can add some 35mm rolls when needed.
Small dedicated space for developing, washing and drying. Same for scanning and re-touching.
Developing is down pat, well, I hope so after all this time.
So I'm set up and prepared, but no mojo for it.
We'll see what happens.
The consensus about the monobath seems to be "it isn't worth it".
I think of processing as a zen thing... No fones, or anything to bother me... Just me and it... Zen, like raking leaves, necessary, but mindless, and creating/realizing during the time... ;-)
Steve K
It sounds like the problem is that you've taken a digital mindset to film. 45 rolls of film in 2 weeks means hundreds to thousands of photos, and that's a digital mindset. It's the kill them all now and sort it out later approach.
If you knew you had really great photos on a roll, there would be no problem developing that roll since the excitement would be overwhelming. If you didn't have that excitement to develop the roll, it's almost certainly because you weren't expecting anything spectacular from it. At that point it really does become a chore.
As paulbarden noted, if you're shooting film, try to limit the shots to something you've already pre-visualized as being great. That will almost certainly result in very few pictures, if any. Large format is suited well to this approach, but it doesn't suit every type of subject matter or style.
Doing film/darkroom work is like any other relationship in your life: you have to like/love the entity you're spending that time with. If you can find a way to change your mind about that relationship, then your feelings about it will follow.
In 1996/97, a series of very unpleasant events dominated my life (deaths, general unhappiness, exhaustion with my work as a darkroom technician, etc), and in 1998 I changed everything in my life. Literally everything. I sold off my darkroom and admitted to myself that I was glad to be done with it, probably forever. Well, it took fifteen years for me to finally heal from some of these things, but in 2013 I was seduced by the idea of going back to very simple technology that could be fun, but required very little commitment: pinhole photography. By 2016 I had a Hasselblad, a couple of TLRs, and I bought an 8x10 Deardorff. I converted a spare bedroom into a darkroom of sorts (just enough to get work done), and another year later, I took a Wet Plate workshop.
My attitude in regard to hand-made photography now? I wake up every day, wondering "which of my amazing cameras/processes I am going to play with today?!" Most days - in spite of the darkness of the pandemic - I am finding immense pleasure in making carefully crafted photographs.
This enjoyment has been far more sustainable than it was 20 years ago because I carefully meter myself: don't work on more than one or two things at a time, don't let unprocessed film pile up, don't use shirtloads of film in pursuit of any given idea, etc. In other words, I embrace an economy of materials, time and energy. If I start to feel like I have to push harder than is comfortable to get done what I want, then I set my tools down for a day and go do something else, and let the work gestate in my subconscious. In most instances, it can wait till tomorrow. This philosophy has served me well over the past 8 years, and I am having more fun now than most any time in my photography "career". (Its not my career anymore - I am just working for the pleasure of it)
So as trite as it may sound, I suggest you identify and cultivate your happy place in the work. I get the impression you're struggling to find out where that place is. I'll say it again: volume/backlog is the enemy of joy.
If i have more than 2 rolls of 120, then i put a towel in the bottom of my sink & roll the tank..... i've not had problems with uneven agitation.
Processing film is much the same as loading sheet film, all part of the image making process. Mono bath B&W processing has zero appeal due to the limited film developer choices and their results. For volume film processing, Jobo works good. Having several sheet film tanks speeds up and eases the sheet film processing task. Load them all up with sheet film, then run them one after the other. There was a time when 35mm E6 film would be purchased by the 100 rolls per purchase. This was followed by acquiring Jobo tanks and reels that would hold about 12 rolls of 35mm per processing cycle. Two of these tanks would easily do 24 rolls of 35mm film in two runs. BTW, none of this E6 Jobo processing was serious or for being paid as the colors and etc from this kind of E6 processing was as good as E6 processing from The New Lab.. where the being paid stuff was done.
The whole PS/LR software image making process has about nil appeal to me. Film scans are done only to share via data transmission. Color is digital only these days. Film is for traditional B&W silver gelatin prints... which is why sheet film continues on to this day.
Bernice
Beg to disagree here, I don't "spray and pray" with digital or film.
The last project was a long one and fully deserving of the multiple rolls of film I gave it.
Yes, there were plenty of duds, but there's no digital mindset at play.
Any Photographer that has done 8x10 for a significant duration of time and image making would have lost any hint of "Spray & Pray".. The two mind-sets are not agreeable at all.
Bernice
I actually like developing sheet film. As someone else said, it’s a zen experience for me. I tray develop in total darkness. I used to play Gregorian chants while processing, but gave that up. Now it’s total silence, except when my neurotic dog starts barking upstairs.
That's pretty much my experience too. I enjoy my time in the darkroom, processing sheets of 5x7 and 8x10. It can be a very pleasant way to spend a couple hours, IMO.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks