I spent 2 years mixing my developer wrong and didn't know it

I always thought my black and white negatives looked a bit flat, but figured it was just my cheap camera. Then I borrowed a buddy's developed roll from his Nikon F2 and compared it to mine. His had way more contrast and sharper grain. Turns out I was pouring the developer concentrate into the water instead of water into the concentrate. That little detail from the massive dev chart I ignored the whole time? Yeah, that changes the dilution ratio. Did anyone else learn basic chemistry the hard way like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

hernandez.ben1d ago

Wait, how did you not notice a difference in the mixing process for TWO years?

fisher.diana1d ago

Respectfully, sometimes you get into a routine and just don't question things if the result is still okay. Maybe the mix felt a little different but the plaster still set up fine and looked the same on the wall. It's easy to give a supplier the benefit of the doubt until you've got a real reason to double-check everything.