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| ID11 used with Fomapan |
In
the normal run of things the colour of your developer as
you pour it out at the end of the developing period is nothing out of
the ordinary. You just get on with the next stage of the process.
That is until it comes out emerald green!. What was just another film
processing session has just thrown up a number of questions of doubt,
or has it? This is possibly the first time for quite a while that you
have taken any notice of what colour the used developer was supposed
to be. So what changed? Your film make?
Basically
what you are seeing, if you have not used a pre-soak, is the
anti-curl and/or the antihalation coatings, washing off in the
developer. It has no affect on the developing process which is the
first thought most of us have when presented with something out of
the ordinary. Different developers can present varying colours
depending on which film manufacturer you use.
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| RO9 used with Fomapan |
Why
add these dyes?
The
halation dye is added to the back of the film base to stop
reflections coming off the backing (Acetate or Polyester) into the
emulsion, causing exposure affects, usually visible to the eye as
halos around areas of brightness. Sometimes the halation coating is
sandwiched between the film base and the emulsion or added to the
film base itself giving it a slight tone. This in no way alters the
way the film acts with the printing process.
So
which film developer combination gives you this wonderful Green?
Fomapan
is responsible for the green tinting of the used developer. The
developers I have used - ID11 and RO9 have produced this colour, so
suspect that this film may affect other developers. Although Foma
produces the most striking colour, other makes also add a tint to
varying degrees to the developer during the process.
