How to Develop Holga Film

Developing Black & White Film

• 1). Make a small room, such as a bathroom or a walk-in closet, completely dark by wedging towels under the door and covering any windows. Place your film cartridge, bottle opener, developing tank and film reel in this room and shut the door behind you.
  
  
• 2). Pry open the bottom of the film cartridge with a bottle opener. Lift out the film and cut off the grooved beginning portion, known as the leader.
  
  
• 3). Slide the film under the notches on the outside of the film reel. Once you feel that the film has been taken up by the reel's ball bearings, hold the edges and twist them back and forth to continue loading. Cut the spool off the end of the film once the roll has been completely threaded onto the reel.
  
  
• 4). Drop the loaded reel into the film tank. Place the funnel cap on the tank and rotate it clockwise to lock into place. The funnel cap protects the film from light while allowing liquids to be poured in and out of the tank. You may leave the darkened room once the cap is securely locked.
  
  
• 5). Find the recommended development time for your film and chemistry combination using The Massive Dev Chart. Select the film you used in your Holga and your developer solution from the drop down menu on the left side of the page.
  
  
• 6). Prepare your developing solution according to the instructions on the package. Use a thermometer to ensure proper temperature, usually 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Centigrade), before beginning development.
  
  
• 7). Pour the solution into the tank and begin your stopwatch. Agitate or invert the tank for 10 seconds every minute. Pour out the solution once the stopwatch displays the recommended development time.
  
  
• 8). Rinse the film thoroughly with running water. This stops the development process and cleans away any remaining solution.
  
  
• 9). Prepare your fixer solution according to the instructions on the package. Check for proper temperature and pour the solution into the tank. Agitate as you did in Step 7 for the time suggested on the package. Fixing times tend to be much shorter than development times. Pour out the solution.
  
  
• 10
  
  Remove the funnel cap and rinse the film and reel thoroughly with running water.
  
  
• 11
  
  Hang the film from a shower rod using a clothes pin. Pinch the film between two fingers and run them down the length of the film to remove water droplets. Attach a clothes pin to the end of the film to straighten it as it dries.
  
  
• 12
  
  Allow the film to dry and harden overnight.
  
  

Developing Color Film

• 1). Bring your film cartridge to your preferred photo lab. One-hour labs at your local pharmacy or grocery store often deliver acceptable results. For high quality prints or digital scans, visit a professional lab.
  
  
• 2). Obtain a development envelope from an employee or from the film drop-off counter.
  
  
• 3). Fill out all required information on the form including print size, whether you'd like your negatives cut and sleeved and the resolution of your digital scans. Include your contact information so the lab can contact you when your developed film is ready to be picked up.
  
  
• 4). Give the envelope to an employee or place it in the film drop-off slot.