I Tried Developing my Film! It didn't go well.

…..But it turned out alright in the end.

I was going through my folder full of negatives recently, and I came across a contact sheet with a handwritten note saying 'Cinestill 800T - COMPLETE FAILURE’. (a bit dramatic)

At first, I couldn’t remember what had gone wrong with that roll to warrant such scorn. But then it hit me: back in 2020, during lockdown — when we were all slowly losing it — one of my projects to fend off boredom was trying my hand at home-developing film.

This roll was one of my first attempts!

Looking at the film strips now, with the (slightly) better knowledge I have of the process, the issues are obvious. The whole roll was basically wrecked — most likely from poorly mixed chemicals or temperatures that were way off. But as I looked closer, I noticed a few frames where you could just about make something out.

Curious, I fired up the scanner and gave them some post-processing love. And honestly? I kind of like them.

(You can see the scans below — grainy, streaked, ghostlike — but weirdly atmospheric.)

Sure, they look like negatives fished up from a shipwreck, but there’s something mysterious about them.

(Maybe I’m reaching — but sure look.)

The point of this not-so-pointless story is:

Go back and revisit your old work.

The stuff you dismissed when you were starting out might just surprise you now.

I’ve still got a few other forgotten rolls lying around — might post more if I find anything that isn’t total rubbish.

This is Redzer, signing off. x