HELP! Darkroom Required

SteveT · Apr 9, 2017

I have a horrible feeling that I may have loaded my film into the A12 back of my camera Hasselblad 501cm wrongly! Having taken several photos which I am loath to lose I want to take the insert out and check before I waste the whole film. It also means I can retake the photos. Anyone with a darkroom in the Redhill area that would not mind letting me check the film.

Much appreciated,

Steve

Ian Grant · Apr 9, 2017

Don't you know someone with a cellar ? In the past I've used the beer cellar in a pub to unload and load film holders when shooting LF, it did help that the landlady had studied Photography, and her tutor had been Chris Killip. However I didn't know that until I asked

Ian
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Doremus Scudder · Apr 9, 2017

Sacrifice the rest of the roll. Develop what you've taken already and hope for the best. Whatever you do now can't save images that weren't recorded. It's only part of a 120 roll of film that you'll end up wasting. A small cost for peace of mind. If you can retake the photos, then by all means load another roll and take them now.

Doremus

ransel · Apr 9, 2017

A windowless bathroom - roll a towel up and lay it tight along the bottom of the door - that IS my darkroom.

bdial · Apr 9, 2017

Or a closet.
Or make a tent under all your blankets, works best at night.

But, what is happing that you think the film is loaded wrongly? One common mistake when loading Hasselblads is to put the roll in the wrong way so that the backing paper is out. That wouldn't be something you could easily fix mid-roll, and if that's the case, the exposures you've made so far are useless anyway. As Doremus suggests, the easy solution is to just wind the roll through and move on.

Sirius Glass · Apr 9, 2017

Get a changing bag.
Pricey but large: www.freestylephoto.biz/25001-Photoflex-Changing-Room
Lower price: https://www.samys.com/s/Changing Bag

himself · Apr 9, 2017

Try the ilford local darkroom page. You might find someone near you that has one at home, or a commercial/collage one you may not be aware of.
Other than that you could always try a local supermarket that still does some developing (my local ASDA does), they might let you use their changing tent.

Sirius Glass · Apr 9, 2017

If there is a camera store near you, they can help you.

darkroommike · Apr 9, 2017

Cock the shutter
Remove the lens
Remove the dark slide
Fire the camera body release and hold it down
Look into the throat of the camera
Do you see film or paper?
Reinsert dark slide
Cock camera body
Remount the lens

You lost just one frame of film.

darkroommike · Apr 9, 2017

SteveT said:
I have a horrible feeling that I may have loaded my film into the A12 back of my camera Hasselblad 501cm wrongly! Having taken several photos which I am loath to lose I want to take the insert out and check before I waste the whole film. It also means I can retake the photos. Anyone with a darkroom in the Redhill area that would not mind letting me check the film.

Much appreciated,

Steve

Taking the insert out will reset the magazine frame counter and you will lose the rest of the roll, might as well just unload the roll and continue with your shoot. And observe is the roll is wound printing(and sealing tape) in or printing out.

SteveT · Apr 9, 2017

Thanks everyone for your sage advice. I bit the bullet and climbed under my duvet and took the insert out to find that I had inserted the film in the right way after all. Relief. What I did not realise was that by doing so it would reset the frame counter (my impatience got the better of me darkroommike) and that I would lose the rest of the film. Damn, dash, bother and blow and that other word that I was thinking of. Still, at least I will know next time......

Like I said thank you very much indeed for your time and efforts in coming to my aid.

Steve

bdial · Apr 9, 2017

There is no problem with continuing to use the roll. But you'll need to count the remaining frames manually, and the spacing may be off.

mshchem · Apr 16, 2017

darkroommike said:
Cock the shutter

Remove the lens

Remove the dark slide

Fire the camera body release and hold it down

Look into the throat of the camera

Do you see film or paper?

Reinsert dark slide

Cock camera body

Remount the lens

You lost just one frame of film.

Very sound thinking. Calm in a crisis.

Sirius Glass · Apr 16, 2017

darkroommike said:
Cock the shutter

Remove the lens

Remove the dark slide

Fire the camera body release and hold it down

Look into the throat of the camera

Do you see film or paper?

Reinsert dark slide

Cock camera body

Remount the lens

You lost just one frame of film.

That is certainly one way. Can you remove the back and then remove the dark slide? I have not personally done that with my Hasselblad backs because I have never had that particular problem. Early on I loaded the film the wrong way around so the paper faced the camera rather than the film. I did that exactly once.

darkroommike · Apr 20, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
Can you remove the back and then remove the dark slide? I have not personally done that with my Hasselblad backs because I have never had that particular problem. Early on I loaded the film the wrong way around so the paper faced the camera rather than the film. I did that exactly once.

darkroommike · Apr 20, 2017

It's possible to remove the slide, I'd never tried it, but had my 'blad sitting beside me when you asked, learn something new every day. As interlock heavy as a Hasselblad is I didn't think it would work (or maybe my back's interlock is broken?). Nope, it's a A12 and my other A12 does the same thing.

HELP! Darkroom Required

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