Did anyone else participate in Home Photography Developing?

[Louie Detroit]

Back in the middle 70's I started taking photography classes utilizing black and white film.

My Dad worked for Kodak in the early 60's and picked up a complete B&W development photo setup with an employee discount. We built a dark room in the basement and started to crank out photos. Several of my friends got into it.

Dad kept us well supplied with all the chemicals including the expensive silver based stuff.

My friend had some great pictures we developed of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in New Orleans '74.

Any anecdotes?

[RMVette]

My dad was a amateur photographer and had converted a small closest off the kitchen to his dark room. He developed B&W photos and had an enlarger. I have his old Pentax 35mm plus a ton of our pictures of family over the years. After he died we had to dispose of the chemicals so we poured them down the drain... well, that was in 1983 and we didn't know better.

[Frankie the Fink]

Sort of, the 'ole man had one of those fold out, accordion Polaroid cameras that took pictures that you then coated with this squeegee of chemicals to develop the film - smelled like the bowels of hell..

[Aerovette]

No anecdotes, but I had a full arsenal of darkroom equipment until the early 90s. I did my own development for a while as a hobby but quite honestly, it was far more trouble than enjoyment. I gave it all away. Probably at least a couple thousand dollars worth of stuff. I gave it to an old boss of mine that was a HUGE Ansel Adams fan and loved photography.

[Onebadcad]

Only russian spies and pornsters

[Torqaholic]

Took a class in the mid-80's. Never owned a darkroom.

[99 pewtercoupe]

My dad was into photography and built a pretty nice darkroom in the basement.
I got into it as did my younger brother. Between the three of us we ended up with some decent equipment. During HS I got a job working for a local professional doing developing and printing stuff he shot. He also had contracts with several local HS and would send me out to shoot some of the football and basketball games. Eventually drifted away from it once I started college

[slewfoot]

Originally Posted by Louie Detroit

Back in the middle 70's I started taking photography classes utilizing black and white film.

My Dad worked for Kodak in the early 60's and picked up a complete B&W development photo setup with an employee discount. We built a dark room in the basement and started to crank out photos. Several of my friends got into it.

Dad kept us well supplied with all the chemicals including the expensive silver based stuff.

My friend had some great pictures we developed of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in New Orleans '74.

Any anecdotes?

I dabbled in it all. Had a nice Cannon T70 I picked up in Japan in the early 80's., some darkroom stuff. Unloaded it all when the digital age came in

[Aerovette]

I have a Canon A1 (not AE-1) that was about $300.00+ when I got it.
Now it's a $10.00 doorstop.

[slewfoot]

Originally Posted by Aerovette

I have a Canon A1 (not AE-1) that was about $300.00+ when I got it.
Now it's a $10.00 doorstop.

Yeh, My friends daughter was taking a photog class and they were starting old school but could not find SLR cameras anymore and I just gave my set up to her.

[theandies]

Never at home but I did take a few classes and they had the whole setup. Stinky but fun.

[04 commemorative]

there was no other way to get you nude pics you took of gf's,wives

[Louie Detroit]

Originally Posted by 04 commemorative

there was no other way to get you nude pics you took of gf's,wives

I knew a guy who worked at a one hour film developer and he said people bringing in nudes on film to develop was very common. They’d make copies of some of the better ones and put them on a “hog board” in rear of the business where customers couldn’t see them. Occasionally they’d get pictures of underaged kids and they would call the cops in those instances.

[Aerovette]

Originally Posted by Louie Detroit

I knew a guy who worked at a one hour film developer and he said people bringing in nudes on film to develop was very common. They’d make copies of some of the better ones and put them on a “hog board” in rear of the business where customers couldn’t see them. Occasionally they’d get pictures of underaged kids and they would call the cops in those instances.

There was a huge bust of some guys that were collecting these pics. They had photo albums full and would bring them out at parties. There was a girl who either found her picture or someone she knew, and blew the whole thing wide open.

[TripleBlack]

I think I still have an enlarger in the attic that I used some in the late 70s. I still have a few prints I made back then.

[Newby]

Originally Posted by Aerovette

I have a Canon A1 (not AE-1) that was about $300.00+ when I got it.
Now it's a $10.00 doorstop.

I bought one new back when they came out. Great camera.
Apparently they were a bit ahead of their time, but i didn't know that until just a few years ago.
It got stolen out of my truck back in the early 90's.

[A/E]

Nope, Us Poor Folk Brought that Roll of Film to the Photomat ~

Waited a Week ~

Then - Got back our Pics of Blurred Thumbs ~

[LisaJohn]

I have 4 rolls of undeveloped film. I miss using film.