Developing while on a photo trip

[Martin Aislabie]

My recommendation would be to box up the film and wait until I was home

For several reasons:-
Getting a clean working enviroment in a hotel room to dry the negs without dust - I have difficulty in a controlled enviroment with dust control
A dark enough hotel room not to fog film while handling/developing
Enough hours in the day - I find it takes several hours just to get set up to Dev film - after a long days shooting arriving home late & setting off early - extra time given up to Dev'ing doesn't leave much time for the other stuff like food & sleep

I can see the idea of checking for faults in the equipment is attractive
May be the best solution is to shoot stuff before you go to fully familiarise yourself with the new kit and then Dev sample shots throughout the trip just to check everything is still OK

I wrap masking tape round my boxes of exposed film so they cannot fall open, then write on the outside of the box the exposed date

I have never managed to do an extended period of shooting - 10 days is my maximum
The boxes and boxes of film I bring home take me weeks & months to grind through
Each time I promise myself to be selective in what I shoot and not to end up with so many similar shots (until the next time of course)

Good luck, good shooting and good light

Martin

 

[Don12x20]

Don't buy cheap thin bags - get the thick ones.
Try it again with multiple layers. It works. I've made on the road dark environments the same as the windowless darkroom at home (with no door light leaks either).
Sit in the room for a while to allow the eyes to fully dialate and watch for light leakage problems.

Black gaffers tape also works well to seal door edge light leaks - and it does not pull paint off the trim.
Good luck

 

[mjs]

The simplest solution to windows is aluminum foil, not trash bags. I used it for years in my darkroom over the garage; just duct-taped it over the windows.

Mike

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Jeff,
I nearly brought film developing equipment up to Photostock, but in retrospect I'm glad I didn't. There is no way I would have been able to muster up the energy to spend a couple of hours every night to develop film, after having spent the whole day shooting. Instead I figured I'd wait until I get home. Instead I decided to have as much time as possible to spend with all of my new friends and enjoy the experience of just being somewhere else. I find that if I'm tired and work laden, I have a tough time relaxing and making good photographs. Perhaps you're different from me.
When I went on a recent trip to North Carolina I mailed my film back to the house and that's something you could try too to avoid mixing new and old film up.
In the friendliest possible way, may I suggest not using equipment that is new to you on an adventure such as this? If you have lenses you haven't used before, cameras that you're not sure about - then that in itself is an X-factor to whether you're getting the results you want or not. It makes good sense to be familiar with the equipment you're using if you're in new territory.
I hope you guys have a great time. I am looking forward to seeing what you guys caught at Bill's too.

- Thomas

 

[2F/2F]

"Really, 2F/2F, you dont see the difference between accidentally exposing two sheets vs an entire box?"

How would developing your film on the road make it more likely to expose only two sheets vs. a whole box? Better yet, why would either of these occur? I also trust it is a given that as much as possible will be done in a changing bag and at night. Under these conditions, you can make many mistakes, but exposing your film is not one of them. It's not hard: Just DON'T open a film box, any film box, in the light, unless it has been marked as empty. Where is this insane fear of exposing your film coming from? I have exposed 120/220 WAY more times than sheet film. I just dropped a roll of 220 color neg at a wedding two weeks ago right in front of the guests that I had just shot. 30 pix gone like that, and extra time and annoyance for everyone reshooting! It is far more easy to drop the whole 2-1/4 roll before it is sealed and horribly watch it unravel in the light than it is to deliberately open a box of 4x5 film in the light. If you are so afraid, just use Quickloads. They are "the bomb" for traveling anyhow.

What developing on the road will do is make it more likely to mess up your film, in a variety of ways. Dust, scratches, misplacement etc. My POV was that these are more of a likelihood than accidental exposure.

"and you never make mistakes?"

I did not say that. Of course I make mistakes! See above. What I did was to suggest the route that will have the fewest chances for mistakes!

"Photography, for you, is such a perfect thing that you would suggest someone NOT take pictures because they admit to making mistakes."

I never suggested that, and I have no idea where your writings are coming from, as they appear to be a nonspecific preprepared rant that you have pointed my way after hearing a few key words in my earlier post. YOu obviously did not even read what I wrote. My suggestion to not take a mobile processing lab is nowhere close to suggesting photography is perfect or that someone not take pictures. I am in no way making an argument for perfection. I am making an argument for not doing unnecessary work that actually increases the chances of technical failure.

"Everyone makes mistakes, whether you are a master photographer (which few are) or a novice. Besides, how else will you learn? Should you not take pictures on a trip and miss countless opportunities simply because you have not developed your craft to some impossible notion of perfection? I think not."

Where did I say not to take pix because you might make a mistake?

 

[Curt]

Can someone list the tools required to develop film in the field? If traveling by air can you take chemicals when liquids are restricted, that would mean dry chemicals. It sounds like a mess in the making. But someone with the skill of say an Edward Weston who once used a raincoat to cradle some fixer would be fine with the quick and dirty processing. If a dark clean bathroom with a decent counter in a hotel was available and the proper tools were available then it wouldn't be much different than a home darkroom in an apartment bathroom.

 

[bdial]

A tank and reel(s), trays or whatever suits you for sheetfilm, thermometer, graduate, chemistry, bottles for the chems, changing bag, film clips or other gadget to hang the film for drying.

For travel by air, you can pack liquids in checked bagage if you want, but I don't think I'd want to travel by air with chemistry, wet or dry. For one thing, not all chemistry is welcome on aircraft . For example, anything that Freestyle or other vendors can't ship by air, you can't bring.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I wouldn't carry bottles with me. They're too bulky for luggage, and you can always use whatever bottles you accumulate whatever you're going.

 

[Bill Mitchell]

You've set yourself up quite a problem. Frankly, I think you could ruin a perfectly nice trip by tying yourself down to developing every night -- it's enough of a pain to do correctly in a good darkroom, much less in improvised conditions. Also, working out of a confortable enviroment the chances of screwing up the processing will be greatly increased, not to mention making you too tired to get up at 5 AM for the "magic morning light."
I didn't read how long you're going to be gone, but presume it's the usual 2 weeks or so. That's less than a 100 sheet box of film. Chances are excellent that if you check your equipment and make a couple of test exposures before you leave, that you're going to be all right on such a short jaunt.
I'd leave the processing stuff at home and enjoy the trip. (One other option just occured to me. Allow one whole day, half-way through the trip, just for processing and relaxing.)

 

[Larry Bullis]

Carleton Watkins photographed Yosemite and the Columbia Gorge on 20x24 glass wetplate, coat and shoot. He had a mule team. Even today, the roads in Yosemite aren't that great, but at least there are roads and they are paved.

If you want to do it, just do it. There are reasons to do it, reasons that go beyond those mentioned.

I like to process film in my truck camper, because I really want to see what I'm doing; that is, I want to learn from what I do as I go. It makes a difference in what I do next. I like to process film, and I like to look at negatives. In fact, I really love to look at negatives, especially while listening to Mahler symphonies. I don't like to commit days, weeks, and months to plodding through piles of film after I get back. I don't like plodding at all, actually. Some of us get our kicks doing things under weird conditions.

That said, the reasons NOT to do it are valid, too. But those who want to do it, ought to, and those who don't want to, ought not. And I bet that's what would happen if nobody expressed their opinions about it. Seems like a personal preference issue to me, where everyone is right.

As for how and what, I just have one of those bigger plastic bins that has everything I need in it. That's the rule. It has to fit in the bin. For developer I've been using fg7, which I've always liked a lot. I don't dispose of fixer on the road, and that's the one exception to the bin rule. So far I'm not doing big film, and may not. But I might, and the routine would probably have to be modified if I do.

 

[Curt]

You've set yourself up quite a problem. Frankly, I think you could ruin a perfectly nice trip by tying yourself down to developing every night -- it's enough of a pain to do correctly in a good darkroom, much less in improvised conditions. Also, working out of a confortable enviroment the chances of screwing up the processing will be greatly increased, not to mention making you too tired to get up at 5 AM for the "magic morning light."
I didn't read how long you're going to be gone, but presume it's the usual 2 weeks or so. That's less than a 100 sheet box of film. Chances are excellent that if you check your equipment and make a couple of test exposures before you leave, that you're going to be all right on such a short jaunt.
I'd leave the processing stuff at home and enjoy the trip. (One other option just occured to me. Allow one whole day, half-way through the trip, just for processing and relaxing.)

The discussion is past that part, now we need to give him some info on how to make it work. He's determined to do it in the field and many have, I wouldn't, but that's his business. Maybe he'll develop some interesting solutions and will provide us with the details after its done.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

But how about a monobath approach with ordinary sheet film. Then I suppose you could do your processing in a large film changing tent. Just a thought.

Monobaths are easy once you've got it down, but the temperature control is important, so it's important to have access to a cold water bath in the summer. Since the original poster says he's using a Nikor tank, it's only necessary to load the reel and get it into the tank in the dark.

Flying with monobath chemistry could be a problem, since you usually need sodium hydroxide, which is highly caustic and likely to be classified as a hazmat, but some hazmats are permitted in smaller quantities. Unfortunately, it's not commonly available in grocery stores as it once was. But if you're traveling by land, it's not a problem.

 

[Jeff Bannow]

Thanks everyone for chiming in on the topic. My big concerns are still making time to develop the film and drying the film properly. It looks workable though since we are driving and I have a daylight processing tank.

Too bad Type 55 is gone - I think I might take another look at Fuji instant films instead. I am also going to spend a lot of time shooting in the next month to become more familiar with the gear (4x5 Speed Graphic, Grafmatic backs, Nikon 65mm & 150mm lens). I have worked with 4x5 before thankfully. Took the gear up to Photostock and got some good photos from the negatives I have developed so far.

 

[2F/2F]

Don't forget that you can still get Polaroid 4x5 right off the shelf from many places as well. Used holders are cheap. Check EBay. Much less than the Fuji 4x5 pack film holder. Once Polaroid goes for good, I guess you will have to go ahead and purchase the Fuji holder, but until then, you can save some money by using Polaroid proper.

Also, you have the option of using the Polaroid or Fuji medium format pack film holders that fit a 4x5 Graflok back. Perhaps they are called model 405 if I remember properly. You get a pretty major crop, of course, but it does save quite a lot of money! Once I got my 405 (or whatever number it is) pack film holder for 4x5, I never used Polaroid 4x5 sheets again.

 

[mcfactor]

2F/2F: I would really think long and hard about the *why* before thinking any more about the *how*.

I didnt mean it too be as much a rant as it came out to be. However, I took the above to mean that the poster should question *why* he was taking pictures before he thought about how to develop them. This implies, that since he was unsure about the process, he shouldnt take pictures. I wasnt trying to start a fight, I just dont see how else this sentence can be interpreted. Telling someone to "think long and hard about why" means that they have reason to question their photography in general (because they have problems with the process).

 

[2F/2F]

You don't see how else it can be interpreted? How about the way I meant it, which is pretty clear, especially coming after the paragraphs that preceded it, and given the title of the original post:

I would think long and hard about *why* you need to develop while on a photo trip before thinking any more about *how* you are going to develop while on a photo trip.

*why* and *how* referred to the OP's original subject of developing on the road, not to his photography in general. Seemed pretty clear to me, and a lot more succinct and less redundant and confusing than the way I wrote it above.

 

[mcfactor]

Fair enough, I may have jumped to my conclusion. I didnt mean to start a fight. However, your post was unclear and it is very easy to misinterpret on-line postings. When you say things like "you should just know whether you got the shot", "you have no reason to not know", and end your post with a non-specific "why", your aggressive tone confuses your intended meaning. My initial response was also too aggressive in tone and I apologize.

 

[2F/2F]

oh, please...

 

[Shmoo]

I did this on the road once...it's a lot of stuff to take, but do-able. Get a couple of nice plastic crates to carry the liquids and gear. I prefer using either HC110 or Rodinal...for the bottle size. A small bottle of concentrated fix, no stop, a bottle of HCA, and photoflo. Either take some dental floss or an expandable portable laundry line, and a bunch of butterfly clips to hang dry your film in the bathtub (or you can buy one of those plastic lingerie dryers...it has a hanger from which is suspended a hoop with clips...best found in Japanese stores). You can locally source distilled water. Don't forget to take some neg. sleeves to put this in after it all dries. Have fun!

 

[fschifano]

"* Take black plastic bags (huge trashcan sized) and blue tape to block out windows for changing."

Black trash can bags will not block light. I once had a student who built a darkroom n her home and could not understand why her film and paper were always fogged. I took a look and found that I could almost read a newspaper in the darkroom which had these bags over the window.

6 mil black plastic sheeting from the hardware store is as opaqe as it gets. This stuff is twice as thick as trash bags which do pass light.