I hit a bit of a creative wall in week 12. The lovely SX-70 was loaded with Silver Shade Cool but I only did three shots during the week. Of the three, this is my favorite.
Sterick Building
Week 13 was more exciting. I developed color film at home for the first time using a roll shot by one of my favorite film cameras ever, the Olympus Trip 35. My negatives were cleaner than the ones I get from my lab so I’m definitely hooked on home development.
Downtown Memphis
Happy Day Laundry
Emergency Pizza Delivery
More at my Flickr page.
52 rolls 
Wonderful! How was the experience developing color? I really really want to dive in and try it. The one question I have is how to get the right temperature..
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The procedure is very similar to black and white and the instructions that came with the kit were very clear. I also read several how-to’s and watched a couple of YouTube tutorials which were helpful. One thing that the instructions don’t tell you is that 1. the blix will fizz when it’s being mixed 2. it’s the color of blood and 3. it lets off a gas during agitation so you have to release the gas. Even so, the blix leaked from the tank, so be sure to wear gloves and don’t use it in a porcelain sink.
I used a warm water bath to help regulate the temperature. In between inversions, I submerged the tank about halfway in the water. The development time for the kit I used was 3:30 minutes so it does go by quickly. I think there are other kits that have development times for lower temperatures.
This was the kit I used: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/109267-REG/Tetenal_T109306_C_41_Press_Kit_for.html
Overall, this was way more doable that I thought it would be.
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Thank you!
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Excellent results! My first color attempts had some spots from the Blix, I’m guessing because I was in too much of a rush and didn’t use distilled water. I do find it stressful though, keeping the water bath at the proper temp, but it is so satisfying seeing them on the monitor once you scan them. I used the Tetenal press kit and their instructions seem to have kind of a short rinse cycle. My b&w I usually rinse for 15-20 mins of continuous water. If I recall they just rec 8 mins.
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Thanks! I used that kit and the instructions included called for three minutes, which seemed awfully short to me, so I washed it for longer.
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I couldn’t remember what the rinse suggestion was, it seemed really short. Wow 3mins, no wonder I got spots.
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I really like that Polaroid shot. And coincindentalky ordered a C-41 Tetenal kit this morning. I too am not that happy with my local lab, especially the 120 films are often downright grimy.
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My lab does a nice job on 120 but the 135 is always a mess. It’s strange that there’s such a difference. I used that kit as well and the instructions are very easy to follow. Good luck!
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The results look really good. I’m also going to try to develop color film someday, but I’m worried about reaching the right temperatures.
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Thanks! I worried about the temps as well, but it was easier than I thought it would be. The chemicals are’t terribly expensive so I think it’s worth a try.
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Home colour development is something that has always eluded me. I’ll stick to B&W and leave C-41 and E-6 to labs 😛
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Similar experiences to others with C-41 processing – quite straightforward and easy to get good results. The only tricky bit is the temperature, but a water bath solves this. The chemicals are a lot more serious though than the b&w ones (well they are to me as a non-chemist) so I give them more careful handling – aprons and gloves recommended and not at the kitchen sink.
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The alley shot is super, but the night ones work really well too. Great to do at home.
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n.b. if you search online there are methods for developing C-41 at room temperature, with longer processing times but with good results.
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Thanks!
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I rather lick the Sterick Building. Subtle yet stark
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I have a crazy soft spot for Impossible film. Your instant photo is lovely. I’ve never had much luck with the Silver Shade Cool. Then again, I hoard until the film is well past its prime. 🙂
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Great week! A lot of people swear by their Trip 35s! Congrats on home-brewing C41!
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Congrats on the colour development! Great job!
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