My own darkroom! Really!

Remember when we used to take our 35mm film to the local drugstore for developing? When I wasn't looking, film developing became a boutique service not easily found in my town. Only one store handles film, and it costs about $15 to develop a roll and get the photos on disc. Sending my film out took a month and cost $12 per roll. The results were great, but the cost and turnaround time were frustrating.

As you know, I recently rediscovered film photography about two years ago. I own a bunch of nifty Lomography cameras, an Electro 35 from the early 70s, and a Canon Rebel SLR. I have been experimenting with different films and processes, but never at home. Then I did the math and realized how inexpensive it would be to set up a home dark room.

I started with this Pinterest board, where I pinned all of my research and created my own little self-study course. I watched dozens of videos, visited a camera shop, and talked to film veterans who knew a thing or two about processing.

Then I went shopping. Before I knew it, I had my own little darkroom, complete with developing tanks, reels, chemicals, and all kinds of helpful little gadgets. It looks something like this:

I am starting with C-41 processing, which is what you use with color negative film. I also want to try E6 for cross-processing when I gather more confidence.

A camera store owner in York, PA recommended this tank and reel set, so I can develop 120 and 35mm film:

I added some Lomography posters for inspiration...

And now I am ready to go! And yes, I do realize that I am the only person who repurposes a perfectly good third bathroom to make a dark room. I am awesomely weird that way.

Check out my Pinterest board for links to some helpful and interesting tutorials, videos, and how-to guides that will get you started with film developing. And watch this blog for updates as I dive into the deep end of home film processing! Thanks for reading!

Visiting the Lomography Store in NYC!

When I found out that we would be spending a week in New York City in February, I made a list of must-see spots around the city. The Lomography Gallery Store in Greenwich Village was at the top of my list, so we hit it on our first night.

I am a fan of what I like to call crap photography. I don't mean this in a derogatory way because I appreciate the art behind Lomography. I joke about the quality, but in truth I really love how Lomography film cameras encourage me to be creative. To say I was excited to visit the store is an understatement. I was like a kid in a candy shop! First stop was the Diana F+ display, where I drooled over the awesome little 120 film wonders.

I decided it would be fun to take pictures of the Diana mini display with my own Diana mini. Perhaps fortuitously, I managed to jam the film in my little Diana. The super nice counter guy unjammed my camera and sent my film to the LomoLab to be developed. The next day, I had a CD full of analog images! (More on that in a future post.)

The Lomography Gallery Store is more like a museum than a shop. Well, it is a museum that encourages you to pick things up and play. I touched almost every camera and accessory on the sales floor. It was lomo heaven!

Naturally, I couldn't leave without a new camera. I was happy to grab the Diana Baby 110, the tiniest of all the Lomography cameras! I also grabbed two 110 film cartridges to do some outside photo shooting in Soho!

I spent hours in Soho and the Financial District today, shooting 35mm and 110 film like I did when I was a kid. I can't wait to see the results!