Traditional Photography Processes at Home

While we’re all confined to our homes for the time being, don’t let this time spent indoors and around the home spoil your creativity. And especially for those working photographers and digital gearheads, it might be a good time to slow down and reconnect with the roots of photography. While camera development and the state of imaging in general are all about speed, ease of use, connectivity, and availability, consider spending some time with the fun and more “genuine” side of photography for a bit, and rediscover the simple but magical qualities that brought many of us to the medium in the first place.

Develop Film at Home

I’m an advocate for developing film at home at all times of the year, but especially now would be a great time to pick up this skill and be self-supported for all of your film-based post-production needs. I’ve written an article on the practicalities of the process, called Develop Film at Home! A Step-by-Step Guide, so I won’t go into all of the details about tools and chemicals you need, but I will say that a time like now will reveal the benefits of a developer like Kodak D-76, with its ubiquity, simplicity, and practicality, compared to more temperamental and complex solutions.

Kodak Professional D-76 Film Developer

Developing film at home is only part of the story, though, and unless you’re already sitting on a handful of exposed but undeveloped rolls, you might make this a full activity and shoot a few rolls of film, too. Maybe begin a still life project, make some portraits of your family members, or work on a documentary project of this time. Regardless of the subject, it’s a good time to take on some creative exercises and challenges to keep your mind fresh.