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The Film Developing Cookbook
The Film Developing Cookbook is an up-to-date manual for photographic film development techniques. This book concentrates on films, their characteristics, and the developers each requires for maximum control of the resulting image.
The Film Developing Cookbook specifically addresses the difficult subject of T-grain film development. It includes rarely found information on film development and the nature of film developers. This book will help photographers acquire a working knowledge of photographic chemistry that is relevant to black and white film developing and serve as a reference and refresher for photographers at all stages of their skill. This companion to The Darkroom Cookbook will help photographers become familiar with different developer formulas for achieving a wide range of pictorial effects, and teach them how to mix and use photographic solutions from scratch-even to create new ones. Many of the developing formulas and archival fixing solutions contained in The Film Developing Cookbook have never before been presented. The authors take bold and controversial stances on many widely accepted film developing dogmas. They tackle many of the widely accepted "myths" of film development. They reject the trend toward 'scientific evaluation' of films and developers in favor of the photographer developing a personal aesthetic without relying exclusively on densitometry or H&D curves.
Topics covered in this manual · Films
· Developer ingredients
· Types of developers
· Formulas
· Speed increasing
· Mixing and storing stock solutions
· Stop baths, fixers, and washing
· Safety
· Chemical and equipment suppliers
· Recommended development time for hundreds of films and developers
The Film Developing Cookbook specifically addresses the difficult subject of T-grain film development. It includes rarely found information on film development and the nature of film developers. This book will help photographers acquire a working knowledge of photographic chemistry that is relevant to black and white film developing and serve as a reference and refresher for photographers at all stages of their skill. This companion to The Darkroom Cookbook will help photographers become familiar with different developer formulas for achieving a wide range of pictorial effects, and teach them how to mix and use photographic solutions from scratch-even to create new ones. Many of the developing formulas and archival fixing solutions contained in The Film Developing Cookbook have never before been presented. The authors take bold and controversial stances on many widely accepted film developing dogmas. They tackle many of the widely accepted "myths" of film development. They reject the trend toward 'scientific evaluation' of films and developers in favor of the photographer developing a personal aesthetic without relying exclusively on densitometry or H&D curves.
Topics covered in this manual · Films
· Developer ingredients
· Types of developers
· Formulas
· Speed increasing
· Mixing and storing stock solutions
· Stop baths, fixers, and washing
· Safety
· Chemical and equipment suppliers
· Recommended development time for hundreds of films and developers
- GenresPhotography
176 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 5, 2021
NB-There's a newer edition.
This is something rare-a film cookbook compiled in the 1980's that covers new materials and ideas. Anyone looking to get into souping their own black and white film (color is a different beast) or cares about control or quality needs to own this.
This book covers materials simply ignored elsewhere. Drawing from the last generation of Kodak, Ilford and Agfa research photochemists, the mechanisms of development and fixing film are explored as well as possible, given the massive shredding of research by Kodak and the closure of Agfa. More stable alkaline fixers are described, as are alternative developer chemicals. Lab safety procedures are described in better detail than elsewhere. The book is peppered with illuminating quotes from some of the most insightful photographers and photochemists of the mid and late 20th century.
I managed to teach myself black and white darkroom work and compound classic developer formula using this book, a camera and fifty dollars of lab gear from a cold, standing start with no previous photography experience. That's a testament to the clarity and design of the book.
This is something rare-a film cookbook compiled in the 1980's that covers new materials and ideas. Anyone looking to get into souping their own black and white film (color is a different beast) or cares about control or quality needs to own this.
This book covers materials simply ignored elsewhere. Drawing from the last generation of Kodak, Ilford and Agfa research photochemists, the mechanisms of development and fixing film are explored as well as possible, given the massive shredding of research by Kodak and the closure of Agfa. More stable alkaline fixers are described, as are alternative developer chemicals. Lab safety procedures are described in better detail than elsewhere. The book is peppered with illuminating quotes from some of the most insightful photographers and photochemists of the mid and late 20th century.
I managed to teach myself black and white darkroom work and compound classic developer formula using this book, a camera and fifty dollars of lab gear from a cold, standing start with no previous photography experience. That's a testament to the clarity and design of the book.
April 7, 2020
This is the standard modern darkroom cookbook. Whether you want to roll your own or stick with a tried and true formula, this book needs to be on the shelf and well worn if you develop black and white film.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews