A Primer on Developers?

A limited preview may be found by searching Google Books for film developing cookbook.Also from google, film developing cookbook errata.
It is good to have a choice vs the Darkroom Cookbook but the FDC is more specialized.

Worker 11811 said:

I'm probably going to have to order the book. I just hate doing that because I really like to thumb through a book before I buy it.

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Your local public library can get you nearly any book. If you like it and want to own it, then you can buy it locally or on line.

Are you anywhere near Philadelphia?

"Project Basho
- Re-Introducing Photography to Philadelphia -
1305 Germantown Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-238-0928
www.projectbasho.org

An APUG sponsor, and apparently a great resource!

Erie, PA. About 400 miles or 6 hrs. drive to Philly.
I am half way between Cleveland and Buffalo, right on the shore of Lake Erie. About 2 hours drive north of Pittsburgh.

I checked the public library's on-line catalog. They do not have either book but they do have other books on photography I have been looking for. I'm going to have to visit the library just on that count. I'll probably break down and order from Amazon or someplace.

Worker 11811 said:

I can deal with opinion in a book. A lot of authors who write books on guns express a lot of opinions. Probably a lot more opinion than photography writers, even. But I agree with others. It is bad when those opinions are represented as fact with nothing to back them up.

I'm still looking for a source for the book(s). None of the bookstores in this town have it. The two main bookstores, Borders and Barnes & Noble, don't have much of a photography section. Not even digital photography. The biggest bookstore in town (Borders) only has about half a gondola dedicated to photography of any kind. Two thirds of them are portfolio books. The rest are either historical books or books on "cutting edge" artists who take photos of street art. There isn't even a book on basic photography like "This is the lens and this is the shutter."

The ditzy blonde behind the help desk didn't even know who Ansel Adams was.

I'm probably going to have to order the book. I just hate doing that because I really like to thumb through a book before I buy it.

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I've found it good practice to develop a relationship with booksellers over time.Purchase some stuff and read it.Hang out.Being able to talk with them and having them know you is good in any retail relationship.My local guy sells cigars as well.We share that interest.And occasionally he gives me freebies to try out. And go easy on the help,i.e. "the ditzy blonde" as they make little and may not share your interests.For example do you know who Geoff Duke was?No google cheating either.

There is a locally owned bookstore in town. I have a mind to go there. Some of the books I want are older and have been in and out of print for a long time. (e.g. "The Negative.") If I'm going to have to order a book, I might as well order it from the Erie Bookstore.

I usually try to wait until I get into the car before I cuss about how ditzy the salesgirl was.
However, it's more about the person's attitude when they don't know something than simply whether they do or don't know it.

I get more peeved when people say things like, "If it's not on the shelf, we don't have it." But, if somebody said, "I don't know Ansel Adams but I can look him up," I would be more inclined to give the person a break. The ditzy blonde I was talking about was more like the first example.

Well having done retail for awhile I always try to be the customer I enjoyed helping,even if they were clueless.I know customers have driven me to the point of getting fired a couple times.I figured I was being that guy one day and resolved to try to never be that guy again.It has meant getting better service from ditzy people as well.

You're right. And I do try to keep a lid on things. I don't normally get in people's faces about things like that. Like I said, I wait until I get back out to my car. Then I can roll up the windows and lock the doors and cuss all I want and nobody can hear me.

I used to work at FAO Schwarz, the big toy store from New York City. For 4 years I worked like a dog to help people get the toys they wanted to make their kids happy. My boss used to holler at me if I wasn't always doing everything I could to help the customer. On many occasions, I went to the customer's house to set up their Nintendo video games. One time I even had to build a model ship from a kit so a lady could give her son a boat he could take outside and float in the swimming pool without having to put it together himself.

Maybe I'm a little bit "battle hardened," I guess.

Fair 'nuff.

A) I didn't know who Ansel Adams was a year ago.

B) I ordered my copy of The Darkroom Cookbook from focalpress.com (the publisher) in the hopes that they'll get the message that film books can sell and that not all of us want more Photoshop books.

C) Still haven't been to Erie.

-dan

yeknom02 said:

Still haven't been to Erie.

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I can't say you're missing much!

Just kidding. Visit in the summer when the weather is warm. Winters on the lake can be icky unless you like ice fishing.

Tom Kershaw said:

The 'film developing cookbook' has some very strange statements about T-Max or Delta grain films being 'inferior' but the author doesn't sufficiently explain his reasons. In the 'darkroom cookbook 3rd edition', the author comments about colour dyes in Tri-X making the film worse, without apparently realizing that dyes are used for spectral sensitization.

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Those were the exact two passages that I was thinking of. Ultimately, both are useful/interesting for collecting a bunch of formulas in the same place, and both have some interesting commentary behind them. I'm of the firm opinion that opinions should be formed from one source, so I take it in stride and try to accumulate info from a bunch of different sources.

Haist's two volume series covers a lot more than just developers and is very technical, but is very detailed. As an researcher, I'm in awe of this set - I can only imagine how much effort Haist put into this very thorough set of books out.

Stick to the films and developer you know. You are using excellent films and are using the "standard" film developer of all time in a manner of speaking. Take it from someone who has driven himself nuts exploring various films and developers probably to the detriment of my photography. If you absolutely must get a primer on developers then both of Steve Anchell's books are a good place to start.

Just for information, I have some XTOL and I have been having some success with it.
I still use D-76 and I have no reason to stop using it but I still like to experiment. That's just my nature.

When I get some time to just go out and shoot all day long, I plan to take both my cameras with identical film and shoot identical subjects on both rolls then develop them separately in D-76 and XTOL.

I also have a bottle of HC-110 liquid concentrate but I have not used it yet. As much as I like experimentation, I'm not crazy. I know it pays to take things one step at a time. Get to know how one new developer works before moving to the next.

What I plan to do is learn the XTOL first. Then I'll spend some time learning the HC-110.
I'm kind of planning to just save the HC-110 in the sealed bottle and use it when I need it or want it. Since the stuff keeps well in a sealed bottle, I can have it as a backup in case I need to develop but don't have time to mix up some powder.

As it stands, I'm liking what I see from the XTOL but I'm still waiting to do that A/B comparison.
I still use my D-76 but I have to satisfy the need to learn things. That's just the way my brain works.