How To Develop Your Own Films with Msingi Sasis

Msingi Sasis can be described as a photography ninja, his images of nights in Nairobi are legendary. Nairobi Noir presents the city to us from an often unseen perspective that has gathered photography lovers to its site. The mysterious and multi-talented creative sheds some light on the obscure art of developing your own films in UPs Twitter interview for the “How to” 140 character series.

If I wanted to develop my own photos, what is the first step I’d need to take?

After you’ve shot your film roll, you’ll need a darkroom, developing tank, developer, stop bath, and fixer. You can use a bathroom at night.

What is a dark room, , developer, stop bath and fixer. and where can you find them?

A darkroom is a light tight room where one processes film rolls and makes prints.

What is a developing tank?

A developing tank is a small sealed container that does not any light into it. It’s what you use to process your film roll.

How does that work?

Once you open your film cassette you load your film roll into its reel. You do all of this in the darkness. Using your sense of touch.

Yes…

A developer tank is almost used in the same way as a cocktail shaker. Pour in stuff then pour out stuff.

Where do you find them?

I import my B&W film rolls and processing chemicals, since there are not currently available locally.

How come?

The stockists who were based in Nairobi all shut shop with the rise of digital photography, or shifted to supplying digital equipment only.

In the movies why is there always red light in scenes where film is being developed?

You see a red light because analogue photography is an incredibly sexy thing to be doing.

Haha ati because it’s sexy

Yeah, it’s very sexy…… and the smell of the processing solutions can get addictive. Sometimes in my sleep I smell it.

How does that work?

The only light that B&W photographic emulsion paper is not sensitive to is red. There’s a special red bulb, not the ones in the supermarket.

So what is the process?

There are two stages in the darkroom; processing the film roll which occurs in total darkness; and making the print where you use a red light.

 

Part 1?

Part one of the darkroom operations is developing your film roll into a negative. Step 1: Put film roll in Processing tank.

Then..

2. Pour in your developer solution after a minute or so pour it out.

3. Immediately pour in the Stop-Bath. After some seconds of shaking pour it out.

 

That sounds so complicated, and just part 1?

Being in the darkroom is complicated but also extremely adventurous. Seeing the image forming on your print is literally like watching a dream come alive.

Part 2 of the darkroom operations?

Part two is making a print. Step 1. You take your negative (processed film roll) and place it on a machine called an enlarger.

What’s that?

It’s in actual sense a type of projector. It is used to project the image to an emulsion paper on which you make your print.

How does it work?

Once you have set the size of image you want and focused it on the enlarger you place light sensitive photographic paper and expose it on the projection.

Then you repeat the process?

Yes, you go through the same process of developing, stop-bathing, and fixing as earlier only that the chemical solutions at this stage are different.

So there are two stages/ processes in the dark room?

In the first stage you’re processing in a tank for the celuloid film and in the second you’re processing in trays of emulsion paper. It’s two different mediums.

Developing films is not a joke…It’s mostly chemistry, so a lot of the basics you learnt in high school come in handy.

Any tips you’ve learned along the way?

A word of caution on developing film roll in your bathroom. just make sure it’s at night and there’s no stray lights getting into the bathroom.

How?

You can use old blankets to cover any spaces where the smallest amount of light can pass, because it can damage your unprocessed film roll.

Now you know more than you did a second ago and don’t you feel cool. If you would like to see more of the amazing and wonderful pictures of Msingi Sasis, give his Facebook page a visit… you won’t be disappointed!