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Smith added that commercial developers\u2019 instructions \u201ctells you how to do it, but it doesn\u2019t tell you how everything works with each other\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first part of the process was to understand that side of it, and understand what it is within plant-based developers that works with the film.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said plant-based developers, in particular seaweed, contains a lot of phenols.<\/p>\n
These phenols help to convert silver halides in the film emulsion \u2013 once exposed to light \u2013 into metallic silver, which creates the black and white image.<\/p>\n
Smith explained that seaweed is \u201conly one ingredient\u201d in the process.<\/p>\n
He has been adding sodium carbonate to adjust the PH of the solution, and ascorbic acid \u2013 essentially vitamin C \u2013 to accelerate the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough I\u2019m into slow photography, and I enjoy the slowness of the process, I think developing a film for a couple of hours is a little bit excessive when it comes to slowness.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy adding that ascorbic acid in it helps to speed it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the moment the time taken to develop film with seaweed has ranged from between 26 minutes to around one hour.<\/p>\n
Smith said one result could be a developing chart which would give information on how long this type of developing takes, for different kinds of film and seaweed.<\/p>\n
He has been using fresh seaweed for now but aims to test out what \u201cstorm washed\u201d seaweed is like for developing in the future.<\/p>\n
Another photo taken by Chris Smith in Lerwick which was developed using seaweed.<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s journey with analogue photography stems back to when he was in his late teens and had his first darkroom experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI absolutely loved it,\u201d he reflected. \u201cIt was kind of like the hook that really got me into photography.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a dip in his student years but in 2020 \u2013 after the Covid pandemic hit \u2013 he bought some film cameras online and rediscovered the joy.<\/p>\n
Smith said it was the \u201cthrill of the shooting through the film, the slowing down \u2013 getting to process the films myself\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just took me back to that magic that I felt the first time I had ever done it ten years before,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Seaweed might seem like an unusual developing tool but he already predominantly uses coffee as an eco-friendly alternative.<\/p>\n
But it seems the process of discovery is set to continue for the forward-thinking photographer \u2013 with \u201cso much research\u201d still to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination in any of the alternative processes, but that\u2019s because there\u2019s so much to learn,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be learning new stuff about it for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
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