I have written several blog posts about the various cachetol based film developers I have been using the last few years. So I thought I would post my observations and personal experiences in more of a summary format for anyone who wants to explore a similar path. The only caveat is that these statements are […]

I had stumbled upon Jay DeFehr’s website a couple of years ago when searching for an alternative to Pyrocat HD which kept failing for me.  Obsidian Aqua is a simple two chemical (part A) that is highly concentrated and easy to mix. Like most of the cachetol based developers the goal of this developer is […]

Last weekend I returned to Edge of the World rapids in Dawsonville, GA. Even in early light there is a nine stop difference from detailed shadows (wet mossy rock) to the light blue sky. I am continuing experimentation with Pyrocat M now that it has a little age on it. Scene 1 Bridge and River […]

I must have been feeling brave last night and processed 3 sheets of film at the same time. My experience with Pyrocat HD over the last couple of years has taught me a great deal about how it works when using minimal agitation/semi stand techniques. I altered my normal single sheet dilution to be sure […]

I dropped my ancient trusty Kodak mercury thermometer a few months back and finally replaced it with one from Patterson. I then used it to check my dial thermometers to see if they had stayed “calibrated” (I had reason to suspect they had not). I found that one was two degrees higher than the mercury […]

Over the last couple of years I have been taking field notes on a custom 3×5 card rather than using a notebook. 1 card per 4×5 shot allows me to capture all the information about the exposure I need to remember or use for printing later. I have refined this card over time and today […]