Hands Off with Kodak TMAX P3200

Lancaster PA 

Once I knew I was attending the protest for sure, I now needed to know what gear I would take. Film camera for sure, iffy on the digital, and what film stock. Travelling light was a priority and I hate bulkiness, so in the end, simplicity won. One camera it would be and the last piece of the puzzle to figure out was now the film stock.

I had three options. Kodak TMAX P3200, Cinestill 800T or an early morning trip to the photography store. The original plan for the two rolls was either an evening walk and/or a club band performance, and this protest was neither. The two available film options were a bit fast for a midday, albeit overcast day. But a trip to the photography store in the small window ultimately lost in the mind tussles and settled on the fact I would be shooting at a narrow aperture. Loaded the Kodak roll into my Minolta XG 7, pocketed the box of Cinestill, and my girlfriend and I were out the door to meet our friend and walk down to the square.

Sporadic rain showers were in the forecast and the temperature to be in the mid 50s. The conditions made for a nice walk but held off taking any pictures until we arrived. The square was already filled with Lancaster residents with signs and placards with their messages of disapproval and requests. I quickly snapped the first few frames, composing protesters against identifying city landmarks in the background. 

We moved through the crowd, scoping out the size of the gathering. Cheers breaking out when passing vehicles sounded their horns in support. There was a sense of joy in the air, as citizens thanked each other and laughed while reading various signs, a common thread connecting everyone.

I exhausted the roll near the end of the scheduled hour and a half event. Standing on the corner with the camera strap around my neck, I unloaded and replaced the black and white film spool with the color Cinestill roll. My focus turned to finding colorful signs and compositions for the final few protest shots before calling it quits. Save the rest of that roll for another day.

The development of the roll went smooth. My dark bag reel transfer has not been the nightmare it was a few months ago. The frequency increase of my practice has definitely yielded results. Reviewing notes before develops has paid huge dividends, and this case was no exception. This was the first time developing the Kodak TMAX P3200 and the df96 solution called for extra time or an increase in the solution temperature for that speed. My original plan was going to be room temperature as a trial but now instead prepared the bath and set the sous vide to 85 degrees F. 

6 minutes and some minimal agitations later, the film was rinsed, given two minutes in stabilizer then hung in the bathroom to dry. Seeing well developed negatives was a treat after the last few stumbles with caffenol and an old batch of chemistry used by accident. I usually scan the same day I develop, after about two hours of hang time.

What a relief seeing the preview images! I love the first glimpse moments of seeing scans, some in anticipation and others jogging a memory. As the files slowly scanned into the growing folder, I viewed them full screen. The high-speed film had its telltale grainy look, giving the protest scenes an old classic look. Curious and looking forward to when the color shots from this day are developed.