My whole darkroom routine changed after one dumb mistake

I used to just eyeball my developer temperatures and hope for the best, figured close enough was fine. Then last month I ruined a whole roll of Portra 400 because my chems were sitting at 72 instead of 68. Now I keep a digital thermometer in every bottle and check before every single batch. Has anyone else had a similar wake-up call about temperature control, or am I just the slow learner here?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan_hayes6d ago

Did you at least get a good cry out of it?

knight.oscar6d ago

Honestly yeah, but it took me a while to get there. I read the whole thing in one sitting (big mistake) and then just sat there staring at the wall for like 20 minutes. The part where the kids are just sitting in the dark waiting really got me, I had to put the book down and walk away before I could actually let it out. My advice is to save a chapter for a quiet night when you have time to sit with it, don't read it before bed like I did because you will be up all night thinking. And keep tissues nearby, obviously, but also maybe a glass of water because crying dehydrates you way faster than you'd think.