How to develop negatives

Homework – due next week • Pages 18 – 21

• 1 double - ‘how to develop negatives’ . This should include drawings of the equipment, labelled and a detailed description of how you developed your negatives.

• TARGETs for improvement

Developing your negatives

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson you will be able:

• to identify the chemicals needed for developing your negatives

• to explain what each of the chemicals do in the developing process

• To develop your negatives!!!

Managing Distractions…

The Negative:• A good negative is the key to a good print. Well-

exposed and well-developed negatives• print easily, while poorly exposed and poorly

developed negatives print with difficulty.• Contrast is the difference between highlight and

shadow areas.• High contrast subjects have dark shadows and

bright highlights.• Low- contrast subjects are gray, lacking either very

dark shadows or very bright highlights,• such as on cloudy days or with shaded light, and

are said to be flat.

The equipment…• Negative film reel • Developing tank• changing bag • scissors• can opener• Clothes pegs and string• measuring containers• Developer – Stop - Fix

Developing Tank Main area of tank – holds reel

Reel holder – chemicals are poured through the hollow

Tank lid – with a hole to pour chemicals through and a light tight cover

Negative reel – negatives are fed through, so they are separated out and can be reached by chemicals

• To put your negatives onto the negative reel, you will be using a changing bag and therefore working blind.

• You need to open the film canister with the bottle opener, on the end with the lip poking out.

• Ease the roll of film out of the canister.• Cut the end off the film, so that you have a straight

edge to work with.• Slot the edge of the film through the reel opening and

start twisting the two sides of the reel away from each other.

• With each twist you should feel the film going further into the reel.

• There should be no pull and the film should go through easily.

• When you reach the end, cut the other end of the film and make sure the film is all the way through the reel.

• Put the film onto the reel holder, place it inside the tank and screw the lid on firmly.

Well done – hardest part over!!

• Now we need to add chemicals…

Film Developer: The primary processing chemical is the developer, which reacts with the film to make the image visible. The developer works to bind together only the exposed silver crystals and turn them into clumps of dark metallic silver. The resulting image isa negative image.

Pour the developer slowly and carefully into the developing

tank…• Put the lid onto the tank to stop the liquid coming back out• Turn the tank upside down and then back the right way –

keep doing this for 10 seconds. This is called agitating.• Tap the tank on a hard surface 3 times, to release any

trapped bubbles from the agitation.• Agitate the tank every minute for 10 seconds.• Continue for 7 minutes.• Pour the developer carefully back into the measuring

cylinder, using a funnel.

• Stop Bath: Developer continues to develop film until it is neutralized by stop bath, which usually consists of a plain water rinse or a mild solution of acetic acid.

• The stop bath simply stops the development process

Pour the stop bath slowly and carefully into the developing

tank…• Put the lid onto the tank to stop the liquid coming back

out• Turn the tank upside down and then back the right way –

keep doing this for 10 seconds. • Tap the tank on a hard surface 3 times, to release any

trapped bubbles from the agitation.• Agitate the tank every minute for 10 seconds.• Continue for 1 minute.• Pour the stop carefully back into the measuring cylinder,

using a funnel.

• Fixer: After the stop bath, film must still be protected from light or the unexposed silver will become exposed and darkened. Fixer removes the unexposed silver (the unexposed silver areas will go clear) and allows the film or print to be viewed in room light.

Pour the fix slowly and carefully into the developing tank…

• Put the lid onto the tank to stop the liquid coming back out

• Turn the tank upside down and then back the right way – keep doing this for 10 seconds.

• Tap the tank on a hard surface 3 times, to release any trapped bubbles from the agitation.

• Agitate the tank every minute for 10 seconds.• Continue for 2 minutes.• Pour the fix carefully back into the measuring cylinder,

using a funnel.

Water rinseRun a cold tap into the developing tap for 2 minutes to get rid of the chemicals.

Wetting Agent: When the film is washed to hang and dry, water may cling to the surface and dry and leave streaks or spots. A brief treatment in a solution of wetting agent reduces surface tension on the film, and allows water to flow more rapidly from the film without clinging to it.

Adding wetting agent…

• Open the lid of the tank.• Put 3 drops of wetting agent into the water.• Mix up the water and wetting agent solution , to

form bubbles.• Continue for 2 minutes.

• FINALLY give the negatives a final rinse for a further 5 minutes, ensuring there are no more chemicals left behind to damage your negatives.

Unscrew you negative reel…• Carefully unwind your negatives and

run your fingers down either side of them, to remove any excess water.

• DO NOT USE A SQUIGEY!• Put a clip at either end of your

negatives and hang them up to dry in the drying cabinet.

CONGRATULATIONS..

…YOU HAVE DEVELOPED YOUR FIRST SET OF NEGATIVES!!!

Developing your negatives

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson you will be able:

• to identify the chemicals needed for developing your negatives

• to explain what each of the chemicals do in the developing process

• To develop your negatives!!!

What have you learnt today?