Day 22

22/365, originally uploaded by Aaron LaRue.

About 6 months ago, I made some ebay purchases that I was really stoked about. I found two old brownie cameras, one a Brownie Reflex Synchro and the other a Brownie Holiday Flash. They both shot 127 size film, which was standard then, but is rare now. It's hard to find film, and even harder to find someone to develop it (without paying an arm and a leg, at least). I was determined to use these cameras, though...


So I decided that I was going to develop it myself. I figured out the process, and got the necessary supplies and chemicals. I got the cameras in the mail, and I got some film. I was ready to go, so I grabbed the Reflex and went to shoot a roll. I checked the shutter, loaded the film in the dark, and it all seemed like it was working. After I shot the roll, I unloaded it in a changing bag, and developed it in a light-proof tank. After hours of anticipation, I opened up the tank to find that I had no image. I was CRUSHED. The worst part was that I didn't know if there was a problem with the camera, or if I had screwed up in the development process. I packed my stuff up and shot digital for a while.


While unpacking boxes in my apartment yesterday, I found all my gear, and the Holiday camera that I had yet to test. The wounds from last time had healed, so I went to shoot a test roll. I followed the exact same process as the previous time, but this time, when I opened the tank, I had an image! I'm really pumped about it, but now I have another problem: I have to digitize my negative! I have a few ideas on how to do that, so hopefully Day 23 will be a beautiful black and white, size 127 image developed by yours truly.