7 February 2025
Rain, Zenits and a serious passion for analogue photography
The rain showed up from the start. Light was scarce. The cameras were indestructible Zenits with Helios lenses. Nothing stopped us.
On 1 February, at Cameras & Films (formerly Lomography Store Barcelona), we ran one of our most beloved workshops: film developing in black and white.
Despite the day starting with a few hiccups, it ended up being a rich, rewarding experience.
The day
Rain arrived from the morning, which forced us to rethink some parts of the workshop on the fly. Light was in short supply, and I myself — yes, a little unprepared — hadn’t come ready enough for such a wet day.
But nothing stopped us.
With the indestructible Zenit cameras fitted with excellent Helios lenses, loaded up with Fomapan 100, we got to work. This film, with its generous exposure latitude, held up well under the difficult conditions.
The development
In the darkroom, the story reversed completely. Correct temperature, development time to the second, regular agitation. The negatives came out clean with good contrast despite the tricky morning light.
That’s what I love about this workshop: even the unexpected things become part of the learning.