I DID IT!

MitzyG · Oct 20, 2013

I developed film for the first time ever yesterday! Like magic. I took a private class from the man I am going to take some printing classes (Palladium/Platinum) and orientation to his darkroom and process.
It was so much fun. I am also taking a class at the local University so I will be developing film at least weekly for the next 6 weeks.
Here is the one picture we printed.

Fixcinater · Oct 20, 2013

Congrats! Those first prints are just amazing and the magic doesn't fade (at least for me), it's still fantastic to this day.

removed account4 · Oct 20, 2013

don't forget to KEEP HAVING FUN !

beautiful print btw

Jeff Kubach · Oct 20, 2013

To me it is a lota fun to develop and print,

Jeff

David Lyga · Oct 20, 2013

Honeymoon over: too low in contrast, not enough care with composition, too much misalignment...

Now, don't you even entertain the fantasy of leaving this genre. We need you. - David Lyga

Tom1956 · Oct 20, 2013

Pretty neat, huh? My first time was when I was in the hall without a hall pass in 1971 with a negative I brought in a book, and I slipped into the school darkroom. I knew nothing of what I was doing.
Now go take a picture with a digital camera, import it into the computer, and send it to the inkjet. Ho-hum, big stinking deal. No thrill at all, is it?

Ken Nadvornick · Oct 20, 2013

It's an admirable first step. And an important one.

The single greatest difficulty in trying something new is to take that very first step. The mental threshold to be crossed is always huge. Before taking that first step your choice of direction, and hence your chances for failure, are nearly infinite.

But once successfully taken, you now have a finite direction to travel. And something tangible to evaluate for any possible adjustments to that direction. And an idea of the effort required to travel in that direction. As well as a confirmation that it wasn't really as hard as you might have feared.

Nicely done. Your over the initial threshold and on your way...

Ken

tony lockerbie · Oct 20, 2013

Keep on enjoying the process, so much more organic than digital. Also you will also have the pleasure of everyone always saying..."What, you are still using film?!"

ntenny · Oct 20, 2013

Bravo! It is a great feeling, isn't it---the hands-on "whoa, I actually *did* that" moment when you pull out the film and you can see something on it? And as others have said, it doesn't really wear thin. Congrats!

-NT

Truzi · Oct 20, 2013

Great job. The first time developing film or watching a print develop is always great - and it gets better. Keep with it, and remember to keep it fun.

Black Dog · Oct 20, 2013

The Force will be with you.....always

tony lockerbie said:
Keep on enjoying the process, so much more organic than digital. Also you will also have the pleasure of everyone always saying..."What, you are still using film?!"

Hehe.... for sure!

fotch · Oct 20, 2013

Congratts MitzyG, way to go.

SuzanneR · Oct 20, 2013

mfohl · Oct 20, 2013

Good job. First prints are never great. They are just an affirmation that you can do it. Now starts the good part: you get better. And ditto about that having fun part. I'm still having fun.

Cheers,

-- Mark

MitzyG · Oct 21, 2013

Oh yeah, that picture is total crap, LOL! It is overexposed on one side and under on the other. I was using medium format film for the first time and a camera I had never used before. All the shots came out wonky, I don't think the back of the camera closes properly.
We hadn't intended to print anything, but picked that as the best of a bad lot because I got the film loading down so quick (I practiced with bad film at home the night before) and we had time to kill.
We'll see how things turn out next week when I do 35mm with cameras I am familiar with that shut properly. I was just thrilled there was even one picture that turned out AT ALL.
Also that is a cell phone photo of a print, it doesn't look THAT bad, but it's for sure not going up on the wall or anything.

MattKing · Oct 21, 2013

I'm just amazed that Mitzi Gaynor is posting here on APUG .

Congratulations, and welcome to what has been an almost life-long source of enjoyment for me.

nemoskull · Oct 21, 2013

i got my first neg dev hanging on my wall. lousy pic but will never forget the magic of opening up the can and seeing real pictures!
keep at it. the fun has not faded for me. (tho it took me 2 weeks to finaly get my process down. caffenol )

Simon R Galley · Oct 21, 2013

My first print in my Grandfather's darkroom ( with a lot of help ) was of a shot I took on a camera he leant me ( KODAK Retinette ) of a mirror class dinghy on Lake Windermere in 1969...I still have the print, the neg, the camera and most importantly...the passion, I still love printing.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited

mrred · Oct 21, 2013

Yes, welcome to the deep end...

Claudia Moroni · Oct 21, 2013

Congratulations! It's so exciting to see your first negative and print, I still remember mine, it was absolutely terrible, but it got me hooked

Ken Nadvornick · Oct 21, 2013

Simon R Galley said:
My first print in my Grandfather's darkroom ( with a lot of help ) was of a shot I took on a camera he leant me ( KODAK Retinette ) of a mirror class dinghy on Lake Windermere in 1969...I still have the print, the neg, the camera and most importantly...the passion, I still love printing.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited

Might you consider posting a representative scan in the APUG Standard Gallery?

:w00t:

Could be kind of fun, might inspire a few others to try it themselves, and surely couldn't be any worse than what the rest of us routinely post...

Ken

Paul Glover · Oct 22, 2013

Congratulations!

There's something special about that first roll of film coming out of the tank and WOW THERE ARE IMAGES ON IT! IT WORKED!!

Then you get to do it all over again with your first print. Expose, dunk it in the developer...hey, I think I see something...WHOA! YEAH! I MADE A PHOTOGRAPH!!

My first ever print was bloody awful. Completely misread the test strip. Underexposed horribly. It will never go in a frame on the wall, but I do plan to keep it around because, well, it was my first ever print. It means something to me.

Film photography and the darkroom: Fun, fulfilling and addictive!

Black Dog · Oct 22, 2013

Yes-you just have to stick at it and keep going

I DID IT!

MitzyG

Fixcinater

removed account4

Jeff Kubach

David Lyga

Tom1956

Ken Nadvornick

tony lockerbie

ntenny

Truzi

Black Dog

fotch

SuzanneR

Moderator

mfohl

MitzyG

MattKing

Moderator

nemoskull

Simon R Galley

mrred

Claudia Moroni

Ken Nadvornick

Paul Glover

Black Dog

I DID IT!

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Moderator

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