Moving on from my colour double exposure Photographs I wanted to learn how to process and develop my own photographs. I had a photography induction in the first year of university however did not use the photograph workshops to my full advantage. I had another induction to refresh my memory and got straight into it. The first film I processed was not a great success however with patience and determination I continued to practise. I feel I have really improved and have learnt how to process and develop my own film. In the wet darkroom I have developed my film, using the enlarger to print the image on the photographic paper then soaking it in the developer and the fixer, with a stop bath in between to ensure the effects of the developer can be neutralised. I like using the wet darkroom because you can choose how the length of time the photograph is soaked in the solutions depending on the result you want. It requires a lot of precision and patience but I feel I have a greater control over the final image. I love watching the image appear on what was once a blank sheet of paper.

After a few weeks in the wet darkroom and I felt confident with the equipment I progressed into the machine darkroom, which can develop black and White and colour photographs. The machine darkroom is a lot quicker process because instead of soaking the photograph in the developer and fixer solutions myself, a machine does it. Therefore while I am waiting for it to finish I am able to produce more. However, it is a lot more tedious and requires patience but the final result is definitely worth the wait! It is very exciting knowing you have processed and developed your own photographs. I feel a real sense of achievement an satisfaction.

Continuing with the double exposure work I lay two films on top of each other in the enlarger and experimented with the exposure time, focusing the image and changing the aperture stops. This took some time to master but enjoyed experimenting and seeing the result of each photograph.