My film – who cares what it looks like?

Watching the festivities at Carnival in the Mission (Lomography Earl Grey ISO 100)

So Doc has encouraged me to start shooting on film, and I’ve discovered that I really like developing film (we’ve been using the Noisebridge darkroom).  Like… really really like.  That’s the best part of the whole process for me.  I don’t know why, maybe it’s my background in chemistry?  But it also seems that I don’t care so much about the final product… I could develop roll after roll of film, and then just toss it into a corner and consider it done with.  OK perhaps that’s a mischaracterization; even though that’s what I’ve been doing, I actually am interested in seeing the photos I take.  Somewhat.

I’ve also been enjoying reading up on all the science and chemistry behind it.  It is surprisingly simple. I guess I expected there to be more to it since photography seemed like the most mystifying and mind-blowing process to me when I was a child.  Haha, wow kids sure are stupid; they don’t understand basic chemistry or optics!  I thought it was cool to learn that film is made by suspending light-reactive crystals in gelatin and then smearing that onto clear plastic backing.  No more mystery there, I suppose.

I’ve been wanting to either scan or print these guys myself, but haven’t the time, and thus the film pile grows.  So finally I just took the pile into  Marin Filmworks and had them scan it for me.

Doc and the accordion man who invented space pirate dubstep (it’s kind of a big deal) [Lomography Earl Grey ISO 100]
The Best Mom I Know (at the Yo-Yo competition in Golden Gate Park) [Lomography Earl Grey ISO 100]

Some Ancient Aztecs and a Baby, in an Ancient Aztec Baby-Pram (Lomography Earl Grey ISO 100)
A man eating a “Devilish Egg” jello shot at the Jello Shot Bakeoff (Tri-X ISO 400)

Author: Steen

Steen is a nerdy biologist who spends a lot of time trying to cultivate Chloroflexi, who also likes to draw comics, play video games, and climb.

2 thoughts on “My film – who cares what it looks like?”

    1. The first four are off my first roll evar, Earl Grey ISO 100. The last one is off one of the Tri-X ISO 400, notice how it has the world-famous signature underdeveloped band on top. A few of the other underdeveloped-band ones turned out cool-ISH but didn’t make the cut for this silly little gallery.

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