Development Tools for Film Processing

Any photography will produce images which need developing somehow, whether using digital development processes or chemicals. I generally use digital cameras but as part of my journey, I am building my film camera skills too. You can read my initial post on film photography here. 

When processing my own films, I have learnt about a number of interesting options available to use in development, including introducing sepia and bluetone hues to my pictures. The sepia and bluetone processes require a photograph to be developed in the usual manner. The picture is then subject to further development processes to produce either a sepia or a bluetone effect.

The images which follow are examples of a black and white image, then the same image which has been produced in sepia and in bluetone format. I've talked through the steps at the end of the post to give you an idea of the process used to create the end pictures.

   Original black and white image

                                 Sepia Image

     Bluetone Image

Sepia is created by submerging the print in a tray of sepia chemical for around two minutes (the indicator is the time at which most of the black on the photo has disappeared; this takes about two minutes). After this, the image needs to be rinsed for a further two minutes in another tray. The third stage is to put the image into the final chemical tray to bring out the sepia tone. The tone can be lighter or darker depending on the strength of this mix. Finally, leave the image to rinse for three minutes. Sepia toned images can be dried using a drying machine. 

Bluetone is also created through the use of extra chemicals but there are only two stages. Firstly, make sure the image you wish to tone is dry. Then submerge the image into a tray of bluetone developer for three minutes. Agitate the chemical mix during this time to keep the mixture moving across the image. Secondly, place the picture into a tray to wash it. You should be looking for the blue tone to come through in the image; it might look yellow for a time until the blue comes out. This stage can last up to 5 minutes. Dry the picture naturally and not in the machine.

I really enjoy the chemical processing part of film development as you can introduce a personal element to the pictures. I think the image above works quite well in black and white but I do like the sepia tone too. I think the bluetone is something I'd be more likely to try on a snowy scene, to introduce an extra layer of coldness to the image.