A Day At The Fair

Last weekend I visited The Bethlehem Fair in Bethlehem Connecticut. I grew up in that area and it was a tradition to go to the fair every year. I haven't been there since I moved away. I always find agricultural fairs fun, maybe because I always had such a good time at the Bethlehem Fair as a kid.

Moo!

Photography Winners

Games

I bought some natural wool yarn from a local farm that raises sheep and alpacas. 

Roden's Farm. Best. Corn. Ever.

 Sleepy Sheep

This ride looks too scary for me. 

These photos were taken on Kentmere 400 film (shot at 400 ISO) and developed with Caffenol. This was my first time using Caffenol and I nearly shrieked with excitement when I opened the film canister and found pictures on my negatives. I thought for sure it wouldn't work.

If you have never heard of it, Caffenol is a black and white film developer that you make at home. It is a combination of Washing Soda, Vitamin C Powder, and Instant Coffee. Sounds crazy right? But it works. I did a lot of research on which Caffenol recipe I should use, and how long I should develop it, and I came up with this recipe to use with Kentmere 400 film:

1000 ml room temperature water

54g Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

16g Vitamin C Powder

10g Iodized Salt

40g Instant Coffee

I added one ingredient at a time to the water in that order. I then pre-soaked my film in room temperature water for 5 minutes. I developed the film for 30 minutes, agitating it for the first 30 seconds then again at 1, 5, & 15 minutes. I used Ilford Rapid Fixer and Kodak Photo Flo to finish it off. 

I usually develop my film in Kodak D-76 which isn't an expensive developer. The Caffenol actually comes out a few pennies more expensive than buying a gallon mix of D-76 (Vitamin C powder is the pricey ingredient), however I like that you mix it up one batch at a time because D-76 will go bad if it is left too long. I also like that you can buy all the ingredients locally and it probably isn't as hazardous as traditional developers. Oh, and I like that it is like a fun chemistry experiment.

♥ Jessica