I finally tried developing my own black and white film at home

I've been shooting 35mm for about a year and always paid the lab $12 a roll to develop and scan. Last month I spent $80 on a basic kit from B&H with some Rodinal and a Paterson tank. The first roll I did myself came out totally usable and I saved money after just 7 rolls. Has anyone else found that home developing makes you more careful about what you shoot?

2 comments

2 Comments

angelaellis25d ago

Your point about being more careful really hits home. I started developing at home last year and I definitely slow down now before clicking the shutter. Knowing I only get 36 frames and have to handle the chemicals myself makes me think twice about shots I would have just burned through before for no good reason.

the_mia25d ago

The opposite is true for me honestly. Digital taught me more about composition than film ever did. With film you're so worried about wasting a frame you stick to safe angles and lighting you already know works. Digital let me experiment with crazy stuff like shooting directly into the sun or trying completely random shutter speeds without caring about the cost. All those "wasted" shots taught me what actually works. Someone could shoot a thousand digital photos a day for a month and learn more about photography than someone shooting 36 frames a week for a year. The constraint of film just makes people afraid to fail.