Developing black and white film at home
September 27, 2026
After two years of sending film to the lab I finally bought a small developing tank. The kitchen bathroom becomes a darkroom for the five minutes it takes to load the reel.
My current routine: HP5 at box speed, a one-shot developer at 1+50, gentle inversions every minute, then a long wash. Nothing fancy, and the negatives are surprisingly consistent.
The best part is the moment the reel comes out of the fixer and you hold the strip up to the window for the first time.