Just realized I was loading my film tank wrong for 6 months

I had this aha moment last Tuesday while watching a YouTube video from some guy in Portland. He was pouring developer into his stainless steel tank and I noticed he held it at an angle, not straight like I always do. Turns out I was getting air bubbles on every roll because I was pouring straight down the center. I've been developing at home for about 6 months and wondered why my negatives always had these tiny spots. Checked my last roll of Tri-X from last weekend and sure enough, there they were. Has anyone else had a dumb simple fix like this that cleaned up their scans?

2 comments

2 Comments

emma_hart9d ago

Ha! Mine was realizing I loaded the reel backwards for months lol

mia7279d ago

Well actually this might be a hot take but I think loading it backwards could be better in some ways. If you flip the reel around, the tension goes the opposite direction and it forces you to rethink how you cast. I tried it once by accident and noticed my line came off smoother on the backcast. Not saying it's the right way, but it's kind of interesting how little things like that change your whole rhythm.