Hot take: My most interesting shots came from ignoring the timer

A lot of people in this community swear by following development times to the letter, but I think that can limit your creative results. Last week, I was developing some expired Fuji Superia and decided to cut the time short because the negatives looked too dark in the tank. The colors came out with a unique, muted tone that I really love. If I had stuck strictly to the chart, I would have missed that chance. Learning to judge the film by sight during development has opened up new styles for me. I'm not telling beginners to throw out their timers, but experienced folks should try trusting their eyes more often.

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3 Comments

seanh917mo ago

Feels more like a conversation with the film that way.

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skylerg177mo ago

Left a roll of Tri-X in the soup forever after my buddy called mid-process. The negatives came out nearly solid, but the prints had this wild, blown-out contrast I ended up loving. Sometimes screwing up the time gives you a happy accident you'd never get from a chart.

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knight.xena7mo ago

Ever try to do it again on purpose? Those happy accidents where the film fights back are what keeps it interesting. Charts just show you the door, but walking through it wrong sometimes gets you better places.

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