We are the Brothers Wright, the photographers and creators behind CineStill. Ever since the beta tests of CineStill 800T processed in C-41 chemistry, and especially once we began designing simplified chemical processes, we have been asked many technical questions about motion picture processing and still photography. Over the years, we have done our best to […]
Category: Darkroom
Find all of EMULSIVE’s darkroom-related articles right here, including advice on technique, process, gear, and building your own darkroom and tools.
Posted inDarkroom printing
Printing from slide film using RA-4 reversal processing
Being partial to shooting some slide film where financially possible has always left me with a big frustration when it comes to viewing my precious slide film photos. I own a slide projector and a very good 35mm scanner but with the last real darkroom process for printing slide film: ILFORD’s Cibachrome having been out […]
Posted inArticles, Darkroom, Developing Film, Featured, Featured projects, Wet plate collodion
Introducing MentalCollodion: Shining light on mental health struggles
In the Summer of 2021 something special is coming to the Scottish Highlands (and hopefully elsewhere), courtesy of Simon Riddell, a van, a large camera, and a lot of chemicals! No, it’s not a sequel to Human Traffic, it’s a bold and exciting project from the man who helped bring us One Shot: Inchindown, the film […]
Posted inWet plate collodion
Visualising the Unspeakable: Exploring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with wet plate photography
Even when the camera is focused on a single subject, photographic portraiture rarely, if ever, speaks with just one voice. It is this multifaceted layering, be it intentional or otherwise, that generates intrigue and keeps us coming back for another look, drawn to some inexplicable detail that refuses to sit quietly on the page. Historical […]
Posted inDarkroom
Results WILL vary: An introduction to the endless creative expression of gum printing
Gum printing or, to give it it’s full name, gum bichromate printing can seem daunting. Certainly, it takes more of commitment in time and materials than cyanotype. But after cyanotype, gum is one of the simplest and most flexible alternative processes to dive into. Gum printing is expressive, painterly and fun; and to show you […]
Posted inDeveloping Film
They took my Kodachrome away…so I brought it back
Legend has it there was once a film that held in its grasp the bright greens of summer and made all the world a sunny day. That was until a fateful day in 2010 when Kodak brought it’s benevolent reign to a fateful halt. We are, of course, talking about Kodachrome, the legendary color reversal […]
Posted inDarkroom
Trying out solarisation in the darkroom
Being in lockdown has given me more time to consider expanding my repertoire of darkroom techniques. One of these is something a little different to what I would normally try: Solarisation. It’s a technique I’m sure many are familiar with, it is new to me and to be honest, some of the images I’ve seen […]
Posted inDeveloping Film
Learning to develop my first roll of film
Due to the current pandemic situation and resultant lock-down rules, I’ve decided now would be a good time to learn how to develop film at home. Since I got back into shooting film a few years ago, the thought of developing my own photos at home has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. […]
Posted inWet plate collodion
A world-first? Creating a traditional wet plate portrait over the internet from 4,000 miles away
With half the world under lockdown and the rest being advised to implement physical distancing and other measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, a traditional approach to studio portraiture and other relatively close-quarters photography needs a rethink…
Posted inWet plate collodion
Making “VIRUS”: A tintype stop motion animation
“You know me, if something bothers my mind, I have to make art out of it. Sadly at this moment, it’s the virus — COVID-19 — so I put my thoughts and feelings onto seven wet plates to make a stop motion animation.” Regular readers will no doubt be familiar with Markus Hofstaetter through my […]
Posted inArticles
Behind the scenes with Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet and the cast of Little Women on 1860s wet plate photography + photographer Q&A
Going against the grain, the on-set photographer of 2019’s Little Women included the use of traditional wet plate photography – also known as tintypes – to capture Saoirse Ronan, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson, James Norton and the rest of the production’s cast. It’s not very often that a unit still photographer gets to […]
Posted inWet plate collodion
Bringing a 160 year old giant Petzval lens back to life
It was a normal Saturday afternoon in November when I walked into a flea market. I met some friends there and looked around a little bit. In the end, I bought this Gasc and Charconnet 500mm petzval lens. If you are as old as I am and have seen the movie “Big trouble in little […]
Posted inDarkroom printing
Four very different darkroom printers test ILFORD’s new Multigrade RC Deluxe paper
ILFORD released a raft of new and updated products in late 2019, one of which was brand new Multigrade RC Deluxe paper. Called “MG V” by some in our community, I was provided a box some weeks before the official release to either test myself or give away as part of a competition/event. I decided […]
Posted inDarkroom
Developing color negative film at room temperature: the best option that nobody uses?
In the world of home film development, black and white dominates the market. This comes much to the chagrin of many amateur photographers looking to tinker and professional photographers looking to save a little money by developing colour film at home. Resources for color film development (C-41 for negative film and E-6 for slide film) […]
Posted inNews
New from ILFORD: 35mm and 120 ortho films, MULTIGRADE papers, camera and development kit – Q&A + tests/samples inside
One important voice has been missing from the crowd of new film announcements these past few years, that of 140 year-old ILFORD PHOTO. So, it was a pleasant surprise when the company began teasing the launch of four new products. What could they be? Speculation as to what these four images represented sent members of […]
Posted inDarkroom printing
Making colour prints in the darkroom: welcome to RA-4 printing
If you’re reading this guide, you’re probably new to RA-4 colour printing. Don’t worry, until recently, so was I. Over the past few months, I have spent a lot of time finding information about and practically learning the process. Since what I needed was scattered around the internet in small bits on different websites, forums […]
Posted inDarkroom
Cinestill C-41 Quart Kit: extended development, push and pull processing times
I’ve been developing film at home for a while now, and I’ve done everything that I can to get my money’s worth from my chemicals. Using the recommended 2% per roll time extension methods from Cinestill, I’ve been able to extend my chemistry’s life to the point where I’m spending just a couple of bucks […]
Posted inWet plate collodion
Greta Thunberg: capturing the voice of the 21st century using 150-year-old wet plate photography
The call came in on the afternoon of Monday 7th October. Shane Balkowitsch would have little under 24 hours to plan a 15-minute wet plate photoshoot with Greta Thunberg at Standing Rock. Naturally, the first thing he did after getting off the phone was to start packing his studio up into the back of his truck — including his portable darkroom.
Posted inArticles, Darkroom, Featured
Anecdotal evidence: My darkroom tricks and treats
I’ve been a street photographer and black and white darkroom worker since back when bulk film loaders boasted of “Penny a Frame” – that’s right, $.36 a roll of film.
Posted inArticles, Darkroom
My darkroom journey
I really believe that to be a complete photographer it is imperative to either hone the skill set of printing within a darkroom environment or be knowledgeable of the process.
