DIY developers

Understanding what you use

Most analogue photographers use commercial developers that come as powder or concentrate and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. It works. But not knowing how they’re made is like always cooking with jar sauces: efficient, but without knowing what’s inside.

In this workshop we go to the source. We study the active components of developers — developing agents, accelerators, preservatives, anti-foggants — and we prepare several formulas from scratch: the Beers Divided Developer, Caffenol and some classic and modern variants.

This isn’t an academic chemistry workshop. It’s a very practical workshop where the goal is to develop film with what we’ve made ourselves and understand why the result is what it is.

Key contents

Session 1 — The chemistry of development

• Developing agents: metol, hydroquinone, phenidone, vitamin C
• Accelerators, preservatives and anti-foggants: the function of each component
• The relationship between formula and result: grain, contrast, acutance
• Preparing the Beers Divided Developer formula: solution A and B
• First test: developing a strip with Beers at various A:B ratios

Session 2 — Alternative recipes and documentation

• Caffenol-C: instant coffee, ascorbic acid and sodium carbonate
• Home-made Rodinal: para-aminophenol and sodium hydroxide
• Variations on D-76/ID-11
• Comparing results: density, grain and tone
• Personal documentation: how to record and reproduce results

What’s included

• All reagents and chemicals: metol, hydroquinone, phenidone, vitamin C, carbonates, sulphites…
• Test film for all the workshop formulas
• Use of the lab and documentation materials

What to bring

• Your own exposed rolls if you want to test the formulas with your own material (optional)

Not included

• Reagents for highly specific personalised formulas (enquire in advance)