The Workflow That Works

It was about a year ago that I became fed up with my Panasonic Lumix point an shoot digital camera. I was using it to shoot some yearbook photos of elementary students jumping around at a jumping gym on a “rewards day.” It was a dark interior, and the built-in flash would not go very far at all. And the shutter lag was making action shots impossible. I kept thinking to myself that, if I was using one of my film SLR's with a good flash unit and fast film, this would not be a problem.

So, why wasn’t I shooting film?

The answer at the time was 1) cost, and 2) turn-around time. With labs now few and far in between, the available options with costly - more than I wanted to pay when these shot were intended for the school yearbook (and I would not have been compensated.) Also, it would have taken two weeks to get my photos back - and I didn’t have that long to wait.

Already, I had been getting my film cameras out and shooting from time to time; after all I had good cameras:  a Nikon FE and an FM2n, plus my Uncle Jonesy's Minolta SRT-202. However, with the film and processing cost plus the time factor, it just didn't make sense to shoot a lot of film.

Then my phone rang. It was my brother, Kelley, with who I have shared a life-long love of photography. He began telling me how he had discovered the Film Photography Project podcast and store and about a C-41 developing kit they sold online.

There was a video of the process, and it looked much easier that what I was expecting. Most importantly, the kit was cable of developing between fifteen and twenty rolls of film (some get more and some get less) for the low cost of $20.00. That's potentially a dollar per roll. I took the bait and ordered my kit immediately.

You can watch the FPP video yourself and see what's involved with the C-41 kit, but I can tell you that the most crucial part of the process is controlling the temperature, which for the developer should be exactly 102º F. In my next post, I will detail how I have learned to control my temperature and get consistent results, but for now, let me say that opening up the tank for the first time and seeing images on the negative is a thrill I will never forget. I was hooked.

Now, I had a workflow that worked for me. I could shoot color film and process it at home inexpensively and timely. Sure, there is a time investment involved (actually, it takes about ten minutes once you start the C-41 process, but there is scanning afterward.) But this is a hobby, right? Previously, I had never even dreamed of being able to develop color film at home, but it is something that I really enjoy doing now. It's actually fun!

Next time:  C-41 tips.