Photo Film Developing
To understand the process of photo film developing, one should first become familiar with how photo film is made and the components of the film itself. Understanding how film works, and how to develop it depends on a certain amount of knowledge about it. There are five parts to most films, interesting considering you definitely do not see five unique layers upon first glance.
The base of a strip of film consists of cellulose acetate, which is almost always clear or translucent. On top of the base, there is a thin coating of an emulsion made from silver halide salt. All film bases are coated with this emulsion and the true purpose of the base is to give manufacturers a place to put the emulsion. Different types of film will often have different concentrations of the silver halide, and this will affect the quality of the film itself.
On the other side of the base is an anti-halation background coating that keeps light from reflecting off of the acetate base and back through the emulsion. Coating the entire strip is a protection layer that is a gelatin like substance. There is also another layer added to the back of the base to keep the film from curling. Yes, that very thin strip of film is made of all of these individual layers.
A negative image is embedded on the film when light passes through the lens of the camera and hits the layer of silver halide salt. The silver halide is sensitive to light and when exposed a latent image is left on the film. This negative image, when exposed to additional chemicals during the development process, can be printed into a positive image or a photograph.
Photo film developing is a timely process, but it is not complicated. First, you go through two rounds of soaking the film. Once in the water, and once in a developing solution. Keep in mind that this process must occur in a darkroom, as exposing the film to light will destroy the images. After the developer, you will rinse the film and apply a fixer. At this point, the film is developed and can be exposed to light without damage.
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Film Development
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