For this project, I
decided to focus on alternative ways to process that would manipulate my film
in a unique way. I shot several rolls of
Kodak 125PX film and tried three processing techniques. For the first roll, I developed with a 1:1 of
D76 and orange juice, and washed the film with mango juice. The result of this was virtually perfectly
developed film, which was great, but not what I was looking for. The second roll was developed with a 1:1 of
D76 and salted milk, and washed with salted milk. The result, again, was well developed
film. My last roll of film was developed
in a mix of D76, rubbing alcohol, and Clorox bleach. The resulting chemical reaction created a
noticeable amount of heat, so I reduced my developing time because I was
worried that I would risk over-developing it if I went longer. When I poured out this developing solution, I
noticed a fair amount of brown runoff and thought that I had eradicated the
emulsion from my film. Proceeded to
rinse, fix, and wash the film as usual; and when I finally got a look at it, I
saw that the film was thick and opaque.
It was then that I decided to try dunking the film in the Clorox to see
how that would affect the film. I left
the film in the bleach for a few seconds, until I noticed the bleach was
starting to change colors. I took the
film out and saw that the emulsion had begun to bleed and separate from the
film, and would rub off if I touched the film.
I rinsed it off and got a look at what the film looked like and decided
that I liked the fogging effect that had been caused by the bleeding and my
smudging of the emulsion (this is best shown by the larger abstract image,
which is two frames side by side). This effect reminded me of a daguerreotype,
so I proceeded with an idea of trying to replicate the aesthetic of looking at
an old photograph with my film. I kept
the film in a container full of gravel for a week, so as to further age and
appropriately damage the film (which resulted in the blemishes and scratches
you’re seeing).
I’m surprisingly
pleased with the overall aesthetic of my images and am eager to continue
producing new images of different subjects while using this method of
processing.
© Tyler Jackson Photography 2012
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