This paper will go through the steps of processing photos in the dark room using a traditional method with chemicals. I will then offer an alternative to the chemicals used. My hope is that the alternatives I have found will enable darkroom photography to be more environmentally friendly.
Aim: To produce an environmentally friendly darkroom.
Negative Development Steps
Step 1: Developer
| Steps | Chemical | Alternatives |
| Developer | Metol,
Phenidone, Hydroquinone |
Coffee,
Vitamin C, Soda ash |
| Stop Bath | Acetic Acid | Water,
Vinegar |
| Fixer | Sodium thiosulfate | Salt |
| Washer | Water | Washing up liquid |
In the processing of photographic film, the developer step is where one or more chemicals are used to convert the latent image to a visible image. Developing agents achieve this conversion by reducing the silver halides, which are pale-coloured, into silver metal, which is black. The conversion occurs within the gelatine matrix. The special feature of photography is that the developer only acts on those particles of silver halides that have been exposed to light. Generally, the longer a developer is allowed to work, the darker the image.
Metol
| Physical | Health effect | Store, reuse and dispose |
| It is an organic compound. It is the hydrogen sulphate salt of the protonated derivative of N/methylaminophenol | It can cause dermatitis for the hand and skin. | Store them in separate containers from each other. Label them with the name & the warning label. |
Phenidone
| Physical | Health effect | Store, reuse and dispose |
| It is an organic compound. It has five to ten times the developing power as Metol. | It also has low toxicity and, unlike some other developers, does not cause dermatitis upon skin contact. | Store them in separate containers from each other. Label them with the name & the warning label. |
Hydroquinone
| Physical | Health effect | Store, reuse and dispose |
| It is an aromatic organic compound that is a type of phenol, a derivative of benzene. It is used with compound Metol. It reduces silver halides to elemental silver. | It can cause severe contact dermatitis (long-term) exposure to hydroquinone dust can result in eye irritation | Store them in separate containers from each other. Label them with the name & the warning label. |
Borax
| Physical | Health effect | Store, reuse and dispose |
| Borax is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. Powdered borax is white, consisting of soft colourless crystals that dissolve easily in water. | Is not acutely toxic. The chemical can cause severe symptoms or death. | Store them in separate containers from each other. Label them with the name & the warning label. |
Sodium sulfite
| Physical | Health effect | Store, reuse and dispose |
| Sodium sulfite is a soluble sodium salt of sulfurous acid. It is a product of sulfur dioxide scrubbing, a part of the flue-gas desulfurization process. | It doesn’t have any obvious health effect. | Store them in separate containers from each other. Label them with the name & the warning label. |
Step 2: Stop Bath
Stop bath is a chemical bath usually used in processing traditional black-and-white photographic films. The purpose of the stop bath is to halt the development of the film by either washing off the developing chemical or neutralizing it. To wash off the chemicals, a simple water rinse can be used, but the development process continues slowly for an indefinite and uncontrolled period of time during the rinsing.
Where an immediate stop of development is desired, a stop bath will usually consist of acetic acid, usually around 1 to 2%. Stop bath halts the development process almost instantly and provides more precise control. It also cuts overall processing time, because the required immersion time in the stop bath—typically fifteen to thirty seconds—is much shorter than the time required for an adequate plain-water rinse. As well, by neutralizing the alkalinity of basic developers, it can help to preserve the strength of the fixer, making it last longer.
vinegar
| Physical | Health effect | Store, reuse and dispose |
| It is a colourless liquid with a pungent odour, and can be diluted in water. It is a weak organic carboxylic acid. Acetic acid is the major acid in vinegar. | Undiluted can cause burns but safe when diluted. | Store them in separate containers from each other. Label them with the name & the warning label. |
Step 3: Fixer
Photographic fixer is a mix of chemicals used in the final step in the photographic processing of film or paper. The fixer stabilises the image, removing the unexposed silver halide remaining on the film, leaving behind the reduced metallic silver that forms the image. During the fixer step, the film becomes fixed so no further changes are created by light. Without fixing, the remaining silver halide would darken and cause fogging of the image. Fixation is commonly achieved by treating the film or paper with a solution of thiosulfate salt. Popular salts are sodium thiosulfate—commonly called hypo—and ammonium thiosulfate—commonly used in modern rapid fixer formulae.
Sodium thiosulfate
| Physical | Health effect | Store, reuse and dispose |
| Thiosulfate is an oxyanion of sulfur produced by the reaction of sulfite ions with elemental sulfur in boiling water.
Thiosulfate occurs naturally in hot springs and can be produced by certain biochemical processes. Thiosulfate dissolves the excess silver bromide on the surface of exposed film, preventing excessive darkening. |
Thiosulfates break down rapidly in the environment due to the action of air and certain bacteria, eventually producing sulfides and sulfates. | Store them in separate containers from each other. Label them with the name & the warning label. |
Ammonium thiosulfate
| Physical | Health effect | Store, reuse and dispose |
| These chemicals are capable of dissolving silver halides without damaging the silver itself that constitutes the image. | It doesn’t have any obvious health effect. | Store them in separate containers from each other. Label them with the name & the warning label. |
Step 4: Washer
Washing in clean water removes any remaining fixer. Residual fixer can corrode the silver image, leading to discolouration, staining and fading.
Alternative developing agents
| Physical | Health effect | Store, reuse and dispose |
| Instant coffee | None | Seal in an airtight container. Dispose in the drain. |
| Vitamin C powder | None | Seal in an airtight container. |
| Vinegar | None | Seal in an airtight container. Dispose in the drain. |
| Salt | None | Seal in an airtight container.
Dispose in the drain. |
| Sodium carbonate (Soda ash). | Sodium carbonate has a low toxicity and the emitted amount of sodium during neutralization in water is relatively low and therefore the emitted amount of sodium will not have an effect on organisms exposed to the water. | Seal in an airtight container.
Dispose in the drain. |
Alternative combined developing agent
Available from http://www.digitaltruth.com/products/ecopro_overview.php
Conclusion:
The planet is currently facing an environmental crisis. It is important that less dangerous chemicals are used and environmentally friendly alternatives are found. Dark room photography traditionally is hazardous to the environment. Rather than losing this art form it necessary to find alternative solutions so dark room photography can continue in an eco-friendly way.
My research shows alternative solutions can be found. These include using household products including coffee, vitamin C, vinegar, salt, and soda ash. All these alternatives can be disposed of safely.
The next step is to test the process that I have researched.
Bibliography:
‘Chemical and Film Handling: Frequently Asked Questions,’ Kodak,
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/faqs/faq5020.shtml Web. September 2015.
‘Photographic Processing,’ Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_processing January
- Web. September 2015.
Wright, Cleeo. ‘How do you get / keep your chemistry at the right temperature,’ Photo.net, http://photo.net/black-and-white-photo-film-processing-forum/00a oAM 10 Sep, 2012. Web. September 2015.
‘Hera: Human and Environmental Risk Assessment on Ingredients of Household Cleaning Products,’ heraproject.
http://www.heraproject.com/files/10-f-05_hera_sodium_carbonate_revised_version2%20.pdf April, 2005. Web. September 2015.
