Okay, so when things go wrong the best thing to do is chalk it up to experience and make sure you don't do it again. In the real world this is sometimes easier said than done, fortunately when developing film at home it's a bit more straightforward, as long as you know what you did wrong in the first place!
I've had my fair share of mishaps and errors, it's part and parcel of learning how to develop film at home. The first time I reeled a 120 film, I did not securely fold back the sticky tape which then attached itself in the reel to the film adjacent to it and ruined two frames, duh! Some weeks later, after organising a portrait shoot, I eagerly developed the resulting colour films only to unspool two completely orange rolls, nothing not even the side markings were visible. I had contaminated the developer by pouring bleach into it! This mistake was compounded by me having to call my subject and re-organise the shot.
Learning exactly how long chemicals can be stored and used safely can be quite a harsh lesson. I've had black & white developer work one week and then the following week drop of a cliff, leaving only the faintest of an image on the celluloid. I've pushed the patience of C41 developer keeping it for weeks past it's supposed best only to find ghostly, grainy images with off the spectrum colour shifts. Cue the purchase of a notebook to write down the mixing dates of chemistry and to record the number of films developed using one working solution. While I was at it I bought some concertina bottles to expel air from the chemicals and even a can of ‘magic’ spray that stops air contact, apparently you spay it into the bottle and because the contents of the aerosol are heavier than air it sinks to the surface of the developer forming an invisible seal. The Emperor’s New Clothes comes to mind but I use it diligently anyway!
My latest 'glitch' was overheating C41 developer and don't ask me why, actually using it. We’re not talking 1 or 2 degrees, no I overcooked my film in 42ºC developer. I put it down to me misreading the temperature on a new top dial thermometer. I had dropped my old glass rod thermometer breaking it on the kitchen floor and decided that a new one with a fancy big dial on top would be better. When developing film at home any change in routine is dangerous.
The resulting photos were well not exactly Portra 160 colours but somehow they worked all the same. So with each mistake, I have realised that developing film was no slap-dash affair, attention to detail and methodical working are the only way and when something does go wrong, and it will, try and understand what happened because for me at least I have not made the same mistake twice. Yet.
Photos shot with a 1969 Mamiya C33 on Kodak Portra 160 film & developed in scorching hot Fuji Hunt x-press C41 developer.
Model: Agata Daniluk