One thing that overwhelmed me when I was learning was times, dilutions, and temperatures. I've screwed up all of those and can safely say that for a beginner, don't lose any sleep over those factors, you can be way off on all 3 and still get an image on the negative. Of course they all have an impact on the amount of development that occurs, but paper grades and scanning software will make that an issue you don't have to worry about until you get the basic steps down
Although not an Xtol user, it is a very good developer, only reason I don't use it is because I don't buy in 5 liter sizes.
Asking advice on this site about how to develop and print film is not a good idea, as you will get hundreds of conflicting opinions and suggestions far removed from what you wish to achieve. I would suggest you enrol in basic analogue photography course at your local college.
Asking advice on this site about how to develop and print film is not a good idea, as you will get hundreds of conflicting opinions and suggestions far removed from what you wish to achieve. I would suggest you enrol in basic analogue photography course at your local college.
I developed my first black and white film 50 years ago. I was then 6 years old. There is nothing difficult in this. But most of all I enjoyed designing the slide. I liked the backlight after developing. This is real magic!
Свою первую черно-белую пленку я проявил 50 лет назад. Мне тогда было 6 лет. В этом нет ничего сложного. Но больше всего мне понравилось разрабатывать слайд. Понравилась подсветка после проявки. Это настоящее волшебство!
You do like inflicting pain on the unsuspecting.
That was a very thoughtful and insightful comment. I agree with your sentiment. Some of the more advanced photographers may find it difficult to address a complete beginner without overwhelming them with detail and debate. How does one convey basic knowledge to help such a person? I guess I'd start by imagining being in their shoes and go from there.With newcomers do we need to ask ourselves such basic things as: What are they asking us to provide? What is their level of knowledge and skill and then addressing that initially. Then we see how things progress and try and ensure that the newcomer is keeping pace with what we are telling him
pentaxuser
That was a very thoughtful and insightful comment. I agree with your sentiment. Some of the more advanced photographers may find it difficult to address a complete beginner without overwhelming them with detail and debate. How does one convey basic knowledge to help such a person? I guess I'd start by imagining being in their shoes and go from there.
In my experience, it is almost impossible for an expert to imagine being in a beginner's shoes. After a couple of decades of practicing any craft, a certain amount of fundamental knowledge becomes so ingrained that it happens at a subconcious level. We forget what it was like to be the new kid, and we simply cannot see the process from an innocent point of view.
The best person to train the new guy is not the crusty old expert, but the person who was himself the new guy just a year or two ago. They are experienced enough to know the fundamentals, and can still remember the hard parts about learing the job.
At one place I worked, we had a saying about training, "See one, do one, teach one." I think the process of teaching something you have just learned provides additional learning. If you have to explain a process to someone, you will understand it better yourself.
So I suggest that some of the old experts should step back, and let some of the newer members try to help the total newbies. A person who is still in the learning phase will probably be more helpful than you think - and (hopefully) more empathetic than the crusty old experts that dominate forums like this one. ;-) The moderately informed should not worry too much about the quality of your advice - if you are wrong about something, I'm sure the crusty experts will correct you, probably more than once. In fact, they will probably correct you even if you are correct, but that is life on the internet.
In my experience, it is almost impossible for an expert to imagine being in a beginner's shoes.
You are wrong. Conflicting options provides various options and paths to try out. Just remember though that the only opinion which is always correct it mine. The rest are entitled to their opinions even though they are wrong.
In my experience, it is almost impossible for an expert to imagine being in a beginner's shoes.
@VinceInMT Agreed. I admire true experts who can talk about complex topics in an accessible way that most people can understand. There's a fantastic series on YouTube out of the North Hennepin Community College in Minneapolis, MN. The professor is very knowledgable, has a sense of humor, and an ability to teach film photography that's easy even for absolute beginners to follow.
Some of my former students now work in the tech sector and they’ve told me that a common interview task is to take a complex concept and explain it to a 5-year old.
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