Zeiss Ikon 6×9 | film developing

…120 negative type film developing in an old-school darkroom using Zeiss Ikon 6×9 camera

Here is Zeiss Ikon 6×9 camera which was produced in 1932. We bought it in Liverpool this year. This post will evolve as I’m going to add a new sub-website with darkroom news. I will show you how I develop negatives and do a prints. This will take some as I this process is pretty time consuming but there’s no rush with it.

Please enjoy with me of this what will happen here and that’s my first video ever! 🙂

Or the other view of the same camera… I’m trying to show you how that camera looks inside as many people never hold such piece of metal. To some people it’s even hard to image that 10 years camera can work. That one has been produced in approximately….1932. Mine other Hasselblad came out in 1971 so it’s older than me and produces great pictures.

These movies are only the beginning. The rest of the process including all steps I will include later on – in coming two/three weeks as some negatives are awaiting for development.  Till then let’s play with the themes for pictures. My favourite is “Portrait of my family”. We’ll see how I will went through it … 🙂

23 September 2016… and it’s time for some updates!

I have some pictures which I took using my old friend Hasselblad CM500 and using very old Polish START S66 cameras. Both have great lenses and I’m happy to show them to you.  All scanned pictures weren’t corrected or changed in Photoshop as it happens very often on some websites. It would be no point to do so as it states in opposite to see them developed in traditional darkroom.

The first one below taken using START S66:

Boat in Clevedon. Wales, UK

The second one has been taken a few years ago when almost whole Polish government has been killed in an airplane crash in Russia. People taken on the picture were gathering on the streets next to the President’s palace in Warsaw.

People on the streets after Polish President’s death. Warsaw, Poland

The next one shows Portobello Market. This particular shows a booth with old cameras. Taken using START S66.

Stand with old cameras on Portobello Market, London

That’s my favourite! The Pier in Clevedon, Wales in misty and foggy evening. I like this picture most as it reminds  me my holiday. The only thing is, that is was raining all the time 🙂 We have finished that day in a pub!

Pier in Clevedon. Wales, UK

How I’ve developed those pictures..

Those scans do not show pictures’ quality which is pretty good. I have developed them by putting them onto developers bath for 10 seconds each and them I’m moving them onto clear water bath for a 1 minutes without any agitation (!). It’s important to not move them during that minute as developer gathered on the picture’s surface is developing the picture and the agitation will remove it! After 1 minute picture has to be put back again onto developer for next 10 seconds and again moved back onto water. This process has to be repeated until picture is developed properly in “lights” and “blacks”. Pictures are developed using split-grading technique. Enlarger has to be equipped with colour head or B&W head. The other very good option is to use Ilford Multigrade filters which should be place under the enlarger’s lens.